Best cars for chucking a bike in?

[rivers]

I can fit either of my bikes in my Kia Picanto. Pretty economical and costs £30 VED. I do have to take the front wheel off though.

 

[Dogtrousers]

In the end, a determined cyclist will find a way of fitting almost any bike safely inside almost any car, which is still infinitely preferable to having it on the outside of the car displayed like a trophy for everyone to see, getting wet, salty in winter and possibly damaged or stolen.

I rarely move my bike by car, but my view is the complete opposite of this. It would be boring if we all agreed. In my experience/my car the bike inside the car needs to have at least one wheel off and seats down. It also, in my experience, uses much of the available luggage space in a very messy, awkward way. Whereas putting it on the roof is pretty hassle free, IMO. I find it's quicker to put the rack on the roof and the bike on the rack than it is to take the bike to bits and put the seats down, and spread out protective stuff to keep muck off the interior, and then do luggage tetris to try to put anything else required into the car.

I'm not afraid of my bike getting wet. I ride it in all weathers. I don't leave it on the roof once I've arrived.

 

[Proto]

Ok for a week hire, wouldn't want to own one though, I like to drive a car not a van with windows, and I like good acceleration from an economical petrol engine. The smell of diesel makes me nauseous

If that floats your boat, go for it

French vehicles aren't for me again either

The old Berlingo was van based but the newer Berlingo/Partner is based on the Citroen C4/Peugeot 308, and drives like a car. Slightly longer than the old model too.

 

[RMurphy195]

We have a Rapid Spaceback, 1.6tdi (2014). The basic one, so basic 15" wheels/tyres(not rubber bands).

£30 VED, 50+mpg normal mixed mileage around Brum (when my wife does most of the driving, I've managed 60 - 65 around town with a very light foot!), up to 65 on a run (that's the corrected mpg, not the display). More if you make the effort.

Best thing to do is measure the ength of the bike fron the front for tips to the end of the tip of the rear mudguard, add a couple of inches and take a tape measure when you look in the showrooms!

I can get my tourer in the back easily lying down, with both front seats where they need to be (obviously front wheel removed), but I haven't tried tying it upright along one side yet like I used to do with the Golf IV or the Astra estate. (With these I managed trips to France with 2 passengers, luggage, and bike strapped upside-down on one side with just one half of the rear seat down, both wheels removed).

Tailgate is almost the full width of the car, so you get plenty of room to manouvre.

Just wish I had one of these when I commuted 300 miles/week up the M5, M6 and M54 - but then these cars didn't exist then.!

The Rapids aren't very trendy so some bargains to be had, especially used in the car supermarkets but even at the main dealers.

Check the engine outputs carefully - some manufacturers are going for smaller engines that apear to have the same bhp but the pulling power is poor, as my neighbour has found with his Focus which is a dog when it comes to hills! And if you are thinking of towing, look very carefully at the towing limits, some versions of the same car are not approved for this at all, so you can't fit a towbar even if its only to support a bike rack.

 

[Fab Foodie]

If buying new....Dacia Logan ... cheap as chips to buy, economic to run. I have the 1.5DCi and regularly get 60mpg and more on Motorways and better on A-roads. It's surprisingly large, large, tried and tested Renault bits and used as workhorses from Egypt to Russia means they're reliable and durable
Done 400 miles at 1 go in it without comfort issues.

http://www.dacia.co.uk/vehicles/log...gan-MCV-Main&gclid=CKy5wpjVudACFY8W0wodL-ULDg

 

[Andrew_P]

 

[mjr]

This thread might as well be called "what car do you drive?"

Not really. I drive an Alfa Romeo Mito and while I have managed to get bikes in it, it's a faff with front wheel out, passenger seat forwards and bike at funny angle to clear hatch lip. The Dutch bike is longer, so not an option. So not the best car.

 

[mjr]

Done 400 miles at 1 go in it without comfort issues.

Not taking proper driving breaks is not good.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Not taking proper driving breaks is not good.

.... 30 min doze in the Chunnel.

 

[Drago]

.... 30 min doze in the Chunnel.

While he was driving the train!

 

[DRM]

Ford Galaxy, fold down one, two, or all three of the 1st & 2nd row seats you will get from one bike easily, with room for 5 passengers, to having room like a van to get a fair few bikes in, good economy too,as for french built vans (from PSA group), just don't, do a google search on what goes wrong with them, then congratulate yourself on dodging a money pit, built down to a price, not up to a standard, if you want a reliable van, get a Toyota Hiace, they run forever

 

[Dogtrousers]

This thread might as well be called "what car do you drive?".

OK. Seeing as lots of people are saying "I drive X and it's great", I'll buck the trend.

I drive a Mercedes A class, 2007 model. It's great for carrying various kinds of stuff inside, but not bikes.

Both wheels have to come off, and the seats need to be folded down. This leaves the mudguards vulnerable to having the stays bent, with the result that when you do reassemble the bike at your destination you end up with inevitable rubbing mudguards. Wheels off also exposes the chainwheel and slackens the chain, with inevitable muck-spreading consequences. I seem tp remember also once having to slacken off the seatpost bolt and shove the saddle down as it was getting in the way.

 

[steven1988]

I have a 2012 ford focus estate. I can quite happily fold the seats down and chuck the bike in the back. I think with the wheels off I could fit it in the boot and pull the load cover across.

Another upside I have the 1.6 TDCI which is 20 quid a year to tax.

 

[KneesUp]

I have a 2012 ford focus estate. I can quite happily fold the seats down and chuck the bike in the back. I think with the wheels off I could fit it in the boot and pull the load cover across.

Another upside I have the 1.6 TDCI which is 20 quid a year to tax.

VED rates are crazy. My 1.8 petrol is £185 a year, and yet it emits far less that it damaging to human health. It's almost like are elected representatives are a mixture of incompetent, disinterested and in thrall to various interest groups.

 

[mustang1]

I disagree. We regularly slip two bikes fully assembled into the back of my Passat estate, the top one lying on a blanket and we've had 2 adults + 2 kids and 4 bikes in the car. If I try I can get well over 60 mpg. The Passat estate is rightfully popular as it's a spacious, comfortable and long-legged mile-eater.

Non-commercial derivatives of commercial vans have horribly stiff suspension, which isn't great if you suffer back pain.

What he said.