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-   -   A take on Boot Space! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/232741-take-boot-space.html)

A short background:

I own VW Polo (Diesel), and WagonR duo (LPG). WagonR is good city companion, and mainly used by my wife, however, it has completed 14 years and looking at uncertainty around government policies about vehicles older than 15 years, I was giving serious thought to sell it off. After showing car around in market I realized it would sell cheaper than new Activa :Shockked:

Regarding polo it’s a different story – Until couple of years back I was working in Pune, and my family was in Nashik – So I wanted reliable highway traveller which can easily do my weekend trips without taking much toll on my body, and shall be pocket friendly (hence, diesel). Within first 2 years of purchase of polo I clocked around ~35000 kms. Then I was relocated to my native with new job, so Polo was sitting idle at home, since wagonR was mainly doing city running being LPG and usually parked outside of home, and Polo being parked in the porch.

Then, we were blessed with a baby last year, and things/perspective changed – I realized my wife would not be using her car much, also polo is sitting idle. I thought to let go both and instead buy one car mainly automatic/AMT with good safety ratings, isofix for child (Surprisingly even Polo highline does not have it), and mainly good luggage space so that I can put a pram/stroller and other luggage, and last but not least good ride comfort.

I started hunt with 1 million rupees as a budget, after doing some showroom trips I was perplexed at recent car scenario – I see that boot space is something given least importance by manufacturers, as well as show room sales team. Hence, I decided to compare data bootspace wise just for understanding market, and realize car scenario in India is something like – customer is always getting cheated, Period. (I was in USA for few years and I never had to think about obvious features of the cars – like child isofix, or seat belt pre-tensioners, some comfort features like cruise control, steering telescopic adjustments, seat height adjustment, headrest adjustment etc.)

A Bootspace take:
Finally I felt really frustrated :Frustrati and stopped my car search, decided to manage with what I have a for a while, unless I get a car which is giving me a value for my money. I had made spreadsheet table for my take on bootspace across segment so thought of sharing with team-bhp community

Spreadsheet Table

On paper, the number of liters look good. But in reality, what matters a lot is the way the boot is designed, including the loading area, protrusions from the rear suspension, The angle of the tailgate etc. In short, how P-R-A-C-T-I-C-A-L is that boot!

A car may look ugly and you can still manage loading the luggage like a pro stacking them just about perfectly while in few cars you will realise how the additional boot space is of no help at all.

There is an interesting thread already on this very topic on measuring the boot capacity of cars. Have a look.

My observations:

1. Entry Hatchback segment

1.1. Renault Kwid is best in class in terms of ride comfort, bootspace, handling. But future of Renault, their service centers is something to worry about!

2. Compact hatchback

2.1. WagonR is leading – giving most value for money. I own one of it – and l love it’s shear practicality. Eventhough it is unsafe tin box with weird design from outside – but ride comfort is not that bad. I mean before buying wagonR I hated it the most, but after owning one for more than 8 years – This car is SOMETHING (No wonder it is always in list of best seller for more than decade.

2.2. New santro really have a very small boot as compare to old discontinued santro even to thought dimension wise it is beefier than older.

3. Premium Hatchback

3.1. Figo and grand i10 are smallest bootspace in this segment

3.2. Baleno is very all rounded car again with largest boot in a segment (after launch of altroz it is second largest) – Maruti has done it again by giving most value for the money – by making sure that there is no value given to human life ;) But it is working for them in India with “Kitna Deti Hai?” Attitude of indian mass

3.3. Altroz is something giving everything – but again tata has huge backlog on their shoulder in terms of attitude of showroom guys, and service issues. It is still not improved. Also after Indica Vista reliability issues it is still worrisome for normal buyer about long term reliability of TATA cars

3.4. Ignis – gets 80 ltrs smaller bootspace than a less pricier brother WagonR

3.5. Swift had issue of less bootspace from beginning – and maruti did not bother to correct it in new generation as well. Why would they? Even if there none provided they would manage to sell it as hot cake.:unhappy

4. Compact sedan

4.1. Amaze is segment best bootspace – Tigor is behind with 1 BISLERI bottle less to fit in its boot, with cheaper price tag. Basically 1 ltr bisleri costing around lakhs. So better to put 1 bisleri bottle in bank rather than keeping it in Tigor boot :P. Jokes apart tigor wont give you reliability of Honda – and that lakhs of rupees goes for reliability

