I am not positive a Fit is long enough to fit the bike in there without removing the wheel. I do know for a fact that a Subaru Impreza hatchback, or Crosstrek *does* fit a bike in the back without removing the wheel.

I don't know the Honda Fit but my wife used to own a Focus and my sister had a Prius until recently. Focus was a great little car, would happily have one again and sounds perfect for what you're looking for. Personally I don't like the Prius, the whole hybrid thing seems like an unnecessary amount of complexity to me and in normal use I think a small petrol or diesel engine can return similar fuel consumption figures, but the fact that half the taxi drivers I see these days seem to have one suggests that they're pretty economical and reliable to run. Of course, it might also bother you driving the same car as half the taxi drivers in town... Hondas generally have a great reputation for reliability.

I had a Honda Crosstour for a while and it was a good compromise of size (slightly larger than those you mentioned), power (has a V6 option), reliability (its a Honda), while being quite fuel efficient. Its basically an Accord wagon but that doesn't sound appealing to consumers, so they call it a Crosstour.

Bike fits nicely laying on its side with plenty of room for additional cargo, gear, and a passenger. They are always offering some great deals on this model as well.

I have a Jetta Sportwagen tdi...works well with the seats folded to pack the bike. For reference my bike's size is 58. I also get great gas mileage. It's my commute car and my triathlon mule. Already driven up and down the west coast and furthest east was Madison, WI.

I just traded in my minivan (the ultimate tri vehicle) and picked up a Scion XB. A single bike (with wheels on) can fit with the seats down. With the front wheels off, you can fit at least 2 bikes.

Hatchbacks will swallow a bike pretty easily. I could get my tri bike into a VW GTI or my current WRX without taking the front wheel off.

Spot

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Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.

I had a Fit, I would take the front wheel off then roll it in rear first, the rear wheel would go just between the front seats.

I have a fit. My size 54 bike fits with the wheels on laying flat. If I need to carry a lot of gear, I take the front wheel off and put the bike in vertically.

http://misadventuresmag.com/...-review-cyclerest-2/

I had a Suzuki Swift (the really old '80s one) and even that tiny car could fit my girlfriend's bike with both wheels. My size 60 tri bike did require front wheel removal, thought. Basically most modern medium-sized hatchbacks will fit a medium-sized bike with both wheels on.

That said, whenever I borrow my father-in-law's Prius, I'm amazed by the amount of space in that thing. Definitely the ultimate triathlete's car in my book: A size 60 tri bike fits with both wheels with room to spare, it's efficient and has awesome leg-space for the passenger (no post-race car cramps!). Can't recommend it enough.

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ZONE3 - We Last Longer

Honda Fit, no question. Swallows my bikes.

My wife has a fit and loves it - fits her road bike in no problem with wheels but she does have to take her front wheel off her mtb. I have a Subaru Outback and highly recommend it also.

I drive a Honda Element and it's functionality is incredible. They don't make them anymore, but if you can find them used they are great for all sorts of activities. The back two seats either fold up to the sides or can be removed from 1 lever. I've fit 5 bikes in the back by taking the seats out, and then fit 2 kayaks on the roof and still had room for a cooler full of beer.

Just went through the car shopping process. Virtually any car can fit a bike with the seats folded down with the rear wheel left on. Sedans tend to be a few inches longer than their corresponding hatches. I ended up getting a mazda3 sedan after a lot of research/debate. I can put one bike laying down with seats folded down. Or one bike in the trunk with both wheels off, and one bike in the backseat with just the front wheel off.

I wouldn't limit yourself to cars where you can fit the entire bike without taking the front wheel off. For that you'll need an SUV or a large wagon (outback, vw sportwagon, etc). It takes 1 second to take the front wheel off, and 2 seconds to put it back on.

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Just bought a VW GTI. My 58cm P5 fits inside with both wheels on. My requirements for the car were that it would fit my bike and a manual transmission was available. It's a good car. Gets mid-30's on the highway. Can't go wrong.

Thank you someone who understands this!

Need to move recliner or mini fridge on a regular basis, sure hatchback.

Need to move something flat but long like a bike sedan actually works better.



Personally my daily for the last 4 years has been a 2012 Jetta Sportwagen TDI as someone also mentioned above and just picked up a 2015 Golf sportwagen TDI Friday (currently looking at both from my desk anyone shopping for a 2012? :) ). Once I went to a wagon I couldn't go back, during that time I've had/have an Audi A3 hatch and a jetta sedan, the jetta sedan is a lot more practical than the audi for moving things. You can't even fit a bike wheel laying flat in the hatch of a golf/gti!!

