best cyclo car for long distance traveling

oceheb

Which car for 4 men including 4 MTB bikes including proper packaging, camping stuff (huge tent, sleeping bags, etc) + low fuel economy to drive to Alps? I suppose this is a lot of stuff to cary, cannot imagine how to fit all this into wagon type.

Probably been aked before, sorry ...

nicklouse

Any with a towbar and a roof rack. 4 bikes on the back kit in a box on the roof sorted.

oodboo

I've got a Golf Estate Bluemotion. That'd work. I had a focus estate diesel before which was pretty good for economy as well.

cooldad

On, as above. In, a van.

Briggo

oceheb wrote:

Which car for 4 men including 4 MTB bikes including proper packaging, camping stuff (huge tent, sleeping bags, etc) + low fuel economy to drive to Alps? I suppose this is a lot of stuff to cary, cannot imagine how to fit all this into wagon type.

Erm, thats one hell of an ask, 4 people & 4 MTBs into a car? Let alone all the camping gear too... you won't get it into any car, you will do in a medium to large van but then something like a Sprinter I don't think you can seat 4 either.

Clank

Briggo wrote:

oceheb wrote:

Which car for 4 men including 4 MTB bikes including proper packaging, camping stuff (huge tent, sleeping bags, etc) + low fuel economy to drive to Alps? I suppose this is a lot of stuff to cary, cannot imagine how to fit all this into wagon type.

Erm, thats one hell of an ask, 4 people & 4 MTBs into a car? Let alone all the camping gear too... you won't get it into any car, you will do in a medium to large van but then something like a Sprinter I don't think you can seat 4 either.

Nah. 3 people, 3 bikes, 2km of rope, camping gear for four, expedition caving gear for 3. One Defender, nothing on the outside. 8)

Pack light, and split the bikes two out back and two up top and a good estate car should do it. But I do mean 'pack light' for camping.

waby1234

Low fuel economy?! I guess you mean low fuel consumption or high fuel economy!!

Briggo

Clank wrote:

Briggo wrote:

oceheb wrote:

Which car for 4 men including 4 MTB bikes including proper packaging, camping stuff (huge tent, sleeping bags, etc) + low fuel economy to drive to Alps? I suppose this is a lot of stuff to cary, cannot imagine how to fit all this into wagon type.

Erm, thats one hell of an ask, 4 people & 4 MTBs into a car? Let alone all the camping gear too... you won't get it into any car, you will do in a medium to large van but then something like a Sprinter I don't think you can seat 4 either.

Nah. 3 people, 3 bikes, 2km of rope, camping gear for four, expedition caving gear for 3. One Defender, nothing on the outside. 8)

Pack light, and split the bikes two out back and two up top and a good estate car should do it. But I do mean 'pack light' for camping.

3 does not equal 4, caving gear does not equal mountain bikes.

Out back and up top does not equal into the car.

Clank

Tell you for nothing, I could get four people and four bikes, to the Alps, using an estate car and bit of thought. I've taken way more before now.

Just takes a bit of imagination and people not being greedy with kit. As said, two bikes on the back, two on the roof, and it'll go. No one said that all the kit *had* to go inside the OPs vehicle - just what needed to be carried.

Briggo

Clank wrote:

Just takes a bit of imagination and people not being greedy with kit. As said, two bikes on the back, two on the roof, and it'll go. No one said that all the kit *had* to go inside the OPs vehicle - just what needed to be carried.

Well of course bikes on 4 bike towrack and kit in a roofbox & boot and its happy days.

OP says 'into' though. cannot imagine how to fit all this into wagon type.

Guessing inside preffered for fuel efficiency as its a long way to the Alps.

john2002

Are you on about renting or buying? We hired a vw touran bluemotion for a ski/snowboard trip. We just about fit 5 people and all the gear in side, 3 sets of ski went on top of the roof and 2 snowboards inside. The boot was loaded to the ceiling. So if you had the bikes on rack on the back and all the gear inside you should fit ok, you also have the roof if you need the extra space. The grand C-max has a lot of boot space also
VW Touran bluemotion 1.6tdi 61mpg 695 liters boot space
Ford C-max 1.6tdi 61mpg 719 liters boot space
These are figures written in the brochures.

