looking for a small to mid sized SUV or Xover that will fit a bike inside on occaison
Thoughts?
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Prius!
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Toyota Sienna
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Originally Posted by Brian Ratliff
(Post 17219212)
Prius!
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I think smaller to medium wagons are great: Impreza sport/hatchback or Jetta TDI sportwagen
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Originally Posted by island rider
(Post 17219267)
Love the idea, but can you get a bike in it?
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Originally Posted by island rider
(Post 17219267)
Love the idea, but can you get a bike in it?
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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 |
Originally Posted by Brian Ratliff
(Post 17219289)
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.
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Originally Posted by hamster
(Post 17219302)
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. |
For the smaller SUV/crossover market: Mazda cx-5 gets great MPG, but is a little underpowered.
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Originally Posted by island rider
(Post 17219319)
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...
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.
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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.
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Originally Posted by dtrain
(Post 17219275)
I think smaller to medium wagons are great: Impreza sport/hatchback or Jetta TDI sportwagen
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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)
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Originally Posted by hamster
(Post 17219429)
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. 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. |
Originally Posted by island rider
(Post 17219267)
Love the idea, but can you get a bike in it?
Originally Posted by Elvo
(Post 17219213)
Toyota Sienna
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.
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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.
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Originally Posted by island rider
(Post 17219313)
Cool. That makes it a real possibility. How do you carry outside the car? Roof, hitch, trunk-ish rack?
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Originally Posted by rms13
(Post 17219312)
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 |
Originally Posted by island rider
(Post 17219267)
Love the idea, but can you get a bike in it?
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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. |
1 Attachment(s)
Originally Posted by island rider
(Post 17219267)
Love the idea, but can you get a bike in it?
I found this pic online: http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=412057 And this video offers a demonstration: How to put a full-size bike in the Prius - YouTube |
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. . |
Originally Posted by dtrain
(Post 17219332)
For the smaller SUV/crossover market: Mazda cx-5 gets great MPG, but is a little underpowered.
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. |
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. |
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.) |
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