Whats the best car for transporting bikes?

warrior4life

And everday use as a cyclist, im fed up of trashing the inside of my golf, i cant be bothered putting a rack on and off everday.... and roof bars are ok but i want to be able to leave the bikes on the car.

I need a good sized car that i can put the bikes in.. but it also has to be a decent drive, i dont want a van...people carrier size maybe, or 4wd.

greasedscotsman

What about an estate? I have a Passat, which is great, I ride quite a big size, being quite tall and take both wheels out and get it all in the boot. But the Mondeo estate has a huge boot, not sure about the drive though...

Red Rock

One of my friends has a Volvo V50 which takes the bike with both wheels attached. She just folds down the back seats first. Much more practical than my MG.

http://www.volvocars.com/uk/All-Cars-MY09/Volvo-V50/Pages/default.aspx

Red Rock

Anonymous

I have a Zafira which is excellent. managed to fit myself, 3 mates 4 bikes and bags to go to wales last summer. brilliant, dont know how I will be able to get a different car in the future.

Coyote

Agreed - I have a V50 and this is exactly what I do. No wheels off, straight in the back when the seats are folded flat. Assuming you use some kind of protection between the bikes you can get 2 in no problem.

greasedscotsman

I've always found it quicker and easier to take the wheels out, rather than fold the seats down and find somewhere to put the boot shelf thingy. Also in most cars I can't fold the seats down properly as I have the drivers seat right back, but I'm guessing most people won't have that problem.

markos1963

I don't have one because the missus won't let me have one but I reckon that the Fiat Multipla is ideal for us. Three across in the front means that the whole family can sit together and the bikes can sit in the back complete.

cougie

My vectra hatchback took two road bikes in the back with the back seat down. I did take the front wheels off and an offcut of carpet between the bikes to stop rubbing, and it was no bother.

Lagavulin

Dad is considering next car and, having had a couple of Jags, is fancying an S-Type. I'm trying to persuade him to get a big E-class estate, BMW Tourer or an Audi Avant.

I was told a Focus with the seats folded provides ample room for a couple of bikes + luggage.

shockedsoshocked

And old diesel Peugeot 106.

Easily fit in 3 bikes + wheels. It has been done.

jellybellywmb

Lagavulin wrote:

Dad is considering next car and, having had a couple of Jags, is fancying an S-Type. I'm trying to persuade him to get a big E-class estate, BMW Tourer or an Audi Avant.

Wouldn't bother with the Avant, I have one and cant even get my lads bike in there with both wheels on + I have just had a new gear box ater 16,000 miles.

+ 1 for the Mondeo Estate some of my guys at work have them and the backs are massive.

Your best answere is roof bars and roof mounted carrier, I used to leave them on on my old BMW (3 years) and the Thule Carrier looks ok still.

vtech1.5

Focus C Max
I can take the back seats out and I have two quick realease hub brackets that bolt to the floor so you just have to take the front wheel off and clip it in.
Seats are quite heavy to move though . think you can get the brackets for the Smax and
galaxy

SPOODZILLA

I've got a Mitsubishi Pajero (Shogun). Its a 7 seater 4x4. Fits pretty much anything in it. 4 bikes with ease. Bike rack would be easier tho, lugging bikes in and out of cars becomes a chore.

rob_spedding

We're getting one of these at CPLus...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7829475.stm

LangerDan

Rob Spedding wrote:

We're getting one of these at CPLus...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7829475.stm

Craptacular!

pneumatic

I have a SAAB estate and the bike just goes straight in the back (seats down).

I wouldn't necessarily recommend the brand, more the fact that it is an estate.

However, a friend of mine just bought one of those French vans (Berlingo-style, but another make). You can store bikes upright in them and they also have loads of secret compartments to keep your tools, spares and kit in.

on the road

I have a Rover (hatchback) and I can fit the whole of my bike in it without having to take the wheels off. I have to fold down the back seat though.

cee

I have a Toyota Carina e. got it for £500 3 years ago.

regularly fit 3 bikes (both wheels off) and 3 blokes (including me) in it.

Stewie Griffin

I have an Alfa 156 saloon, a mate suggested that I could take the wheels off my bike and get it in between the front and rear seats, berk. Alfa have very thoughtfully put a ski hatch in the back seat, thats never once come in handy . I do want to transport my bike, just not in MY car.

robmanic1

Just spotted this


http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Delta_Stable_Loader_2_Bike_Rack/5360006701/


Great idea, I'm gonna get one next payday!

pneumatic

Robmanic1 wrote:

Just spotted this


http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Delta_Stable_Loader_2_Bike_Rack/5360006701/


Great idea, I'm gonna get one next payday!

I just love the fact that the advert has to say "car not included" :roll:

gkerr4

i think that the common "compact MPV" class has to win out here - even over the std estate type of cars.

So the scenic, zafira, touran, FR-V etc (plus the multipla if you can live with people pointing and laughing at you at traffic lights - no really, I had a rental one once and this actually happened quite a lot)

My wife currently has a VW Touran which we got to replace a Honda FRV - the Honda being two-rows-of-three seats - I have to admit that the Honda was better for transporting bikes inside as it seemed "taller" with the seats folded - but it was inferior to the VW in almost every other way. The touran is great really - holds a couple of bikes and still 4 adult sized seats. Easier if the fron wheel is removed though.

