What about an Audi Allroad (newer ones replaced the A4 Avant)? Better step up from a Jetta and you can get AWD. Audi's quattro is superior to Subaru's AWD (imo as I've had a couple of A4's and currently own an 2014 Outback).

Personally I've been eyeing this one:

+1 for a Prius

The ability to fit a couple bikes inside is great, but the big draw for me is the gas mileage—easily over 50 mpg and close to 60 mpg if I'm hypermiling. Plus, what aeroweenie wouldn't appreciate the super low CdA and Kamm tail?

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I am cheap, so that would rule out the outback which is getting really expensive. Kid friendly includes small SUVs like Honda CRV HYundai tuscon, etc. My wife drives a Hyudai tuscon which gets great milage, drives like a small car and has the extra room in back. My car is a Mazda 3 sedan which is small enough that it is kid unfriendly. No matter what you get, have the dealer install a hitch on the back, work the cost of that into the loan, and go with a hitch rack which is easier and quicker than a roof or trunk rack. With kids around you always need easy and quick.

A Unimog obviously...

This (in bold) - but I'd recommend a Ram 2500. Very comfortable for 4 adults. Comfortable for 5. Lots of room for your stuff.

This is my stealth RV. Built a bed platform in the back that allows 2 (or 3) adults to sleep and all bikes and gear underneath. Also has room for our travel crib, bench seat w/ car seat. Fully insulated with a fan and the fiamma awning, great race day vehicle! 22-24 mpg highway depending how you drive. Sleep in the back while your crew chief (wife?) drives you home!

The outback is 1500 more than a CRV base for base and both are well below the average new car cost which I believe is about 30k.


If you truly are cheap you would never buy or pay for a hitch from a dealer unless you like to pay 3-4X as much for something and then pay interest on it by rolling it into that loan (unless you get 0%). Quick search on the CRV forums shows people being quoted 250-400 bucks for the hitch itself, they are 120 online for a kurt or similar. Then in some cased 5+ hours labor. You just paid for the difference of the outback with those charges!!!

Assuming he doesn't need to tow anything or carry heavy loads in the bed then the 2500 (used to have one so I like them) would be pointless. The 1500 has rear air springs so it rides significantly better then the HD chassis trucks and mpg due to smaller front end and overall weight given the same engine in each. You can even get it with a Diesel now which is also on my short list if I were to sell my jeep!

Also since he lives in a city the 1500 would be a little easier but still miserable to park. I had my 2500 when I lived in atlanta and had a parking deck.. that sucked!

If you are okay with a used car, take a look at the Honda Element. It doesn't look like company car like the Ford Transit Connect, and at the same time, you are slide your bike in the back without removing the wheels and still have one seat down. The interior is also water proof if you want to lay your wetsuit down.

This might be one of the coolest things I've ever seen! Gotta be so perfect as a family vehicle for a nearby, driveable race and weekend. By the look of the rims, custom/semi-custom?

If you are considering a used car, avoid anything European ( VW, Audi, BMW, etc) unless you want your triathlon entry fee money to go towards car repairs and up keep. Asian cars are cheap to own (Toyota) and don't require much in upkeep, just occasional belt and filter stuff so I would look at something like a Sienna.

Questions to ask yourself - are you planning on having more kids and will you want to carry on travelling with a larger family? The amount of gear that you will end up hauling around only gets greater - and if you want to encourage an active lifestyle in the coming years you will have even more gear to carry around. Choosing too small a vehicle now may mean you are having to trade in a few years. Probably not a surprise with me being from Texas to recommend a truck - you can load up the bed with enough gear for an expedition, have four (4) bikes on the hitch-mounted rack, and sit inside in complete comfort (and luxury if you want). If you don't need to tow anything and don't like trucks (don't understand that myself) then minivans have the same properties as the tardise - and for family road trips are great.

