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I might be missing something here but how is a car going to be smaller without having less space inside?
Spec me a smallish car with big boot
- Thread starter Mr Badger
- Start date
I might be missing something here but how is a car going to be smaller without having less space inside?
Designs do innovate and improve and some small cars (e.g. Honda Jazz) seem to have a good reputation for the flexibility and utility of the interior space. I'm not expecting it to be dimensionally transcendental.
The way this thread is heading I'm going to end up with an SUV or some massive Estate...
Soldato
I can't fault our skoda fabia estate when it comes to internal space vs external footprint.
It's pretty much VW polo sized in terms of driver / passenger space but the boot is very good for the size. I've fit all manner of things in the boot that I'd never expect, such as flat pack wardrobes, bikes and a couple of sets of golf clubs.
The 1.2TSI engine is more than ample for the size and it costs very little to insure.
The only issue is the non face-lift versions look disgusting and they are the ones available for £4-5k.
It's pretty much VW polo sized in terms of driver / passenger space but the boot is very good for the size. I've fit all manner of things in the boot that I'd never expect, such as flat pack wardrobes, bikes and a couple of sets of golf clubs.
The 1.2TSI engine is more than ample for the size and it costs very little to insure.
The only issue is the non face-lift versions look disgusting and they are the ones available for £4-5k.
Soldato
Used Nissan Leaf if you don't do huge mileage, otherwise the Octavia's as motioned are really decent for the money, although used prices seem to have gone up a lot recently. The Leaf has a very large interior,/boot looks terrible, zero tax, and is literally as cheap as chips to run.
I've got a 1.2L engine which produces 108bhp. The newer version of this engine is a 1.0L, producing the same. Our old 2.4L W123 produced 64bhp. Is 108bhp not enough or are you just after displacement for the sake of it?
Having no idea how much space an Avensis provides (no clue which version you have), I'm gonna recommend a Fabia. Extremely practical cars, usually exceed storage space of the car above from other companies, reliable. They also come out as estates, giving you more space if needed.
Associate
Honda Civic 1.8 (07-11ish)
Big ol boot with fold up back seats. Smart and not slow.
Might be getting on a bit now though.
Big ol boot with fold up back seats. Smart and not slow.
Might be getting on a bit now though.
This. Should easily fit in budget, will hit the space requirement, should also be slightly smaller than an Avensis? Though the 1.8 is £210 a year to tax (it is Euro 4 compliant too). Enough poke to get around in and not horrific on fuel; think I'm averaging around 42MPG over 110k miles and I don't exactly drive economically the majority of the time.
Soldato
Do you need to ever use the back seats? Something like a Honda Jazz you could take the seats out of and use it like a small van without the expense of having an actual van. Same goes for a Yaris Verso or Citroen Berlingo etc.
What kind of gear are you taking, a set of decks, a drum kit, a pa system, several Marshall full stacks?
What kind of gear are you taking, a set of decks, a drum kit, a pa system, several Marshall full stacks?
Soldato
What about a Mini Clubman? Smallish, but with a big boot space (being a 'mini' estate).
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/373627307572?hash=item56fdec4634
This one is £130 tax. You'd have to go for a diesel to get the £20 rate.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/373627307572?hash=item56fdec4634
This one is £130 tax. You'd have to go for a diesel to get the £20 rate.
Can confirm, got a 66 plate, swallowed all of our holiday stuff for a family of four to Devon a few weeks ago (self catering in a caravan so had a lot more stuff than you would take if staying in a hotel for example).
Additional bonus is the expectation that being a Honda as well it'll be mega reliable.
Even managed best part of 50mpg on the run (car is an FK2 Type R, so the smaller engined variants should be very economical).
Associate
Soldato
This would be my suggestion as well, definitely seems to tick all the boxes
Does your username not really upset you?
Nah, that's what I had at the time of forum sign up, a slice of reminiscence for me lol.
Soldato
Another chipping in with the 1.8 07-11 Civic. For an awkward looking shape they're surprisingly roomy. They do come in 1.4 form too, but you might find the insurance isn't much difference.
I ran a 1.8 Type-S GT for 7 years and 100k miles, feel free to ask me any questions if you end up looking at them.
I ran a 1.8 Type-S GT for 7 years and 100k miles, feel free to ask me any questions if you end up looking at them.
I looked into this a few years ago albeit with a bigger budget. Best options seemed to be:
-Octavia Estate
-308 SW
-Civic Tourer
-Leon ST
I'll be honest though with a budget around £4k some of those might be off the table, the problem is some of the better petrol engines might be a bit too recent.
-Octavia Estate
-308 SW
-Civic Tourer
-Leon ST
I'll be honest though with a budget around £4k some of those might be off the table, the problem is some of the better petrol engines might be a bit too recent.
Soldato
If you're after the best petrol engine ever made - I lugged loads of equipment in the back of one of these when I was producing events. Depends if you need 4 seats or not.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184886111865
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184886111865
The cars I suggested above are around 30cm shorter than an Avensis, if you want even smaller then I think the Fabia Estate boot is very big for a 4.2m car at over 500L
If you can cope with 104bhp how about https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105072316501 , this is a good trim level although as someone else mentioned above your budget doesn't stretch to the newer model which is a shame.
If you can cope with 104bhp how about https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105072316501 , this is a good trim level although as someone else mentioned above your budget doesn't stretch to the newer model which is a shame.
Thank you - I've got a few recommendations on the shortlist now.
The news today is that the Clean Air Zone is not now happening in October and will instead be delayed to next year. Apparently there will be a loans and grants scheme available in the autumn of 2021 to help residents and businesses upgrade their vehicles, so I'm now inclined to hang on for the details to see whether that is of any use to me.
The news today is that the Clean Air Zone is not now happening in October and will instead be delayed to next year. Apparently there will be a loans and grants scheme available in the autumn of 2021 to help residents and businesses upgrade their vehicles, so I'm now inclined to hang on for the details to see whether that is of any use to me.