New car decision - Honda CRV (or similar)?

proto

Thinking of changing my car in the near future. Carrying bikes easily is one of the requirements, and I like the look of the Honda CRV and vehicles of that type. The Honda appeals in particular as it drives very well and is frugal on fuel. Luxurious too.

So armed with a bike I went to look at a Honda to see if I could fit it in the back, bike standing vertically, front wheel out, car rear seats folded down. But it wouldn't fit, just too long, couldn't shut the tailgate.

So, anyone know which cars can accommodate a bike vertical? Rav4? Hyundai Tuscon? Kia something?

Or do I just stick to what I do now and put the bikes on the roof?

plowmar

Honda civic, my bike fits easy. have also carried wife's as well.

alan_sherman

Depends how big you are! The crop of mid-sized MPVs that can include:
- Vauxhall Zafira
- Renault Scenic
- Citroen Picasso (if you aren't too tall)
- VW Touran

fish156

proto wrote:

So, anyone know which cars can accommodate a bike vertical?

Skoda Roomster.

giant_man

Or Skoda Yeti, fish does the Roomster allow for the whole bike in the back or the bike minus front wheel?

seanoconn

Couldn't you just wip the front wheel off and stick with the car of your choice? Be a shame to buy a car your not totally happy with for the sake of less than a minute it takes to put a wheel on.

Eddy S

Proto,

On my last pass at this 'problem', both the S-Max and C4 Grand Picasso will take bikes upright with the front wheel out. Both manufacturers have an ‘accessory bar’ to hold the bikes in place.

Both are worth a look but depends whether you want a people carrier or not. The S-Max might make a reappearance on my short-list this time around (which means I’ll probably end up with yet another Cooper S! LOL! 8) ).

fish156

giant mancp wrote:

Or Skoda Yeti, fish does the Roomster allow for the whole bike in the back or the back minus front wheel?

Front wheel out. It'll take a single bike upright, diagonally across the rear (mine's a 54cm frame) with just one seat folded forwards, or up to 3 bikes upright with rear seats removed.

giant_man

fish156 wrote:

giant mancp wrote:

Or Skoda Yeti, fish does the Roomster allow for the whole bike in the back or the back minus front wheel?

Front wheel out. It'll take a single bike upright, diagonally across the rear (mine's a 54cm frame) with just one seat folded forwards, or up to 3 bikes upright with rear seats removed.

I'm wondering about the 'internal bike carriers' you can get for the Roomster and Yeti, wondering if they're worth the money?

bigpikle

dont know what you're doing wrong then as I have a new CRV and get 2 bikes in the back with seats folded down. You need to turn the bars 90 degs but still not a problem to get 2 (57cm) bikes in with front wheels out.

Personally I still use a roof carrier 90% of the time as I dont want to trash the inside of the car with dirty bikes.

mrushton

A lot of the SUV type vehicles are not as roomy as they look. The estates eg Audi A4/6All-road,Volvo (not sure of the models) ut the all road estate looks nice or the Merc C/E class look good but expensive. Nissan X-Trail might be a good choice

rc856

I'm also wondering why you don't just take one or both wheels off?
I've got a Grand Scenic and there's loads of room with the seats up or down.
I can also get there quicker in my Impreza Sportswagon
It's not as if the bike gets bashed about with the wheels off etc.

jonmack

When taking my bike places I take both the wheels off it, strap them to the seat using the seatbelts and put the bike across the back seat of my car. There is no situation in the world where I would need to get my bike out of my car so quickly that having both wheels off would be a disadvantage, so I don't see the problem really.

I drive a Peugeot 206 by the way... :oops:

floosy

I have a corsa.. and the full susser fits upright with the front wheel off... (theres a knack but it does fit).

Dave.

