[deep_bang]

Well. Boot space is important but not so important too. In my case there were several times when I felt the need for a sedan but in almost all case I was able to fit it into my indica boot. Indica is not exactly huge but not very small either.

What I feel is that having a small boot may lead to other compromises such as limitations while placing speakers so as to get more space etc. However, no matter what the size of the boot we adjust to it. As simple as that.

Having a 60 - 40 split seat helps when on rare occasions you need a bigger boot and yet in 95% of the situations you are alone or just 2 people where boot space hardly matters.

[condor]

If I didnt want a boot, then I'd as well buy a hatch. The question /poll in this thread is almost the same as saying do you prefer a hatch or a sedan.

Earlier threads:
2006:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...power-etc.html

2010:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-c...ead-hatch.html

I have owned hatchbacks, sedans & MUV's. All three have their advantages.

[ajay0612]

Boot space may not matter during daily commute, but it is definitely a need when going out on weekdays, holidays, etc. It is not possible to strap a boot for those occasions (mounting on roof rails are not convenient and also lead to compromised handling and safety issues.). So adequate boot (250L minimum) becomes a necessity. The boot may not be so important for a family of 2 (as in Europe), but it is must for a family of 4. I find it quite strange that manufacturers don't even offer split seats in the cars with meagre boot space. Even some big MUVs don't have that ! (e.g. Xylo, Scorpio, Grande).

[prakash_ajp]

Oh, absolutely! When I can or want to have only one car, a spacious boot is a must. Once my first car was a sedan, there was no going back for me. We were spoiled by the fact that we could even take things like pram wherever we went. For me, the convenience of a big boot is worth the trade-off on less parking space etc.

[JediKnight]

When we go for long drives we carry a lot of luggage. Hence a large boot is an absolute must. It is one of the reasons why we bought the Logan/Verito.

[Blow Horn Ok]

Boot is important for me. If there is sufficient boot space (hatch or a sedan), i won't curse the car and myself every time visiting the railway stations and airports. People praise the figo for gobbling up so many luggage. Though the major concern is, the car sags down if the luggage is seriously heavy and tend to hit the bottom more. The new swift, beat, even the xuv (with all the seats on place) have hardly a good boot space.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by condor

If I didnt want a boot, then I'd as well buy a hatch. The question /poll in this thread is almost the same as saying do you prefer a hatch or a sedan.

Exactly. If you want a boot, get a sedan with a proper boot, not a hatchback with a boot-job. No point buying a hatchback and then comparing with another one for minute difference in the rear parcel space. Having used various hatch-backs, except for some like the Polo, the rest are all the same with minute differences. I read here that the old Dzire has more boot space than some 10L+ cars (Cruze?) - does that make it a better car than the Cruze ? I doubt anyone picking the Dzire over the Cruze just because the boot is bigger.

BTW forget hatches, when it comes to stowing capacity, there are times when even sedans with nice boot volume would fail - does not mean they are a failure. It just means that your need in that case requires an MPV or bigger car. Eg. a friend, wife and 2 kids had flown down to Chennai from Dubai for our college-reunion in Jan. Being a 2-day event, I expected them to have couple of suitcases and adding couple of bags of my family, I never thought the Baleno's bootspace would not suffice. But they had come down with 2 big suitcases, which took up most of the space and our bags just about were packed in. What good would a hatch that has say even 50% more space than the competition do in this case ?

In contrast, split rear-seats would be a good thing to have in hatches. Why dont manufacturers make this compulsory ? This 'really' increases the storage area of a hatch.

[SmartCat]

The bigger the better. Always.

But that doesn't mean I'll go for the one with the biggest boot. Higher priority goes to the design of the boot - it should be aesthetically beautiful from the outside.

[rameshnanda]

Originally Posted by condor

If I didnt want a boot, then I'd as well buy a hatch.

For me it's a different case. I would also prefer to have decent boot space in hatch as well. Now, we have got so many hatches in the market which have close to 300 ltrs of boot space which in my opinion is decent.

[diffsoft]

A good question. I realized over many years of pondering over my actual requirement in a car that you cannot maximize but you have to be satisficing ( Satisficing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ) when buying a car.

For instance I need the boot for say only about 15% of the miles I drive. So almost always I do not need the boot (which is why I love the Brio) and prefer a small agile car. But I need to buy a car with a boot for that 15% of the time that I need the boot. The best solution would have been to buy 2 cars each meeting respective requirements but the added downside far overweighs the upside. So you buy a car with a boot.

Cheers,

[PGNarain]

A boot is definitely a must have for me in my car. Though the size or absence thereof, of a BIG boot has till now not influenced my decision about which car to buy, but a big cavernous boot is always a welcome addition.

Also, would like to bring to light that other than the size of the boot, the loading area, height and shape too matter.

My Linea has a boot capacity of 500lt which is more than enough for us however the loading lip is a little high and the access too is small, say compared to the Honda City.

[vigneshnr]

'Spacious Car' was the one thing running in my mind when I was looking for my first car. And I really enjoy the benefits of it. I'm of a kind who settles for something slightly above the requirement. I think this helps in avoiding post purchase dissonance / taking care of needs which arises in immediate future.

i drive an i20. Boot is enormous for my requirement - weekend drives, week long tours on road, throwing in all the loose shopping bags in the rear. I hate to keep my car interiors messy.. even for a short drive (Fengshui in motion) so a boot is essential in many ways.
Forgot to mention, my boot also has a large JBL 12" woofer standard. And all the above activities happen without dislodging the woofer box

Simple rule in making a choice is by assessing 'how important the feature is' and NOT '% of time the feature will be used' .

If I go by the '%of time' - in my car i rarely use the rear doors (may 0-10%). But i may never pick a car without 4 doors.
I think, those car makers / designers who understand this deliver the best cars.

[rohanjf]

I have a different view here, and a different reasoning.
I am in the market for a family car. My Palio MJD's boot, although large enough, is not sufficient when there are 4 people in the car going on a long vacation.

However, I do not want to compromise on rear washer and wiper, which I have found important on long drives. The only category of cars that fit my requirement (which includes budget constraints) is station wagon. Sadly, I have no choice here, so I have to stick to my Palio until a budget station wagon is launched (since I don't want to go for used cars).

Edit: just remembered Ertiga. May be that will suit my requirements (except, may be, available within a week or two from booking).

[condor]

Originally Posted by rameshnanda

I would also prefer to have decent boot space in hatch as well. Now, we have got so many hatches in the market which have close to 300 ltrs of boot space which in my opinion is decent.

Do not go by numbers. 300 litres is notional - it is about volume - including the nooks and crannies where you will not able to keep much -unless you squeeze in loose items there, like a shirt or similar soft stuff.

What is important is how usable the space is. That's why a sedan scores over a hatch. And even better when the rear seat is fold-able, so that you can extend the storage space to a certain extent, into the rear seat area.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by condor

Do not go by numbers. 300 litres is notional - it is about volume - including the nooks and crannies where you will not able to keep much -unless you squeeze in loose items there, like a shirt or similar soft stuff.

What is important is how usable the space is. That's why a sedan scores over a hatch. And even better when the rear seat is fold-able, so that you can extend the storage space to a certain extent, into the rear seat area.

To add on, the boot design (which converts to usable space) of the vehicle is also important. For e.g.; A Honda Jazz can gulp in more baggage than a Civic, which is a segment higher.