I'd recommend looking at the Honda HRV....new car that just came out. I think it is on the Fit platform. We just got one and I am shocked at the room for what I thought was such a little car.

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

I have a Honda Fit. It is a decent bike hauler but you have to remove the front wheel. That's why they have a quick release.

Honda Element, hands down. Fold the back seat to the side, slide in bike, secure with bungee and you're off. No wheel removal required. Most versatile car I've ever had and in some respects is better than our Escalade, in that there is more vertical clearance in the cargo area.

I've got a prius c, and it takes my large felt B12 and my friend's equally-large P3 easily (with front wheels off). We've done two-person trips in one car to a couple triathlons without an issue. This weekend I even had all my tri gear plus an 8" telescope + tripod.

My mom has a normal-sized prius, and that thing is cavernous. I wouldn't be surprised if the bike could fit with both wheels on. Plus it actually gets similar mileage ratings as my much smaller car.

If you're American, you can probably get a Prius of any variety super-cheap right now thanks to the oil price collapse and the strong US dollar.

I used to tote my bike around in a Impreza Sedan, and I gotta say that hatchback life is awesome. I basically just leave the back seats down all the time and use it like a dorky little van.

Also, a tip: At least in my area, car dealers will let you put your dirty-ass bike into their showroom cars if it looks like you're genuinely interested in buying them. The Mazda2 failed the Felt B12 test, but the Prius C, Mazda 3 hatch, Honda Fit, and Hyundai Accent hatch passed.

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STAC Zero Trainer - Zero noise, zero tire contact, zero moving parts. Suffer in Silence starting fall 2016

I bought a Subaru Outback. I drove my bike over to the dealership and put it in the back of a new one to make sure i could get it in there without taking wheels off. You can get built in seat covers on the back of the second row of seats so that when you put the seats flat and load in the your bike gear it doesn't scuff or discolor the backs of the seats. The Crosstrek is also worth looking at if you want a smaller car.

Reliable and fuel efficient too - especially the 2.4L.

i'll third(fourth?) the recommendation for the VW Sportwagen TDI; turned the odo over to 100000 this spring on my 2011 and aside from a weird wiring harness problem(which may have been vermin chewing on my wires) i would buy another. regularly get 38-39mph with 'spirited' driving. if i use the cruise control a lot, i can hit 40+ mpg for the week. my commute is 32miles one-way, and right now diesel is almost half the price of 92octane($2.79).

handles excellently, comfortable for very long rides, fit and finish is tops. mine came with the DSG auto-manual and you only lose one or two mpg compared to the manual. i have had two bikes in the back with wheels on and the back seat folded down, there is room for much more(once had six wood pallets in the back for a project.)

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"...I try not to ever ride as slow as 20mph. ;) ... And even more than that, I don't race with a speedometer. My computer is set up to show Power // Cadence // Time. I don't actually ever know how fast I'm going. I only know that if I'm in 53/11, and it takes more than 100rpm to hit my target watts, it's time to coast." - Jordan Rapp on '09 IMC

Another vote for the subaru outback.
I can fit my bike without removing the wheel by fold the rear seats. I can fit 3 people comfortably by folding one side of the rear and remove the front wheel. It gets good milage for a awd wagon. I drive 90% city and get 27 mpg.

Get an old Volvo 240 from late 80s/early 90s. These cars run forever: I've got 548,000 miles on my '86 and it is still going strong. Had it repainted in '07 to keep it looking good. If you get the station wagon model, no problem fitting bike w/o removing front wheel, but even with my sedan, the bike fits easily in the trunk with the front wheel off. I've always used a Thule roof rack though, just so have trunk for other gear when traveling. Mileage is 25 mpg in the city and 28-29-ish on highway.

Seriously, you can pick one up for around $2000, maybe spend another $2K fixing it up, and you have a truly classic car which will never go out of style, and will only become "more classic" as the years go by. I really have a hard time conceiving of the Prius, Fit, or Focus ever being considered "classic cars", but of course you may not care about that sort of thing:)

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

Single, without kids, and you're thinking about a Prius?

Damn it man, live a little. Go for a VW GTI or if you get a Focus, spring for an ST.

Some previous threads on ST state that you can get a bike in a GTI without removing wheels.