Northwind

Go without significant difficulty into a Mondeo estate or similiar. Bikes on roof obviously. Inside not easy at all unless you dismantle the bikes into a million bits- that'd go in a galaxy or other big mpv.

oceheb

Thank you guys for the responce. Yea, its all about economy, fuel, money, etc

For a short weekend + some dayouts is likely more cheaper to go by plane, hire a small car in aeroport and thats it, I think Its gonna take for 4 days about 300-400 q per person if camping.
For longer periods, like week or two, driving will be cheper I think, its gonna take about 400+ q for fuel and toll (return jorney), and the ecomony will depend on how many you can pack here.
the route for instance

Ford Mondeo and VW Passat Estates have biggest boots in the class, so I think this is one option to check. One thing however is I remember driving in Italy on mountain roads, if you have big car, some turns needs to done in two steps

Btw, if hire the car in uk, are they allow such long traveling or cross the border? I suppose its depends on the contract.

The roof box is great idea, at least to pack there camping stuff and small items. Have concerns in placing bikes on the roof in terms of impact on fule consumptions, its about 2000 miles and consumptions can be much higher than just box. Not sure how much the increase is however.
Its much easier with skiing stuff because its not that bulky, can be placed in roof box mostly, but this is not the case with bikes.

If you have expencive bike, especially made from carbon, then you will care a lot how to pack them properly. Use a bikeguard? It could be really builky.

Or just like that

paul.skibum

VW Transporter/Ford Torneo/Tranny with seats out in the back row would be an easy fit for gear and peeps.

Car wise, you're screwed. You can chuck a minibus on the chunnel, get a decent turbo diesel and fuel economy wont be horrific - weigh up 1 transit vs 2 cars though - maths probably gets pretty close if you already have two cars that would make the trip vs hiring a minibus and driving that.

diy

I could get that lot in/on to my XC90 no problem. If you cruised around 65mph, it would probably return 30mpg with that lot on. Defender is another option (LWB version) but that is a long way to go in such a rough vehicle and the fuel economy would not be great. My SWB does mid 20s at best. Other option is 4 seater pickup. L200 or similar, but again they don't do much to the gallon.

Personally I'd say rent a double cab pickup.

BillyMansell

Mazda Bongo/Ford Freda with LPG conversion. Four can travel in comfort with the rear seats removed to give you tons of space for all your gear. Drive it conservatively and you could get 25-30mpg but at 1/2 - 3/5 the cost of petrol.

Only downside with LPG conversions is they can't go in the Eurotunnel.

nicklouse

oceheb wrote:

Thank you guys for the responce. Yea, its all about economy, fuel, money, etc

For a short weekend + some dayouts is likely more cheaper to go by plane, hire a small car in aeroport and thats it, I think Its gonna take for 4 days about 300-400 q per person if camping.
For longer periods, like week or two, driving will be cheper I think, its gonna take about 400+ q for fuel and toll (return jorney), and the ecomony will depend on how many you can pack here.
the route for instance

Ford Mondeo and VW Passat Estates have biggest boots in the class, so I think this is one option to check. One thing however is I remember driving in Italy on mountain roads, if you have big car, some turns needs to done in two steps

Btw, if hire the car in uk, are they allow such long traveling or cross the border? I suppose its depends on the contract.

The roof box is great idea, at least to pack there camping stuff and small items. Have concerns in placing bikes on the roof in terms of impact on fule consumptions, its about 2000 miles and consumptions can be much higher than just box. Not sure how much the increase is however.
Its much easier with skiing stuff because its not that bulky, can be placed in roof box mostly, but this is not the case with bikes.

If you have expencive bike, especially made from carbon, then you will care a lot how to pack them properly. Use a bikeguard? It could be really builky.

Or just like that

just had a look at your route. your costing is short by a bit. how are you getting acrros the channel?

as a regular driver to and from germany uk using the tunnel. round trip of about 1200miles in a T4 2.4D tunnel costs about 200 to 250 quid return. fuel 90L there and 90L back.

Sweden to germany with 3 bikes on the roof (suzuki swift) killed the fuel ecconomy if going over 100kmh. regularly showing 30L per 100km! normally less than 10L per 100km.

bikes on the back of the Bus made little difference.

nferrar

Mondeo, Superb, Passat etc. with a roof box for the camping stuff would probably be the best way to go (without getting into vans and large MPVs with some of the seats out). Could probably squeeze everything inside with the smaller split rear seat down but it wouldn't be very comfy for those in the back.

oceheb

After spending some time reserching the subject I found the fillowing.

Galaxy/Sharan/Alhambra - possible best choice, however economical enginetts (1.6) appered only recently, about 2-3 years ago, so these used cars are expensive and not for my budget. Old cars have fuel consumption not that brilliant.