4.2. Ford managed to provide smallest bootspace in this segment again

5. C2 segment (SUV, sedan, Compact SUV, crossover etc.) A most happening segment in Indian car scenario

5.1. Bootspace take is – Sedans are best for putting lot of luggage, also, give good ride comfort.

5.2. Compact SUV not giving anything better than Sedan other than ground clearance for around same price point (I mean second top of sedan shall be nearby top end of C-SUV). A HARD TRUTH WHICH IS TOUGH TO SWALLOW. But, unfortunately C-SUV is something all people are drooling over. Even I was in market looking for Compact SUV but even in terms of riding comfort some are good some are not

5.3. In sedan segment Ciaz is segment best closely followed by City and then Vento. Skoda Rapid is smallest among them

5.4. Compact SUV – XUV 300 offering smallest boot space and lowest GC in the segment, surprising brezza is second smallest. Kia Sonet is best bootspace followed by tank TUV 300. Ride comfort wise sonet and TUV 300 may not be a best one though !

5.5. In SUV segment Duster is giving best boot space whereas creta & seltos is offering smallest one

5.6. Special mention for crossover – One of the good car from Maruti’s stable – but I feel maruti purposely gave it cold shoulder. It’s interior does not feel good. In terms of convenience features/comfort – even cheaper baleno get more bells and whistles for its base end than top end of s-cross (sarcastly speaking). Also, killing 1.6 ltrs engine is like slow poisoning of this car by its makers

5.7. Overall Sedan and SUV are the only proper cars considering boot space – but obviously they are out of reach in terms money for common people. Even my 1 million budget would not help me to get one. These can only be referred as proper cars and one must be ready to shell out 1.5 million bucks.

6. D1 segment – A segment of 2 million INR – XUV 500 offering 93 ltrs of bootspace, how impractical a car which can fit 6 people and 93 ltrs of boot

6.1. MG hector is offering best in class bootspace 587 ltrs, followed by Jeep compass at 438 ltrs at distant margin.

Thanks for sharing this link, it is really interesting to know difference in theoretical and practical.

I could not agree more that luggage space must be user friendly.

Never start on a car hunt with only boot space as priority. That said graduating from two hatches there are any number of cars that offer a lot for a young family like yours. Since you already have a Polo why not try a Skoda Rapid Rider Plus, it gives immense value for money. There's the Honda City also that gives great seating, performance, fuel efficiency, comfort and boot space. Also C-SUV's like Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, Vitara Brezza, Nexon, we have been spoilt for choice like never before, fear not.

Just about any vehicle around the 10L budget gives ample boot space. All you need to do is open the boot see if it looks okay and move onto other important aspects of car buying. Comparing boot spaces on an excel sheet really isn't going to get you anywhere.

10L budget can get you a decent car in India and you can choose from around ~ 40 models, in US you get nothing really.

You need not change the car to fit the stroller. What you need is a compact 3-fold stroller. Works better if your baby is slim like mine is. But even if that is not the case, there is ample room in the stroller and it has a 5 point seat belt.

This is how it fits in my Ford Figo along with the infant car seat. Zero boot space required.



Both of these are Luvlap.

Car seat: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B01H8OFABE/..._5qPlEbR3AQTBF

Stroller (cabin size):
https://dl.flipkart.com/dl/luvlap-cr...oduct.share.pp

Such a combo should be available with R for rabbit and the other American brands as well, but this is a viable solution that I have found.

If this is your primary requirement, the Polo should be good enough. If you wish to indulge, Altroz iTurbo is an excellent car with excellent safety.

Happy Shopping.

Judging bootspace by liters is quite impractical. The Linea has a sufficient 500L boot but the small opening and low platform makes it difficult to place and take stuff. Some items fit inside the boot but you won't be able to pass them through the opening. Also, the rear strut mounts might intrude into the space, limiting the width. I completely agree with Parag sir on this.

The Japanese, especially the Hondas are particularly good at space management and not just in the boot but on the whole.

Hi NickKohl123
Boot space in liters is important, but what is also important is the height & width of the loading lip. If you have to carry items like strollers and child seats, please try an Ertiga. If you're looking for a large car, why not go the used car route? At a million rupees, you can get good used cars like a Honda Mobilio or BR-V which have terrific space management.

