Looking to rent something for a race and I can get a good deal on a Jeep Liberty. Can I fit my wife, son, luggage and one bike case in it? I assume there is a split folding rear seat. Any Lberty drivers out there?
Not a Liberty driver, but am familiar with them. I think it will depend on how big your bike case is. I don’t think the bike case I use (Thule, I think…I borrow it) would work. The Liberty is not very long, you might have a hard time getting the case in with only half of the rear seat folded down.
We have a Grand Cherokee. I have two bike cases–one hard (similiar size to the Trico) and one soft (the pika). If I have the hardcase, I need to fold down both sides of the back seat… then with two people + luggage (two other bags), its full. If I have the Pika soft case, we could get away with just one side of the back seat down. So room for 3 with that setup.
So, depending on your bike case + total luggage, you might be able to pull it off… or you might need something bigger. Mini Vans are cheap sometimes {but not as fun!}.
I have a liberty and like the others said you will have a hard time keeping the rear seat usable with a bike case inside. You may be able to strap the bike case to the roof which would free up some space and make the whole thing work for you. Get some good tie down straps, you will only have the side rails to attach to so it might be a little tricky.