Looks like we are going to stop borrowing/renting cars, and will be leasing a new one.
As the vehicle will be leased, roof racks & trunk racks are really a non-option.
Wondering what you all have luck with as far as fitting a bike inside. Mind you I said car.
The only SUV that has potential is a Jeep Patriot…beyond that, we are probably looking at a VW GTI, Honda Accord, Mazda 3, Hyundai Sonata, or something in a similar class.
I’ve never owned a 5dr, but I assume that is probably the best option…?
Most roof and trunk racks don’t leave marks if you are careful with the install. no matter how careful you are when putting stuff inside you will scratch and scuff the interior.
I have a Ford Edge and my cannondale Caad 10 fits easily in the back. you can automatically fold the seats down and there is plenty of room. Awesome and fun vehicle to drive as well.
Do not buy a Patriot. I bought one (2010) and sold it 10 months later… what a piece of garbage, everything on this car is horrible. The 4x4 simply doesn’t work, handling is terrible, you will NOWHERE get the advertised fuel mileage, and it is WAY underpowered, even with the 5spd manual transmission…
I switched to a '11 Toyota FJ Cruiser, can’t be happier!
We replaced ours with a Volvo V70R so we could haul more stuff without uninstalling child seats, but miss that damn little VW hatchback every day – insanely fun to drive.
GTI’s hatch is indeed spacious, but we also used a Thule roof rack on our lease, removed it 5 minutes before turning in the car, and had no issues.
I’ve got a Hyundai Elantra Touring. It’s a 5-door. Lay down the back seat, and the tri bike fits in comfortably. If you drive stick, I’ve been averaging 34 MPG in it. Can usually find them easily for lease. (I bought mine, simply because I’ll drive this sucker for a while.) Also, if you’re not picky on color, they tend to put incentives on the white. Dealer threw in free washes for life.
I would stay away from the Jeep Patriot. I rent about 50 cars/year (lots of business travel) and I’ve learned to avoid Jeeps.
For SUVs I really like the Hyundai SantaFe (which surprised me) and the Ford Edge.
VW have poor reliability numbers but if you’re leasing that should not make as much of a diff.
I have a Prius and a Chevy Trailblazer. The Prius replaced the trailblazer as my daily driver and since the trailblazer was paid for I kept to carry dog, bike wetsuits etc…
Last weekend I only had the Prius as I loaned the truck to a family member, but I had to get a ride in. I figured I would take a wheel off or something and it would fit in the back.
Well the bike fit with both wheels on and no moving the front seat. It fit almost as well as it does in my trailblazer.
By the way that is a 61 P2, and did I mention 45 mpg legit real world driving. I never thought I would buy a Prius, but it is a GREAT car so far.
I have a Land Rover LR4, had an LR3 immediately before, and both are amazing for holding bicycles. Throw down the second and third row seats and it’s like having a truck with an enclosed bed. The seats flatten into the ground. Here are a couple pics I found online of the LR3/LR4:
The second row seats in the LR3 picture can be folded down even further so the whole back area is one big flatbed. It’s cavernous. I can fit two road bikes back there without dealing with removing wheels or anything. Added benefit of the vehicle is that it’s basically the best, stock off road vehicle you can get. Locking front, center, and rear differentials. Gets me to lots of places others can’t go, which is especially useful for mountain biking, but also great for snow, mud, flooding, etc. Also plenty of room in the back storage bins for first aid kids, extra bicycle parts, etc. And the folded down rear tailgate makes an excellent place to relax after a hard ride.
Land Rover also makes a really slick swing-away bike carrier that hooks into the tow hitch and allows you to swing the bikes out of the way so you still get full trunk access. If you choose to carry your bikes outside the vehicle I mean. I don’t personally, I spent thousands on my bike and prefer that it’s not sitting outside the car where a would-be thief can just grab it.
Only downside is that I get probably 14mpg city/18mpg highway. But, honestly, we spend thousands on bikes, so a little extra money at the pump for the convenience this truck affords is totally worth it.
