What are the gaps for?

[Pie-eyedpiper]

What you get in the boot depends on the specification. This is a SE TDi with tow bar and collapsible spare wheel:
View attachment 105114

As RZX:

View attachment 105113

Also cars with long life service intervals were supplied with spare oil, may have been from the first service:

View attachment 105115

Excuse my ignorance, but what is a "collapsible spare wheel"? One that you have to inflate before use?

 

[Little Dog]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is a "collapsible spare wheel"? One that you have to inflate before use?

Yes, they fold in on themselves. The compressor in the boot is used to inflate it. I'll get a picture.

Edit:

 

[Proghound]

Excuse my ignorance, but what is a "collapsible spare wheel"? One that you have to inflate before use?

Exactly that, yes. It fits in the boot under the false floor (if you have one) and still allows you to get at the handle of the nearside rear seat. The wheel and its underfloor securing bracket are pictured here (picture courtesy of Tom @2work).

 

[Pie-eyedpiper]

Blimey, never come across that before. Even inflated space savers are a novelty to me.
Is it only a collapsible one that will clamp to that bracket then, and not an inflater?

 

[Proghound]

Blimey, never come across that before. Even inflated space savers are a novelty to me.
Is it only a collapsible one that will clamp to that bracket then, and not an inflater?

I believe there are some Porsches that have/had them also - probably doesn't make them any more likely to be familiar to most people. But you're right, only the deflated space-saver will clamp to the bracket due to its location. An inflated one, or any other temporary spare or full-size wheel, has too large a diameter to be centred over the clamp.

 

[audifan]

Run flat tyres probably killed off the collapsible spare in most cases. Not a great fan of any emergency tyre as people abuse them instead of being used as intended to get you to a garage for a tyre repair or replacement. Even seen a car with 2 emergency tyre turn up for a MOT - do not know how they got on as the car was a shed.
With false floor full size 15" will sit under comfortable just not on the spigot used by the fold flat tyre. Without false floor you can have a 17" just in there but it is tight.