Spender45

I have the old style CRV and will easily take three bikes with their front wheels out.

lawson_m20

We have a previous shape CRV. It's fantastic for space. We have had four adult bikes in the rear (wheels off) and plenty of space for passengers. We had friends with an X-Trail of a similar age and there was nowhere near as much space.

hopper1

mrushton wrote:

A lot of the SUV type vehicles are not as roomy as they look. The estates eg Audi A4/6All-road,Volvo (not sure of the models) ut the all road estate looks nice or the Merc C/E class look good but expensive. Nissan X-Trail might be a good choice

I had/have a VW Touareg, not as roomy as you think, but sodding high if you want to use the roof rack!
Pick up new A4 Avant on Friday, bike goes straight to the roof.
And it can be driven like a normal car, too... No pussy footing around RAB's etc...

dag_on_a_bike

proto wrote:

Thinking of changing my car in the near future. Carrying bikes easily is one of the requirements, and I like the look of the Honda CRV and vehicles of that type. The Honda appeals in particular as it drives very well and is frugal on fuel. Luxurious too.

So armed with a bike I went to look at a Honda to see if I could fit it in the back, bike standing vertically, front wheel out, car rear seats folded down. But it wouldn't fit, just too long, couldn't shut the tailgate...

I'm surprised.

Mate has CRV and we took it down to south of France. 2 bikes vertically in rear plus associated other luggage. Just needed careful positioning of handlebars by folded seats but otherwise went in lengthwise without a prolem, whith front wheels and saddles removed.

Oh, for the 700 mile drive it was very comfortable too.

balthazar

This may not be of much interest, but as a reference point- I can get two bikes easily in the sealed boot of our very old Mercedes coupé. I don't think it would occur to anybody that they're in there, which makes it much less worrying to park in dodgier areas. Also, it still leaves a sealed cabin without dirty/sticky-outy bikes getting in the way.

Even if I wanted a modern car, I'd look at saloons with separate boots: they can be surprisingly spacious.

StillGoing

Lexus RX400h. Full of gadgets and hybrid fuel system. I currently run a Volvo S80 D5 (185) and will be swapping to the RX next year for the simple reason I need something that can carry 4/5 adults in comfort with luggage or be able to stick the bikes in the back if I want to go somewhere for a ride.

meanredspider

Skoda Roomster - yuk. To nick a phrase from Clarkson, it's a car designed by people that have never met. The windows look like a 5 year-old drew them.

The CRV is OK - I just think all of those soft-roaders "age" very quickly. The Honda at least quite reasonable to drive. Unless you're going to use it's ground clearance capability, I'm not sure of the point of dragging a 4x4 system around. For similar money as a new CRV you can pick up a 3-4 year old E Class which will swallow bikes whole. It's far more pleasant to drive, better equipped and will retain its value better. But car buying is a very personal thing - as the Roomster proves.

meanredspider

Oh, and if you want a small car that swallows bikes, the Merc A-Class will, whilst being shorter than a Fiesta. In fact, in our original one we got two adults, 3 kids and a full-sized tumble drier in the boot. The rear seats lift right out though, leaving a completely flat deck. In ours even the front passenger seat came out.

proto

Hmmm. Maybe I need to rethink. I did a 1000 miles or so in a rented Hyundai Tuscon in South Africa recently and got to like the idea of a 'soft roader'

I agree about some saloon cars being good load luggers - my old SAAB 9-3 hatcback could swallow two bikes easily in the boot, plus plenty of luggage, even with all five seats upright.

Currently got a V50 D5 (5cyl, 2.4 turbo diesel, 180 bhp and a stupid amount of torque). It's great to drive, and seriously quick (tyre life and fuel consumption very disappointing, must be the way I drive it!), but it's just a bit too small. The boot area is a slightly awkward shape, the floor level is too high and bike carrying is okay at best. It's not really an estate car, so the bikes go on the roof.

I don't really fancy a big estate, been there, done that with an old Volvo 740. Kids have mostly left home, so something nice to drive, luxurious, but not too big, but big enough for a couple of bikes in the back.

Still open to suggestions. :?

