The value of an empty footwell often appears only after several days
On day one, many groups feel that placing one soft bag or jacket down there is harmless.
After several Xinjiang driving days, that area starts carrying leg extension, stepping, temporary shifting and general comfort all at once.
The first things sacrificed are usually movement safety and comfort, not visual neatness
When a senior traveller steps out slowly, a child suddenly needs something or one passenger has to shift sideways, footwell storage becomes a physical obstacle.
The cost is often not ugliness but a small increase in effort on every repeated motion.
Frequent-access items belong in a true quick-access layer, not in the stepping zone
Tissues, cables, light jackets and daily medicine do need to stay accessible.
The stronger answer is to give them a door-side layer, soft quick-grab bag or another fixed access point before they colonize the footwell.
Only genuinely surplus space should be borrowed this way
If the vehicle has clearly deep foot space and the items are light, soft and non-rolling, limited use can work.
Even then, it should never reduce stepping ease, posture changes or temporary seat-yielding.