Bill Fold

As stated above, you can get a bike in a Prius.

I found this pic online:



And this video offers a demonstration:
How to put a full-size bike in the Prius - YouTube

scott967

I spent a lot of time looking at small SUV/CUV (mainly for carrying wheelchair, not bike though) and none of these have really big trunk space. The main thing being the depth. The biggest was Kia Sportage / Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, but these are probably the biggest vehicles in this segment too. The rest were not that much different. For me the Acura RDX was kind of marginal.

But for a bike if you leave the rear on I'm thinking you pretty much have to put the rear seats down in these cars, unless maybe with a bit a gymnastics. For me, unless I could just roll the bike in, if I have to lay it down I think it's just as easy to remove the front which gives you many options (again, with the rear seat down proviso). Some full size sedans have surprisingly large trunk space, but you have to look closely as the car might look huge but the trunk is useless due to wheel wells etc taking up too much space. Some sedans also have very narrow entrances to the trunk which make life difficult.

On rental cars I've done the remove both wheels and place bike upside-down on rear seat floor (move front passenger seat up for handlebar clearance and it isn't a problem, just be careful the RD is wrapped to avoid grease).

scott s.
.

RollCNY

The Mazda3 hatchback actually takes a bike easier than the CX-5. I just went through this with hatchback cars, and some smaller SUV's, as I wanted manual transmission. The Mazda3, Ford Focus, and Hyundai Elantra GT all accepted bikes very well, even with the front wheel on on my 58 and 60cm bikes.

In the end, I abandoned manual, and got a Honda Insight, and my bikes fit fine inside with both seats down and front wheel off. And 47-49 mpg is also nice.

Ridelots24

i had a honda fit for a few years. it easily carried my road bike in w/o taking off any wheels.
driving a CRV now and will do the same, but the Fit had more height inside.

mtalinm

Honda Element or a minivan are pretty much the only things where you can just roll the bike in. I miss my minivan for this reason!

If I drop the rear seats in my VW Touareg I can slide a bike in sideways with ease. If I work it a bit, I can keep one of the rear seats up and carry three passengers without taking the front wheel off.

(I run fat tireson my Domane & the 30c in front is hard to remove without deflating.)

Bradleykd

My wife has a Toyota Highlander and I can fit my bike in with both wheels on with luggage in the back by folding the rear seats down. If I need the rear seats and no other luggage, I can take the front wheel off and put it sideways in the cargo area. Pretty nice.

I recently rented a Ford Escape and with suitcases in the back I had to pull the front wheel off to get it in because the seat wouldn't clear the roof that sloped down in the back. Anything with a sloping roof will make it difficult for both wheels on and any kind of luggage.

chinkroadrunner

Honda Fit with back seats up and front wheel off. Still have the rear cargo area for other stuff.

xjustice09x

I like sport wagons. Car like handling and gas mileage with most of the cargo space of an SUV.

I have an Acura TSX sport wagon.

I can fit my road bike in without removing the front wheel by folding down part of the back seat. To fit my mountain bike i need to remove the front wheel.

bruce19

Not sure how you decided it must be small SUV size. I have hauled two road bikes in an Audi A4 Avant, Hyundai Elantra GT and, currently, Ford Focus ST. I'm guessing all three have better mpg than a small SUV but can't swear that's true. In all three of the aformentioned cars the bikes fit without taking front wheels off.

bruce19

VW Diesel Sportwagon.....excellent MPG and space.

mrodgers

I'm fine with the 1 gallon of gas my Jetta would use on a 30 minute drive (30 miles.) Why? Because it is probably easier and quicker for me to get up to 140 mph on the highway than for you to get to 50 . I'd rather not drive 60 mph in rush hour stop and go though . My manual makes it much nicer in almost stop and go traffic than any auto/CVT/Electric though. Slip the clutch out and idle along at <5 mph while everyone else around is stomping the gas then stomping the brake

Oh, and my Giant Escape lives in the back of my car with the front wheel off and seats folded down. It probably would fit without removing the front wheel but I wouldn't be able to wrestle the flat bar into the trunk opening.

Edonis13

i fit my bike in the back of my 2 door VW golf TDi this morning without taking off either wheel.

drat

Looks like hatchback configurations in general are a good solution (incl. Prius). I fit a road bike without front wheel in the (not folding) back seat of my '99 LeSabre, but I'm not sure there are any newer model sedans that are that wide. (The MB S-class is, but hardly a solution.) The OP said SUV, of course. Also the LeSabre has a pass-through for skis. I don't imagine that kind of car was ever thought of being a match-up for biker-hiker-skier types, but it is, absent AWD, of course.

dalava

CUV is the most non-sensical vehicle: other than the higher center of gravity for easy tip-over, there is nothing it has over a hatchback/wagon.