Im ok with underpower engines. Not going to participate in street racings

Same story with estate type cars engines. modeo/passat. Also the weight is comparable with above mentioned minivans. I see that minivan construction provides more space then estates type. Cannot get why choose estate when minivan can provide more?

Ive found the car not mentioned here is Citroen Grand Picasso, from '07 they got economical 1.6 disel which can get 50-60mpg. The car looks good to me, I still got qustions about boot size and possibility to place bikes without weels removing. So if someone owns the cars, can you put some notes here pls.

I cannot find the height of the boot, also when 3rd row of seats is removed, can be middle seat be removed as well?
When all this removed, the flooring will cover the rails, the question here can this flooring be removed to get additional few inches of height?

Northwind

oceheb wrote:

Same story with estate type cars engines. modeo/passat. Also the weight is comparable with above mentioned minivans. I see that minivan construction provides more space then estates type. Cannot get why choose estate when minivan can provide more?

You'll get a decent mondeo 2.0 diesel for way less than a decent galaxashambralaxy, and like for like you'll get better economy from it, and it'll cost less to insure.

(though if you move from all bikes inside, to bikes on roof, then economy situation changes obviously)

oceheb

Northwind wrote:

You'll get a decent mondeo 2.0 diesel for way less than a decent galaxashambralaxy, and like for like you'll get better economy from it, and it'll cost less to insure.

I agree that decent mondeo will be cheaper, driving will be better as well (lower center of mass). I tried to find boot dimentions of mondeo and could not find that. I found some measurements done by tape on the internet:

851mm High (to ceiling)
1141mm Wide
1140mm Long with rear seats up
1982mm Long with rear seats folded
http://www.talkford.com/topic/131962-mk ... e-oweners/

What I did next is just measured my mtb bike and I got: 1500mm lenght and 80mm height, sorry all in millimeters. Thats without front weel. So I realized that It will not fit into mondeos boot. Ofcource we can fold middle seat, in this case we can fit there I suspect only 2 bikes. I remember someone mentioned 4 bikes and 4 mens into mondeo, looks like its only possible with both weels removal, or placing 2 bikes inside and 2 bikes on rails.

Briggo

oceheb wrote:

Northwind wrote:

You'll get a decent mondeo 2.0 diesel for way less than a decent galaxashambralaxy, and like for like you'll get better economy from it, and it'll cost less to insure.

I agree that decent mondeo will be cheaper, driving will be better as well (lower center of mass). I tried to find boot dimentions of mondeo and could not find that. I found some measurements done by tape on the internet:

851mm High (to ceiling)
1141mm Wide
1140mm Long with rear seats up
1982mm Long with rear seats folded
http://www.talkford.com/topic/131962-mk ... e-oweners/

What I did next is just measured my mtb bike and I got: 1500mm lenght and 80mm height, sorry all in millimeters. Thats without front weel. So I realized that It will not fit into mondeos boot. Ofcource we can fold middle seat, in this case we can fit there I suspect only 2 bikes. I remember someone mentioned 4 bikes and 4 mens into mondeo, looks like its only possible with both weels removal, or placing 2 bikes inside and 2 bikes on rails.

A whole bike will go in the Mondeo boot (not the seats down), you just remove both wheels and place it on the side, I had a Mondeo and did this many a time, but you wont get 4 or even 2 in this way.

I would love to see someone get 4 bikes and 4 blokes inside one, even if the wheels are taken off. If you are going to place them on rails on the roof or boot just get racks for all 4 for outside, won't effect economy anymore than just 2 and you'll have more room inside for your camping and bike gear.

Your options are either, bikes on the outside, or you get a larger vehicle like a van/galaxy-esq at a push.

oceheb

Briggo wrote:

Your options are either, bikes on the outside, or you get a larger vehicle like a van/galaxy-esq at a push.

Yea, looks like you are right. With rear weel on, only van is a option then.

These are sharans dimentions, same story, bike with rear weel only, cannot be placed inside (middle seat of 2 row can be removed, then its ok)

Briggo

You won't get 4 bikes within that central part where the seat is removed if you are so focused on keeping the rear wheels on.

Wheels off I reckon you could get all 4 bikes in the back of that Sharon just, upside down, alternately laid out, it'd be a squeeze if possible.

oceheb

looks like 3 blocks x 3 bikes is more realistic placement in case of Mondeo/Passat. (by folding 2 seats of 2nd row)