since he asked for “car” and not a mini van or suv…
Not sure if it’s the best, but I have the 2010 Ford Tarus and I can fit a bike easily in the trunk with the wheels off - no need to fold the seats down. The trunk is HUGH in this car. Outside of the “car” - Chevy Suburban easily
Michael
+1 on the Fit - I have had a Jazz (UK version of the Fit) for 8 years, great for lugging bikes inside.
I’ve got a mazda3 sport and can easily lay my bike down in the back without taking any wheels off.
700 series BMW put it in the rear seat and turn it upside down then turn on the seat warmers. Wallah!!! Heated bike seat. Lol…
Actually I liked the reply one you do not mind getting dirty. That is the right one
Another +1 on the Fit. With the back seat down my bike fits in with the wheel on, with plenty of room to spare. (It is an XS with 650c wheels!). An incredible amount of cargo space in relationship to mpg (34 city/38-40 highway).
A lot of weenie suggestions so far.
Late 90’s Landcruiser. 15 grand, and wickedly over engineered in ways the non weenies around here will appreciate.
Can fit my bike standing up by lowering one of the middle row seats.
Only drawback is mileage in the mid teens. I’m averaging 14 around town.
Did a little research on this earlier this year. Wanted a small/mid-sized SUV type vehicle that could fit two bikes (56 cm P3 & small TTX) upright, preferably without removing any wheels. Had a Honda Element which was great for cargo space but found the ride quality to be a little harsh and noisy, not very comfortable for long trips. Had a minivan when my kids were younger that was actually a great bike locker. Could fit up to four bikes and four people with their gear in the interior.
Came down to these three choices that had sufficient cargo height to stow my bikes upright:
Toyota RAV4, two bikes would fit with wheels off, P3 seat wedged against roof, TTX fit well. Remaining cargo room kind of limited. Peppiest ride of the bunch
Mitsubishi Outlander, both bikes fit well with wheels off, had tumble forward seats that the bike handlebars could rest against, had a cool low height tailgate that folded down and made a nice sitting platform. Paddle shifters and other nice standard features. Pretty nice handling. They were cutting pretty good deals on these.
Buick Rendezvous, most cargo room of the bunch, both bikes fit with the wheels on and the passenger seats tumbled forward. There is tons of storage space in a center console and between the bikes. Seats were the most comfortable (plush) of the three. Unfortunately this model is no longer in production it was replaced by the Enclave which has much less height in the cargo area. Can find many deals in the classifieds, stick with the 2006/2007 V6 models. Acceleration is still pretty sluggish.
Went with the Rendezvous, found a good deal on a low mileage CXL (leather seats, etc). Was very tempted to get a new Outlander that has a more modern interior and dash electronics and a much sportier look. Also really liked the fold down tail gate. I believe the RAV4 would have been a good deal too, just not as much room.
I would suggest that you go look for yourself and take your bike with you. There is very limited info on the dimensions of the cargo space listed in the mfr’s literature. You just have to go measure and/or try to fit your bike yourself. Most of the sales people are more than happy to let you test fit your bike. I brought a couple of drop cloths too.
Hope this helps some,
Mike
Chevy Silverado. Black leather interior with black carpet. No worries. Obviously not great gas mileage, but I really like to be in a big vehicle for the room and the safety.
And the greatest thing for those early swim mornings when it’s 20 outside is the remote start.
And the stinky clothes go in the rear of the truck after a workout.
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That thing has nothing on a Dodge Sprinter.
Except maybe females. : (
I can put my bike in the back of my 1999 Ford Taurus without taking the front wheel off.
If I take the front wheels off I can easily fit 2 bikes.
jaretj
How small a bike do you ride? I drive a 2000 Taurus and ride a 54 and there is no way I can get it in without taking the front wheel off. I usually just take off both wheels and put it in the trunk so I don’t have to worry about someone stealing it because the bike is worth about 3 times more than the car.
i have been looking too and tried rav4, nissan rogue and chevy equinox. rav4 and equinox can hold full bike laid down and still have a little room. got bike in rogue too but no margin for error and tighter in and out. the rav4 looks like it would hold 2 bikes front wheels off and seats lowered. equinox looks like it would be tight fit for the 2 bikes but might be possible, but i did not try this approach at dealership.
Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner/Mazda Tribute - with the back seat down you can lay one bike down intact without moving front wheel or you can stand two bikes upright with front wheel removed - could probably fit a third bike in. Be sure you don’t get one with a sun roof as the extra “head room” might be necessary for larger frames.
41mpg, drives like a sports car and has a huge trunk…VW Jetta diesel. Fold down one of the rear seats and my 54 fits in easily. Did I mention 41mpg?
+3 or however many on the Honda Fit
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one that runs, unless you are just trying to keep it dry or something…ha! sorry, had to!
How about 5 in an Element…or 7 road bikes with front wheel removed
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Best car for putting bike inside?
This is what you need: http://www.ursaminorvehicles.com/camper.htm
4 road bikes without removing the wheels and you can sleep inside of it! I wish I had known about these when I bought my Element.
dodge caravan here. i roll my bike across, behind the driver’s seat…don’t take off a wheel or move seats. i love it.
peggy
Ditto. Or I have an internal rack for 2, just have to remove the rear seat. Not too cool, but Awesome!
my toyota 4x4 works great!!!