Congrats on the feature bro! **Edited by moderator, it was made clear earlier that this won't be tolerated.***
Don't feel bad. Its a common misconception. People hear air ride and immediately see it as a show item only. It's nice to see you actually took the time to do a little research.
As far as taking up space it just depends on how you mount everything and what kind of a setup you choose. I am running two compressors and a 5 gallon tank. Some people just run a single compressor and a smaller 3gal tank. Mine actually doesn't take up as much room as it appears. Zporta made a shelf for it to mount to and allows everything to be pushed up against the rear seat. I can still fit my wifes huge suitcase back there if needed. Some people use a rear seat delete and mount it to that. There isn't just one way to mount your setup. You can get as creative as you want. My setup allows you to show your setup in a neat manner but still be able to use your trunk.