Verband der Automobilindustrie is the German standard used to calculate the real-world cargo capacity of a vehicle trunk. Testers fill the cargo area with standardized one-liter wooden blocks measuring 200 by 100 by 50 millimeters. The total number of blocks that fit without obstructing the closure of the hatch or trunk lid dictates the official VDA volume in liters.
Heard on the job
The spec sheet claims 500 liters of cargo space, but the VDA measurement is only 430 because of the sloping roofline.
Insider tip
VDA measurements are typically lower than SAE measurements because the rigid blocks cannot fill every irregular nook and cranny of a trunk.