How Tesla’s front trunk compares to ones from other luxury carmakers like Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini

December 30, 2020 Matthew DeBord Uncategorized Comments Off

Tesla Model 3 Review — Tesla Model 3.
Matthew DeBord/BI

Some sports cars, supercars, and all Teslas now on sale have a front trunk, or "frunk."
For Teslas, this feature adds to existing cargo capacity in a trunk or under a rear hatch.
For sports cars from the likes of Ferrari, the frunk is all the cargo space you get.
I get a kick out of frunks — here are some favorites.
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When you remove a gas engine from the front of a car and put it someplace else, you create space under the hood for storage. The result is a front trunk, or "frunk."

I love frunks. Mid-engine and rear-engine sports cars and supercars often have them. So do many electric vehicles - no traditional engine makes for trunk and frunk space.

All Teslas, for example, have frunks. This means that while a Porsche 911 frunk might be useful for toting around a small piece of luggage, a Tesla Model S can offer SUV-like cargo capacity.

Here's a look at some of the frunks I've loved:

The Tesla Model S is a luxurious, all-electric sedan that's been on sale since 2012. It currently starts at about $70,000.

It has a capacious frunk - large enough to give the Model S SUV-like hauling capacity.

Tesla Road Trip 2016 — Tesla Model S.
Matthew DeBord/Business Insider

The Tesla Model X is the automaker's proper SUV. It starts at $80,000.

Tesla Model X Road Trip — Tesla Model X.
Matthew DeBord/BI

Read the review.

I used it to take a 700-mile family road trip, and the frunk made it possible to haul a lot of gear for five people.

Read about the trip.

The Model 3 is Tesla's small sedan. It starts at $40,000.

Read the review.

Its frunk adds additional capacity to a trunk that has about 15 cubic feet of space. This makes the Model 3 into a compact crossover SUV competitor.

Porsche 911s have a rear-engine design, meaning that the motor is perched over the rear axle. I recently tested both a 2020 911 Carrera 4S and a 911 Turbo S.

A Euro-spec Porsche 911 Turbo S (992) is pictured here at our suburban New Jersey test center.
Matthew DeBord/Insider

The 911 has no trunk, and just a small frunk to deal with cargo needs. Yes, there's also a back seat. I was able to cram a few days worth of groceries into the frunk of the $141,000 911 4S.