looking for a small to mid sized SUV or Xover that will fit a bike inside on occaison
 

Thoughts?

Prius!

Toyota Sienna

Love the idea, but can you get a bike in it?

I think smaller to medium wagons are great: Impreza sport/hatchback or Jetta TDI sportwagen

Prius V would work.

Sure. I've got the "medium/classic" prius; a bike fits nicely with the back seats folded down. No need to remove wheels. If you remove the front wheel, you can get one of the rear seats back. If you remove both wheels, you can probably fit it without folding seats, but I've never tried it. The "big" prius should be better. I don't think the "small" prius will take a bike without removing wheels, but I've never seen the inside of one.

If you take off at least one wheel and/or fold part of the rear seat, you can put a bike into the trunk of almost any small SUV and even into some sufficiently well-made sedans (I think that a bike without one wheel would fit into an Impreza from the back).

If you want to put it into a car without disassembling, while leaving seating for 4+ occupants, I don't think it can be done with less than Sienna.

P.S. Of course, any sedan would take a bike without wheels into the rear seat simply through the rear passenger door, so the requirement to insert it through the trunk is unnecessary. It makes sense to ask which cars can fit the bike in the trunk (with wheels taken off) without folding the rear seat. This is where non-SUV's and non-minivans would be tight in general. Some of the smallest SUV's fail even here. Last time I went to an auto show, I looked at quite a few cars with this specifically in mind. I may be misremembering (it was in January) but, as I recall, cars like BMW X1 and most wagons/hatchbacks didn't have enough room for a bike without wheels laying flat in the trunk.

I have 2014 Forester and it fits a bike in the trunk (without folding the seats) without both wheels easily, and without one wheel after some exercises in spatial geometry. Impreza (sedan) is similar, but differs in that, in Forester, you can put the bike on top of luggage for a 3-day trip for a family of 5 and it will fit. In Impreza, the bike takes all available space.

Had an Xterra for a few years. Bike fit inside standing upright. I had a skewer mount that fit in the tracks in the back so I could take front wheel off and attach the fork.

Downside: 17 mpg on a good day, 14 on a bad

Cool. That makes it a real possibility. How do you carry outside the car? Roof, hitch, trunk-ish rack?

No, I'm thinking inside with just me or a front seat passenger, but other than that, outside. I currently have a Ford Flex and I want something a bit more "around town" ish. Although I am often happy I have had the room that the flex gives me...

For the smaller SUV/crossover market: Mazda cx-5 gets great MPG, but is a little underpowered.

Then it depends on how "around town" ish you want to go. It's easier to make a list of cars that _can't_ transport a road bike + one passenger. Honda S2000 almost certainly can't (not without some massive bike disassembly), Boxster can't. Most coupes can but it would be too painful to get the bike into the rear seat over front seats. I know a guy from this forum who used to drive his bike to organized events in the rear seat of Mazda RX8.

Also see my edit above. I don't see my Forester as all that compact and nimble (latest generation has grown quite a bit), but it must be way easier to live with in an urban area than Ford Flex.

For the smaller SUV/crossover market: Porsche Macan gets great MPG, but is a little overpriced.

You need to go reverse chic and opt for the Pontiac Aztek. You can find them for dirt cheap and you never have to worry about anybody looking inside to steal your expensive road bike. To feel more comfortable, you may have to grow a beard and replace your road bike with a Rivendell however.

Forester.

I have a Mazda 3 hatchback, and can fit my bike in the back with both wheels on, once I put the seats down. With one wheel off, I can have part of the back seat up. Or I can fit two bikes inside (one on top of the other, with blanket in between)

Screw the passenger. you can definitely transport a bike in a Boxster, without a passenger,

You do have to take the wheels off (they'll fit in the front trunk) and it helps if you put the top down, getting it in and out of the car.

I think probably 90% of current modern sedans with fold down rear benches will take a road bike in the back with one wheel on. Some might take it with two wheels on. I know the old style prius manage it.

RE: minivans.

I can fit my CAAD10 in the back with wheels on standing upright. Rear wheel slid between the 2nd row seats, 3rd row one seat flat. My hybrid however needs its front wheel removed to fit (3" longer wheelbase)

Honda Element. Bikes roll right in, and held in place by seatbelts. I'll keep mine until it falls apart.

Taking both wheels shouldn't even be on the table for considering a vehicle for transporting a bicycle. Removing the front wheel is OK in favor of a smaller vehicle that is more fuel efficient...what many gas conscious bike riders prefer. I also wouldn't consider a mini van either unless you have a family. They literally suck gas. Honda CR-V is a nice vehicle and both Mazda and Toyota make a nice small SUV as well.

I have a roof rack I use if I need to carry two bikes or if I need the rear seats. It works pretty well. I wouldn't recommend it if you park in the garage though. Almost everyone I know who has a roof rack and who parks in a garage has bashed a bike. The car has a hatch back; I've seen guys put hitch racks on the back but I haven't seen anything resembling a trunk-ish rack.

Rolling coal

With the rear seats folded down easily with both wheels attached it, lying on its side. If you want to fit multiple bikes in upright then you need a van or large SUV.

The "classic" Prius fits my road bike with the wheels on. I just hold it by a seat stay and roll it in while it's leaned way over. But the passenger seat can't be quite all the way back. I have an REI tent groundsheet to keep the floor clean if the bike is wet.

It would be tricky to load two bikes. It would take two people to carefully lift the second bike, since the cargo area isn't very tall. And you'd need some good mover blankets or other padding.

To carry more bikes, I've seen trailer hitch bike racks on Priuses.


Upside: My 25 to 30 minute drive to a group ride takes .5 gallons of gas. It's easy to get 50 mph on highway driving, and 60+ in rush hour stop and go.