[arjab]

Originally Posted by NickKohl123

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.

Keeping your budget of a million rupees in mind:

Hatchback/Quasi-SUV:
1) Tata Altroz: Good boot for a hatch. 5-star safety ratings
2) HONDA Jazz / WRV: Very good bootspace. Good safety. Comfortable ride

Soft Roaders:
1) Renault Duster Petrol Turbo: very practical boot layout. Good ride.
2) Ford Ecosport: Not that big boot but the side hinged tailgate, scooped out tailgate inner and good boot floor to roof liner height, ensures you can stuff quite a lot of stuff inside. Harsh ride

Sedans:
1) Skoda Rapid / VW Vento: Good bootspace. Decent ride. Nice new petrol powertrain.
2) Skoda Laura: used. Ticks all your requirements
3) Skoda Octavia: new. Ticks all your requirements. Expensive - very.

Suggestion:
Take a call between the Duster and the Honda WR-V.
You need a slightly taller car because often you may need to change diapers while travelling with the child, and that means; with the child partially lifted from the child seat.
In that case the extra cabin height will help in preventing the kiddo's head from getting inadvertently knocked about. The Altroz and the sedans have a much lower roofline.

Take care, drive safe & all the best...,

[Artyom]

While buying the vehicle the boot space was pretty low on my list of priorities as most of the times it will be 2 of us travelling. Mine is Creta 1.6
When we travelled from Bangalore to Punjab the boot space played a major role and accommodated the bigger loads.
What surprised me more than that was the space around the Spare tyre was huge.
To give you a fair idea I could place all the detailing stuff(Towels, Spray Bottles, Concentrates, Tyre Brushes)All the detailing supplies were accommodated in that space and I carried a good load of them)
It was like a hidden chamber which will now house all the detailing supplies without taking space in the boot. To give you an idea it includes the following:-

Approximately 4 Towels for Waterless Wash
Approx 10 towels for the full wash regime which includes Drying Towels, Buffing Towels, Generic purpose Towels
1 Wash Mitt
1 Tyre Brush
1 Tyre brush for alloy cleaning
3 Spray Bottles 500 ml each(APC, Carpro Perl, Quick Detailer)
1 Pressure Nozzle

Earlier all of this used to take space in the Boot and now its all gone under the plank.
Having said that I would like to know if someone else also uses the spare tyre space to store something or I am the odd one out.

[haisaikat]

In hatchbacks several times the problem with loading more than usual luggage happens due to inclined rear seat and the parcel tray at the top.

Following below options you can make maximum utilization of the boot

• Instead of bigger luggage use smaller ones
  • they are easier to tuck into corners
  • they can be placed on top of the parcel shelf
• Try not to fit your existing luggage and suitcases into your boot, rather buy these cases and bags separately.
  
• Smaller duffel bags or hand bags are way more flexible for this purpose.
  
• You should have bags of different sizes to accommodate the tapering top portion of the boot
  
• If required remove the parcel shelf and utilize the complete space for luggage, you can still keep your handy items on top of the luggage heap and access them as if they were placed otherwise on the parcel tray.
  
• It is not the best in terms of safety but if you utilize the rear seat as a bed then the leg room are can also be stuffed with smaller bags.

[narayans80]

I really don't understand why you are crunching numbers for boot space in liters. The only numbers I had to crunch was my budget and that narrowed down the sample space to a few cars.

Given the budget, you have to decide on the boot space you need based on your use case. How much luggage do you really carry around? If you are highway tripper, how long a trip do you really do?

Bulk of the car buyers use the rear seats much more than the boot space. The cars sold in India can't be too long and too wide either. Crysta and Hexa are the only cars that stretch the limits literally, and its by the additional dimensions are they able offer 7-8 seats with boot space. Most other mass market cars top out around 4200-4300 mm in the million rupee segment (Ertiga, S-Cross, Creta) at 4500-4600 mm in the 2 million rupee segment (XUV, Safari, Harrier).

