One
thing about living in the countryside is the need to have a car with a boot.
Be it
for the weekly shopping, horse riding kit, large bags of dog food or logs for
the fire, the size of the boot is one of those times when size matters.
However,
with a spacious boot comes a larger vehicle, and with a larger vehicle comes
increased fuel costs. With those living in rural areas having to travel to once
available local services, how do countryside folk find a vehicle that offers
good carrying capacity, easy loading access and fuel efficiency?
To
find out, Countryside magazine looked at three different vehicles that could
offer a solution.
The
first vehicle was the Volvo C30 1.6 diesel DRIVe, a car that falls into tax
band A, meaning no road tax. While it is the smallest car Volvo produces, it is
relatively roomy, and with the rear seats up, offers a boot that is big enough
to be useful. During
our test, we easily fitted a 15kg bag of dried dog food, 12 large tins of dog
meat and two large nets of carrots on the boot floor. Access to the boot is
easy enough, though you have to lift items quite high as the rear door only
comes down the length of the back window, which is still quite high up the
car’s back end.
Having
said that, you need to remember you are loading a small to mid-sized car, not a
pick-up. So chances are you won’t be lifting extremely heavy things, so this
shouldn’t be a problem.
The
next car we texted was the VW Passat BlueMotion estate, powered by VW’s ultra-efficient
1.6-litre common rail TDI engine that develops 105PS. With 603-litres in the
boot, the family saloon offers plenty of space, and if that’s not enough, there
is 1,731-litres of space with the rear seats down, which is impressive.
As the rear door reaches to the
bottom of the boot, it is easy to load, and comfortably fitted two large nets
of carrots, two 15kg bags of dog food, 12 large tins of dog meat and other
assorted items, all of which sat comfortably on the floor behind the rear
seats.
For those who like to travel in
luxury, there is the third vehicle, which is the Lexus 450h, with its hybrid power
system that enables the all-wheel drive to be surprisingly economical. As you would expect from something
like the Lexus, it has a good-sized boot behind the back seats, offering 446-litres of space. During our
test, we easily fitted two 15kg bags of dog feed, two large nets of logs and a
large net of carrots onto the floor, with room for more.
You’ll
easily get your dogs or your shooting gear, or horse riding tack in the back,
and still sit five in comfort. With the back seats down, there is 1,760-litres of
space, and if that isn’t enough room, maybe a van is more up your street.
Like
the Passat, the rear door comes right down to the floor, providing loads of
access and easy loading.
To
find out how the cars handle, how much fuel they consumed and what life in the
countryside might be like with them, read February’s edition of Countryside
magazine. On top of that, find out what the top five economical all-wheel drive
cars are, and what the future for green vehicles is likely to be.
Many
thanks to Welland Valley Feeds, Market Harborough in Leicestershire, for
allowing us access to their stock to test the usability of each vehicle’s boot.
The retail store specialises in agricultural, equestrian and pet feed, as well
as related accessories, country clothing and footwear.
For more information, visit: www.wellandvalleyfeeds.co.uk
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