Hokiedad4

My Accord has >300k miles so I'm starting to think about my next car. I currently use a hitch rack which is perfect for convenience but kills my mileage (~30 mpg versus 35 normally), not to mention security concerns.

I want something fuel efficient, manual transmission, preferably a compact.

By the way, my Accord still runs perfectly but time marches on and it's going to need to be replaced at some point.

northtexasbiker

Take the wheels off and put it in the back?

fietsbob

Tesla model S has lots of room ..


I could fold the back seat down and put my bike in, thru the hatchback-boot of my 1968 Saab 96.


Now I have a folding bike... any car will do..







.....

aplcr0331

We have a Kia Forte, not that I'm recommending it (I would it's been a great little car), that I can stick my 57cm road bike into if I take the front wheel off. I just put in the back seat, it's a tight fit but you can do it.


My point being, that many smaller fuel efficient cars will fit most bikes in the back seat. You just have to be careful putting them back there so you don't get muck from the chain all over your seats. Which in my case doesn't matter because the back seat of the Kia is filled with fries, gummy worms, spilled slurpee, and whatever else 3 boys will leave behind. I think I've heard an actual conversation from something under the back seat last time I drove it.


Do you ride more than you drive? What other needs to you want in a car other than whether or not it will carry your bike?

rumrunn6

2001 Ford Escape (4cyl 5spd) would have been great for you!

Slash5

Honda Fit.
I always remove the front wheel. A large frame 29 + fits but I have to move the pass. seat up some. Road bike is no problem. I keep several moving blankets in the back and can put one bike on top of another no problem. For distance travel with a passenger I remove the seat post and put the bike vertical with the rear tire between the seats and the fork locked into a holder. I can put 2 other bikes with the wheels off, leaning against the center bike. That leaves room for the wheels and luggage.

Cyclist0108

I rented a Prius v in part to verify I could put a bike in it without taking anything off. HTH.

(I wound up buying a hybrid Rav4. FWIW the roof rack I put on did not cause any mpg issue (when empty), nor does it seem the hitch-rack.)

katsup

I have an Accord also, manual transmission included, and I have always put my bike in the trunk with the back seat down and front wheel off. I also remove the saddle as it allows me to push it in easier, but it can fit with it on. I have even placed my gf's bike on top of mine in the back seat with the front wheel off.

There is 200k miles my Accord, so I have some time left, but my choice of replacement vehicle would be an Impreza hatchback.

noglider 

Any hatchback or station wagon.

Canker

My 2013 Ford Focus hatch fits my mtn bikes no problem with the front wheel removed. Took me awhile to find a 5 speed one but they are out there get decent mileage and a big pro in my book have a timing chain. Pretty much any compact hatchback will work though. I went for the focus because of their reliability, only real problems are with their DCT trans which I avoided by getting a stick anyway, and cheap used prices compared to my other top picks Mazda 3, Honda Fit, and Subarus.

jefnvk

Your bigger concern is not whether a bike will fit, but whether you can still find a car in a manual.

Short of a tiny econo box, you should be able to fit a bike in the back of any car with the seats folded down. Fit fine in my Fusion, fits fine in the fiancee's Cruze (we can actually fit two in the back of both), and used to be able to fit a single bike in the back of my Mustang.

VegasTriker

Too bad they quit making the Scion XB. I have a 2006 XB and it will fit my 7 foot long recumbent trike with the front seat pushed forward. Getting a regular bike or two inside is no problem. I'm going to miss it when I finally have to retire it. No major repairs and never broken down on me. Can't say that for most of the other cars I have owned. Mine is a manual 5 speed.

awesomeame

i have a 2009 matrix. even my full suspension mtn bike fits in the back with wheels on with the seat down just fine! unfortunately this vehicle screams "family-wagon," not something my single-self really likes :/

Matt

cb400bill

Another vote for a Scion XB. My 2009 easily fits my road bike without removing the front wheel with the rear seat folded down. They were made through 2015 or 16 and many have a manual transmission.