If you really want to roll the bike in without taking wheels off, there aren't many choices other than big mini-van and SUVs. But the gas mileage will suck.

For me, the sweet spot is something like the VW Jetta TDI wagon. Too bad there aren't many choices out there other than the VW/Audi offerings, but I heard horrow stories about the maintenance cost.

I had a Acura TSX and it was ok (it looked more practical than it actually is transporting bike wise. The trunck space is kind of weird with a hour-glass shape when the rear seats are folded). Now in a Lexus CT200h and carrying my bike with a rack on the back.

vincenz

Subaru XV Crosstrek. AWD, 30 MPG

RogueRadio

+1 For Subaru Crosstrek, Or Forrester

phoebeisis

Our Regular Prius-2006-fits my bikes-no problem-it cost $22,850 -Out of pocket-with the TC in 2006- easily averages 42mpg-pure city-with wife and son driving it with ZERO regard for mpg
But our "1998" 227,000 mile $2950 "GM full sized body on frame SUV" also handles my bikes- 9mpg city wife 16mpg city(but I hyper miles it) 21 mpg long hy trips-(but I keep the speed down-hypermile)

Anyway hard to beat a Prius for "overall goodness"-very reliable reasonably safe,nice FRONT SEAT COMFORT and much much easier to get in that a Civic-much more upright front seat(we are oldsters so getting in is a concern)
The Prius V- great also
and the PIP Plug In Prius is being HEAVILY DISCOUNTED in some areas because gasoline is so cheap
So NOW is the time to buy a new Prius
Forget used-used cars-toyotas-Hondas pointless to buy because you pay too close to full retail-but lose MOST of the full warranty
Oh Prius HYBRID DRIVETRAIN ELEMENTS- have at least 80,000 miles of full warranty- battery inverter fancy planetary transmission
Yes the battery packs OCCASIONALLY fail early(not like some of the Honda hybrid BPs which had some BIG BP problems)

So Prius or Plug in Prius or Prius V
If you are a cheapskate-and NEED a HUGE evacuation vehicle-and you DIY repairs-you could do much worse than an older 1/2 ton GM SUV(5.7)
but only if you DIY repairs-and hypermile
otherwise TCO will cross new Prius vs 1998 Suburban at 60,000-80,000 miles of use-yeah despite the $20,000 difference in buy price
TCO crosses very quickly on a gas guzzler VS Prius

Buy a PRIUS- the V if you have kids or the PIP if you are a MPG nut
Luck
Charlie
PS Look online- NEW Prius-- New Prius drop in price(dramatically in some places) when gasoline drops-A LOT- be willing to travel out of state-you probably can get one for waaaaay under MSRP
PPS NOW is the time to buy a Prius- or any Hybrid -but the Prius is THE BEST- Camry pretty good also
Highlander hybrid-pretty good-but pricy-and no where near Prius mpg-but still good
The Ford small Hybrid SUV is also excellent-forget its name-Ford car hybrid-good also
Hard to beat Toyota for reliability and resale-
PPPS Yes Toyotas are DULL DULL cars-their engineers scrub all the fun out-not like Hondas-but they are superb appliances

dtrain

Correct. A 15 year-old Buick LeSabre doesn't exactly jump to mind these types of discussions.

....though I might buy one of those before a Pontiac Aztec which had that demographic in mind.

nesdog

I've got a Honda CR-V. We took a road trip north to Lake Tahoe this summer, just the wife and I. With the back seats down, we put in two bikes (wheels off), plus luggage and toys and still had some room left over.

Otherwise, I just pop the front wheel off and can put my bike in no problem (seats down). I traded in my Sienna Van this summer...that thing could take my bike wheels on.

Bradleykd

You make it sound like such a *****...

alexaschwanden

Rava 4

caloso

I have a 2005 A4 Avant. When I win the lottery I'm going to fly to Germany and pick up one of these. 2016 Audi RS4 Avant | car review @ Top Speed

Leinster

2 full size road bikes in a Ford Ka.


All a y'allz is amateurs.

Brian Ratliff

It rolls in and out a bit better if you put it in rear-wheel-first. That's how I do it.

lsberrios1 

+100000000!