BTW the Honda operates in 2WD in normal mode, 4WD kicking in only when car detects extra traction needed. It's economical (better than my Volvo), light, short and drives very well.

paultheparaglider

Have you considered the Volvo XC60? I bought one earlier this year. My first ever Volvo, and hadn't really figured on my radar until What Car gave it a good write up.
I considered the CRV, but of all the medium / small SUVs I looked at, it had the worst rear seat fold which left the worst folded down load bay of all. Even the smaller RAV4 was better. I nearly bought a Skoda Yeti, but didn't really like the ride, and it wasn't much of a change from my Fabia. The seat fold on the XC60 is superb, and the flat load bay is the best in class.
I don't need 4WD, but do need ground clearance which the XC delivers in spades. So I bought the 2WD diesel. As you will know from yours, Volvos aren't the most economical cars on the road, but I do little mileage, and depreciation is a much bigger part of the cost. Mine is reasonable on fuel for the size of car - about 40mpg on a run.
The best thing about the Volvo is the comfort. Getting out after a 3 hour drive is like getting up off the couch. It is also a very nicely built car. It isn't quite as cheap as the CRV or the Yeti, but with all the good incentives available earlier this year, it wasn't really an awful lot more. I'd guess this winter will offer equally good buying incentives.
Anyway, I'd certainly recommend a look.

meanredspider

proto wrote:

BTW the Honda operates in 2WD in normal mode, 4WD kicking in only when car detects extra traction needed. It's economical (better than my Volvo), light, short and drives very well.

Yes - I test drove one for a weekend. You're still dragging around that weight and, frankly, you're hardly likely every to need proper AWD on the road. Even my old E-Class Merc is fine in the snow with winter tyres. After test-driving the Honda, I concluded that a used E-Class was a better bet - but I have different needs (towing a race car and lugging the kit, also do regular 1000-mile round trip drives).

B-Class Merc? Just trying to think of something with good load capacity without the downsides.

The Honda is a perfectly acceptable car though.

Squillinossett

Were getting either an A4 or A6 Advent in the new year once the new reg is out & both will take 3 bikes easily with a wheel removed.

gregster10217

Hyundai ix35 (I think that's what it is - soft roader kind of thing) Saw one the other day and it looked very nice, never thought I'd say that about a Hyundai - I currently run a Jeep Patriot and can fit 3 bike with front wheels off quite easily, but they don't go vertically and have to put padding between them. You also get a long warranty with the Hyundai.

northpole

The Yeti has a lot of quirky appeal - not sure I would ever have the courage of my convictions to hand over my money for one. I suspect that the new X3 will be a great all rounder (even if it is made in USA) - BM seem to be leading the world in engine design at the moment - their combination of power, torque and economy is quite mind boggling.

I read somewhere recently that the new emissions laws coming into effect next year mean that most manufacturers are in a bind - with falling new car sales, they either have to sell them before the end of the year at whatever price they can get for them or pre-register them (there's only so many cars they can do that with). If memory serves, they will not be permitted to offer new vehicles for sale next year which are non compliant with the new emissions laws. If that's all true, there should be mega bargains to be had for the savvy buyer.

Peter

StillGoing

gregster10217 wrote:

Hyundai ix35 (I think that's what it is - soft roader kind of thing) Saw one the other day and it looked very nice, never thought I'd say that about a Hyundai - I currently run a Jeep Patriot and can fit 3 bike with front wheels off quite easily, but they don't go vertically and have to put padding between them. You also get a long warranty with the Hyundai.

You need it because it's the only thing of any value once you drive out of the showroom. They may look nice but they are truly woeful cars.

meanredspider

northpole wrote:

I suspect that the new X3 will be a great all rounder (even if it is made in USA) - .

It can only be better than the shocking piece of cr@p that goes by that name at the moment. The CRV is an infinitely better car than the current X3

fish156

giant mancp wrote:

I'm wondering about the 'internal bike carriers' you can get for the Roomster and Yeti, wondering if they're worth the money?

I didn't think so, so I bought a Minoura frame that has 2 fork mounts, plus a loose wheel mount - to hold one of the front wheels that you take out.