1nterceptor

My wife has trouble letting go of her 1998 Honda Civic; still runs fine. Told her we should try Zip car the rare times we need a car.
Anywhoo, my folding bike Brompton fits in the area where a person's feet would go. Either in the front or back. A roadbike with the
front wheel removed fits in the trunk after the backseat is folded down.

ThermionicScott 

I love my '96 Outback for being able to fold down the back seat and lay the whole bike on its side without removing wheels or any of that annoyance.

But it won't get 35 MPG, and the new ones are too big and minivan-y for my tastes. Not sure what I'll get next -- it would be nice to completely replace my driving with bicycling, but we're not there yet.

Scarbo

The Subaru Crosstrek is nice. It's been updated for 2018.

sreuter13

Totally agree. Honda Fit is by far the greatest car in the world for hauling bikes. I have moved all over the country and fit everything including a road bike in the might hatch of my Fit

drlogik 

I rented a Kia Soul this past summer and it is quite a nice car for an inexpensive car (start at $16k). Handled two bikes in the back, luggage and my two sons. I did remove the wheels from both bikes though. If just one bike it will fit in the back with the front wheel off and you'll have plenty of room to spare. Quite a peppy little car too and the gas mileage is good and is rated high by Consumer Reports and Car & Driver magazine. I'm thinking of buying one for myself when the time comes. Oh, and the OEM stereo isn't too bad either!

I highly recommend that you rent a few of the cars you're looking at first to get a better idea if they will do the job for you.

philbob57

Saab 96 ... brings back good memories....

I've got a Hyundai Elantra, a lot like a Kia Forte. Sometimes I just can't quite make my bike fit in the trunk with the front wheel off, and I hate to put it into my clean back seat. When I need to, I use a 'Chain Johnny', formerly 'Chain Condom'. It's sort of a PITA to use, but it is definitely effective if used as specified by the seller.

Tape2012

I love my Ford Focus 4 door. My XL CX bike fits no problem in the trunk with the back seats folded down and front tire removed. 2 bikes should be no problem with enough moving blankets. I think the transmission problems are overblown as I've never had any issues.

I am constantly impressed by what I can carry in that car. 60" TV, 2*4s, etc have been no problem.

Trakhak

Yet another Scion xB vote. I bought mine after reading a review in Guitar Player magazine. The writer was astonished at how many amps, guitars, etc. he could fit in it.

BobbyG

I bought a Nissan Rogue in 2015. I fold the rear seat down and the bike fits with both wheels on. I get 23mpg city and 35mpg highway. It has a CVT, a constantly variable automatic transmission. It is my first automatic since 1984. I like it; it is smooth, since it doesn't "shift"...it "adjusts". People ask me if I miss shifting gears, and I tell them, "no, I have three bicycles and ride to work 4 days a week." I keep a large blanket in the rear to cover items and protect the panels. In my previous car, a 2001 Subaru Legacy sedan, I had a trunk mount carrier, but could fit my bikes behind the front seat sideways sans wheels. Before that I had an '89 Mustang with a small trailer hitch and a hitch carrier, although I could lay my bike in the hatch with the rear seats down and the front wheel off.

Any modern automatic transmission, especially a CVT in "economy mode", will get better gas mileage than a manual transmission, but may not be as fun nor as involving.

Canker

Problem with the Scion and other boxy little cars like the Soul is the mileage isn't very impressive.

I had a 2003 pontiac matrix(samething as the toyota Matrix) and it also made a good bike transporter. I don't know if the newer ones still do it but my old one was all plastic in the back which looks bad but it is nice when you have filthy bikes back there. Downside again though is mileage was just ok. Also still have a 2004 VW jetta wagon TDI which is a big car compared to most of the things listed so far, plenty of room in the back, and of coarse gets great mileage. Only reason I replaced it with my focus is the TDI is a automatic bleh. I got a screaming deal on it or I wouldn't have bought it. I need to get around to selling it.

dksix

I'd vote the Crosstrek based simply on one of the best commercials ever.

The extended version..............