Unfair to compare cars in the US & India though. The Toyota Corolla is an entry level "compact" car in the US whereas it is a premium "large" sedan in India.

Good luck :)

My TUV 300's boot seldom gets used to store serious luggage on our roadtrips. We load it all up on the rooftop luggage carrier in an Amazon Basics waterproof luggage carrier bag. It takes about 10 minutes to set up and to load and as much time to undo when you reach your destination. What's more, we see a lot more of the said bag on the tops of other SUVs and MPVs these days; it's evidently selling very well.

If you pick a strong-bodied UV that can hold that much weight up top, this bag can really gobble up a lot of luggage like you can't imagine. Your boot can then accommodate snack bags, water bottles, blankets and similar readily reachable items.

I think based on the fact the boot space is so critical for the OP, the Honda City would be the best choice. Firstly it has the space both for luggage and pax. Secondly it has the capability as the best midsize sedan currently (there arent that many anyways ). Third- it has the reliability and cost-effectiveness and brand value. I would suggest to the OP to just up the budget a bit and go for the higher trim. There may be lots of discounts on offer. Plus no waiting lists like the Korean crossovers.

In premium hatchback segment, Jazz has the biggest boot space, bigger than Baleno and Altroz as per the excel shared by OP

I will share my real life experiences on boot space between Honda City and Skoda Rapid. If you consider litres Honda City is definitely a winner. But this is not true in real. I have two kids and while going to my native all our luggage fills the boot of Honda city and some had to be kept at the back seat. After buying Rapid, all our luggage fills in the boot itself and it can take in even more. This was quite a surprise and then I understood that although City's boot is wider, Rapids boot is more deeper. So never go by litres when considering boot space.

We know from where that increased boot space in Rapid is taken from, the back seat. Honda City clearly takes crown in back seat space, but Rapid's back seat is fine as it is placed higher. So I never felt compromised buying a Rapid.

Surprising for an utility vehicle manufacturer, but Mahindra designers give low priority to bootspace:

Mahindra Marazzo (190 litres, competitors offer 250 to 300 litres)



Mahindra XUV 500 (90 litres)



Mahindra XUV 300 (250 litres, competitors offer around 350 litres)



Mahindra Thar



If you have passengers on side-facing rear seats, bootspace in Scorpio/TUV 300/Bolero etc is close to zero! "3rd row seats can be folded to free up bootspace" is not a great argument, because a hatchback too can carry 4/5 passengers + luggage. You don't need a UV for that.

First up - don’t judge a car by it’s boot. I had a similar dilemma esp after letting go of my Skoda Superb which had a ‘humongous’ boot (three ‘US travel to India’ bags, plus 3 cabin bags and space remaining to boot! Say whaaaaa...

My Vista was one of the best boots - well designed for a hatch. Esp with the 60:40 split rear seat. 4 people and their luggage could fit! 1 lakh plus kms of zero breakdowns and comfortable drives.

Just before the lockdown I was considering the XL6 and Altroz to replace my Vista. The only reason to consider the XL6 Was the additional space at the back with one rear seat folded. This is with one seat reserved for child seat. The biggest con was lack of safety. But then this was going to be 95% city used with rare out station drives (less than 200 kms) as I can call upon a friends Hexa when required. So I was willing to give safety a lower priority.

Altroz again - excellent overall car and my experience with Tata (7 cars till now) has been great. But the lack of a split fold seat kept me away.

Currently my drive is a Manza - the boot can fit a person easily. With some work can fit a lot of luggage.

Every car purchase will always be a compromise. The Polo for example has non existent legroom for the rear passenger (6 foot driver). Hexa is a beast in tackling bad roads and no roads but at best is a 6 plus luggage vehicle (7 seat version), MS cars are kind of please all but safety is the biggest grouse and that tinny feeling esp after using European or Tatas. Mahindra makes good cars but suffer from ‘image’ issues. Heck the Old Toyota Fortuner had the worst ride of any large SUV. Superb is a great car but can’t tackle bad roads with ease (suspension bushings need to be changed).

Also don’t go by litre comparisons - suspension protrusion, depth etc all matter in terms of actual usable space.

End of the day - go with what your ‘heart’ tells you. You will be more committed to the purchase and work happily with what you have.