We are a family with 2 kids, we have done multiple 1 to 2 week trips on commuter engine S-Cross with a measly 360 liters on paper. And this car was after we were used to a 510 later Corolla for a year. Based on these experiences the lesson learnt was, it was all about how we packed stuff and made use of every inch of space available. And by no means we pack light or do we hold back any purchase. All this with a driver (that's me) who doesn't like keeping anything on rear parcel tray and have clear view from my IRVM at ALL times.

So in summary, decide your budget, shortlist a few cars, get a test drive to your residence, have some mock luggage to evaluate the boot space and take a plunge.

Originally Posted by Artyom

Having said that I would like to know if someone else also uses the spare tyre space to store something or I am the odd one out.

You have company

[NickKohl123]

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

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.

Sir, just to clear my thought process - My car hunt is not started with bootspace as a priority but It is just a perspective that boot space is also one of the criteria, it was awakening moment for me as you can see my earlier choices of cars (wagonR duo - basically compromise on bootspace to fit LPG + spare wheel, Polo is one of the poor offering in terms of bootspace - but Polo is something you can do 600-700 kms a day with no fatigue - shear comfort and beauty) Thanks for your suggestions but after owning one VW I am not really looking forward to similar brand. I always feel that 10-12 lakhs rupees car shall tick all boxes with basic new age feature - like AMT + cruise at minimum, because if I buy car now it will be with me at least 10 years before I buy new. Since there are more choices there is more confusion

Originally Posted by antz.bin

You need not change the car to fit the stroller. What you need is a compact 3-fold stroller.

Thanks very much for link and great tip !

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Hi NickKohl123
Boot space in liters is important, but what is also important is the height & width of the loading lip.

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.

You are right, I experience this Loading lip issue in my polo - in case of heavy luggage.

Regarding comparison between India and USA - My thought is like this - Average annual salary for an engineer in USA is around 60-70k$ - Cars cost around 20-30k$ (nissan altima, toyota corolla) - basically half of annual package.(I know higher taxes and all - but in India also we pay good amount of taxes, we can not just compare only Income tax in India with USA, but one must this about indirect taxes which is main thing - but developing country needs all possible money)

Whereas, on other side In India - annual package is around 8-10 lakh rupees and cars are not getting dearer, A good car (say honda city, ciaz) would cost around 12-14 lakh rupees

Also, another fact to consider is manufacturing cost in India is 20-30% of USA, still in 12 lakh rupees you will not get normal features such as adjustable head rest, Automatic + cruise (in India many variants if they provide automatic there will no option of cruise, and same car manual transmission will have cruise, I mean it is not logical at least to me), dead padle etc., I am not talking about other high end features point by point navigation, electronic IVRM etc. do not want that as well but at least a complete car package.

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

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.

I also zeroed down city but could not fit that in my budget

Originally Posted by sanchari

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

You are right, my mistake !

[sam264_2000]

Originally Posted by NickKohl123

Regarding comparison between India and USA......

....I also zeroed down city but could not fit that in my budget.....

Purchasing power of USD is higher than INR. Add to that irrational taxation from the government. This makes a car cost twice in India as much as it would cost in USA. My brother bought an Audi Q5 in US for $40k with superior safety and convenience features. The same model costs almost twice in India.

I would highly recommend Honda City V variant. It's a slight stretch above your budget but trust me it's totally worth when you consider 10 years of ownership.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by NickKohl123

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

Hi Nick,
Great to see your thread and also the detailed analysis you have done. I had started the "measuring the actual boot capacity of your car" thread when I realised that the actual usable boot space of most cars is not even close to what they claim on brochures!

In the largest Boot space category and flexible usage, I rate the Renault triber very highly as with the third row folded, it has 620L of boot space, inspite of it being a sub 4 M car. Renault has really packaged it very well and freed up tons of space in the inside. However the current 1L NA engine is boring and I would wait for the Turbo 1L AT variant to get launched (same as the Magnite and Kiger engine). If that is launched, It will be a much better car. Do check that out!
Also, another car worth waiting for, but may exceed your budget a bit would be the Kushaq, which hopefully will start from 10 lacs exshowroom and will deliver a much richer and luxurious experience. (not sure on the boot space though as it is quoted only at 400L which is not too large).