Whatever you do - don't go for a BMW 3 series coupe as my one is completely useless for transporting bikes (or pretty much anything else come to think of it. well, maybe golf clubs)

bompington

I once had a Honda Jazz as a courtesy car that managed to fit me, my 2 kids, and our bikes (wheels on) quite comfortably.
As a few posters have testified, you can get a bike, probably 2 or 3, in any car, it just depends how easily you want to do it. MPVs are usually high enough to wheel a bike in upright, definitely the quickest and easiest way.

equivalence

Was there not that new Corsa with the built in bike rack that came out of the registration plate? I think the additional cost for it was a rip-off though (£500?).

Monty Dog

Anything that you can take a bike standing-up with the wheels on - everything else is a compromise and putting more than one bike on top of another is a recipe for disaster. BTW Vauxhall nicked the bumper-mounted bike rack idea from the Renault Modus.

Special K

The OP asks an interesting question:

We bought a new car a couple of years back and our criteria were

Budget - had to be reasonable to buy and run, so economical engine size and profile (no 4by4s)
Reliability and Service (a good showing on the JD Power survey was crucial)
Handling - no wallowing about, fun to drive
Easy to transport lots of kit and occasional bikes with a full family seated comfortably
Cabin had to be pleasant place to be - well designed, features such as climate control etc
Image

what ever car you get, you need to be happy to either have the bikes on the inside or the outside. By putting bikes on the outside you will incur £££ cost in equipment and even more over the years on petrol. On the inside you might decrease the value of your car by £££ if you buy one which is too small for your needs and the bikes take oily bites out of your upholstery and plastics. If you buy a really big car then consider that handling, safety and fuel costs are compromised - we decided against a soft-roader on that basis and narrowed our search to estates which generally also drive better

We bought a Mazda 6 estate which ticks all our boxes.

Other cars we considered and drove were

Volvo v50 - actually quite fiddly to get seats down compared to the other cars, small boot
Subaru Legacy - a little too expensive but great to drive and excellent quality, the cabin is a lovely place to be and the whole car gives you a subtle sense of great well-being. I don't know why.
BMW 3 series estate - seats too hard, options too expensive, surprisingly not that great to drive, salesperson took the p1ss, and ridiculous service costs.
Ford Modeo - excellent car, crappy image, a couple of design howlers in the cabin that make it a bit rubbish
Toyota Avensis - too bulky, boring cabin, dead to drive
Vauxhall estate - truly one of the dullest cars I have ever driven and amazingly different to the Mondeo, Mazda 6, Jag or Subaru which were all tested first and set the bar high. Good boot space though, just an awful place to be and terrible car to be seen in.
Jag estate - nice, very nice. good to drive, Great cabin, comedy pricing considering what it's based on and waht you actually get. I am glad we didn't buy this or the Subaru which both look so smart as our Mazda has a few knocks and grazes and these cars deserve to look pristine the whole time, which is silly really if you think that most people buy estates as workhorse cars.
Alfa 156 sportwagon - used to have an old spider so I insisted we tested this one. An yes, it is lovely to look at and drive. I was thankful that the boot was impossibly small (smaller than my old Golf?), because it gave a good reason not to buy it. Otherise I would have bought one and pretended that Alfa reliability problems are something that happens to other people. A mate of mine has one and he struggles with the bike - the boot lid and edge have lots of chainring teeth marks and all sorts of scrapes.
Mazda 6 estate - great to drive, nice cabin (looks like the Alfa with the vents, dials and buttons), reasonably economical, the boot and seats fold down well and very easily. We can travel comfortably with the seats down and four bagged bikes in the back or seats up, luggage and two bikes. Mzda threw in a rubber boot liner as well, which means there are no qualms about sticking in wet bikes.

hope that helps

warrior4life

Im looking at a ford c-max

It seems a good option in every area.

gkerr4

warrior4life wrote:

Im looking at a ford c-max

It seems a good option in every area.

except for build quality and interior fit and finish - like most modern fords it's appalling!

It struggles to fit 5 adults too if thats a consideration - the S-Max is a useful bit of kit though (albeit still with the same crappy interior!)

GeorgeShaw

VW Passat Estate. With front wheel out and seat/post removed, you can strap two bikes upright to the built-in hooks using bungees, and still have plenty of room left for all of the rest of the luggage (camping equipment for example).

passout

For small car look at the Honda Jazz. You can put a bike (minus front wheel) across the fold away back seats, very clever.

Otherwise I'd say an estate. I've got a focus estate which isn't bad. The Mondeo is estate is really big. The S-Max has clever fold away seats too...if you want a people carrier.

There's no real advantage with 4x4s IMO.

grayo59

We've got a Pug 406 estate - easily takes a couple of bikes in the back with wheels on. Also has roof rails as standard.

So if it's an economical diesel estate (40/50mpg) "R" reg £800 - through 51 plate £1800 to 54 plate £3500 that is a useful biggish motor, look no further.