minivans are nice with kids because of the sliding doors and ability to walk to the back and deal with crap going down the road. They are also great for loading up with crap for sports or weekend adventures. I tow a camper with my Sienna AWD and also tow a 12 foot enclosed trailer at about 3500 pounds. It's good for hauling firewood too.

mpg is so-so, 17-18 in mixed driving

If we could get the VW Passat Alltrack TDI in N.America, I'd be all over that. They'd somehow fuck that up and have it available in automatic only, likely with the silly slappy paddles too. Go ahead, try to find a diesel AWD manual wagon in N.America. Can't be done. Have to settle for 3/4. Friend of ours recently bought the Golf TDI Wagon (w/ 6sp). Loves it, but wishes it had AWD. At this point I would certainly settle for the A6 Avant TDI to make a return to the N.American line-up, and would likely forego the manual. <sigh>

As I have said in the other thread linked, our current A4 Avant (aka wagon) 2.0T makes for a great vehicle for transporting bikes and gear. We've done a road trip to Vegas and back with 3 bikes and gear in the back. However, since most of our trips include the kids and the dog, the roofrack on the top gets regular use.

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"The runner-up John Dunbar, a US Navy Seal, led after the second transition and had a chance to win but ran out of water on the marathon course; his support crew resorted to giving him beer instead." -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironman_Triathlon

I don't have kids, so I can't speak specifically to that, but I do a lot of triathlon-ing and my Subaru Outback is awesome for it. I have a roof rack for one bike and a hitch mounted rack that holds two bikes. If I am only taking one bike and don't need the back seat, I can fold the rear seats down and my bike fits without taking any wheels off. Subarus are super safe cars, so that would be good for the kids. I have a 6-speed manual because in upstate NY we get a ton of snow and I like feeling like I have more control of the car. It does amazingly well even the crappiest of weather conditions. It's reliable and gets better than average gas mileage for an SUV.

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Yep, this is the only way!

This


fits in here just fine

Nice man! How'd you build it up? Also, what height is your platform? I did mine with 8020, came out pretty sweet.

My stock rims are powdercoated Mercedes Brake Dust Black with some big BFG AT's on it. They're noisy on the highway but I've since dynamatted the whole thing which helped a ton.

I drive an element and pretty much brought it specifically to race in tri.
With one seat folded up, I can fit 2 bikes comfortably with wheels on. The 4WD and plastic interior is nice for a simple clean up. I like being able to throw the race bike in the car, that way it's not exposed to the element (It's inside the Element. ha!) and out of sight for would be thieves.
I've seen some creative things people have done to an Element. Some rigged it up with a bed and you might not even need a hotel if you don't mind sleeping in the car.

There are draw backs to it. It's not a car for a large family. It'll only seat 4, but if you intent on travelling with bike in tow for a family of four, you'll pretty much have to go with the hitch and tow option for any car.
It's got a aerodynamic of a brick on the highway. And with it being an older car, it doesn't have the great mileage of a modern car.

I demand more pictures.

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The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.

I had Van Specialties do mine. Been really happy with it. Has been awesome for stage races with plenty of room for wheels, 2 bikes and a ton of crap. Great for family vacations and weekend trips too. My kids love it!

My platform is around 33 inches high, if I remember correctly. I can't fit a bike under without lowering a seat. I don't have any pics with the bikes in it.

Here's what I have available. I've since finished the paneling to accommodate the bed platform:

I'm so super-geeked about this, I'm really thinking about it long term! Can't see this working as a daily driver though.

You're obviously in the PDX area, as well. How did you order the Sprinter? Just as a crew van and then over to Van Specialties?

Hell no, I hate PDX, I'm in Bend. :-)

Yeah, I started with a cargo and went from there. Better to have a completely clean slate and less expensive. The upfitters are great at helping you build it out however best for you. I daily drive mine most of the time. Super easy and gets better mpg than my Landcruiser. Just go look at Outside Vans' website and drool.

Don't google overlanding then!!!