Also, an honest advice- don't go by paper number as mentioned by the Car companies, check out the cars yourself and take the measurements (like I mentioned on my thread). Only that will give you a real idea of the actual boot space!

[jessie007]

Just saw it in Team BHP newsletter. Incidentally recently clicked a cute photo of bootspace in my Nano. Couldn't help but posting it

[Chinmay]

Originally Posted by Artyom

While buying the vehicle the boot space was pretty low on my list of priorities as most of the times it will be 2 of us travelling. Mine is Creta 1.6
When we travelled from Bangalore to Punjab the boot space played a major role and accommodated the bigger loads.
What surprised me more than that was the space around the Spare tyre was huge.


Earlier all of this used to take space in the Boot and now its all gone under the plank.
Having said that I would like to know if someone else also uses the spare tyre space to store something or I am the odd one out.

Oh, it indeed is a lot of space. I packed my shoes, car wash essentials, my wife's and kid's shoes, kid's books and notebooks, and my pet's food supply near the spare wheel well in my Brezza on my Bangalore- Bhubaneswar-Bangalore trip a couple of months ago.
The only issue I can see is an unexpected flat tyre can trouble you.
That said, the space near the spare wheel is significant to load a lot of stuff.
Also, I agree with a lot of members here that boot space in litres can be misleading. Space management is necessary too.

[blackasta]

I am not bragging because I own the car, but of all the cars I have driven or had a ride as a passenger, none beats the space management of Jazz at that price point.

You can fit a 6 ft adult in front seat, have enough space in the rear seat for another 6 ft adult or child seat + bags in the footwell area, and have a cavernous hatch space.

Truth be told, this huge space makes me carry a lot of extra weight in my car as there's no requirement to offload anything at anytime, even while accommodating passengers and their luggage.

Do have a look at the Jazz while you shortlist.

[Muski]

I feel compelled to say that my humble Etios has 590Lt of boot space. It trumps everything in the list.

[GeeTee TSI]

Boot capacity in L aside, I found that the depth of the Polo's boot (for example) accommodates a carry-on sized suitcase front to back (wheels against the seat). This enables another layer of (soft) bags thereby maximising its utilisation. It wouldn't be a bad idea to try out some frequently used pieces of luggage on a test drive car brought home (or a tape measure check of dimensions)

As mentioned in earlier posts, soft bags really help fit more pieces, better; if wheeled hard suitcases can be done away with for road trips

[click]

One thing that vw/skoda does well and that is boot space. The design and depth of the boots really maximises storage and even though they might not have biggest in terms of litres; they manage to fit in a lot more than competition.

Just last week on a road trip, I managed to fill-in to the max capacity in the Vento boot:
2 large suitcases, 2 carry on size suitcases, 1 medium duffel, 4 soft bags and 3 suit bags along with a jopasu duster thrown in.

Absolute brilliant at gulping down luggage and did not require any pushing or awkward setup to get everything in as well.

[shaheenazk]

Originally Posted by NickKohl123

A Bootspace take:
I had made spreadsheet table for my take on bootspace across segment so thought of sharing with team-bhp community

Spreadsheet Table

The last entry in the spreadsheet mentions that Thar has 600 ltrs of boot space. It's misleading because 600 ltrs is with rear seats folded down. Otherwise with the seats up, it offers a measly 100 ltrs only.

[Heart_Revs]

Those magic seats of first gen Jazz - boy o boy did they swallow luggage!!! And how!! My friend upon his transfer from Girakhpur to Delhi drove all the way with his family ( wife and 1 yr old child). One half of magic seats was folded flat as a bed !!! And rest of the car gulped luggage life breakfast and lunch.

That was the most practical space management I had seen. Get yourself one pre-owned and you will thank me later.