What do you drive to transport multiple bikes/gear?

Hi, friends,

I'm thinking of upgrading our 95 Tacoma to something more family-friendly since DD is 11 now and barely fits in the jumper seats anymore.

DH has said he'd like something that can transport at least three bikes (there being three of us), plus the related gear, maybe with a top on it.

It cannot be a minivan, though. Just not happening there. He's thinking a Tundra, but I've been looking and they average 16 - 18 mpg. If we were to actually go on a longer trip, I'd like to be able to afford the gas to get there.

So what do you drive? Any suggestions? It needs to be something with some headroom - he's 6'3" - and not too long in the legroom - I'm only 5'4" and I need to be able to drive it, too.

DH is a Toyota fan. I just want reliable and fuel-efficient. DD may inherit it when she's old enough to drive, too, unless she gets my Rav.

Thanks, all!
Roxy

If you want a truck, you might consider the Honda Ridgeline. A friend recently got one and loves it. The mileage is okay, for a truck (20/23).

My husband and I, being racers, often transport 3-4 bikes, 2-3 people and lots of gear in a....... car.....

Our current car is a 97 Saturn. We have a roof rack that holds 4 bikes, wheels and trainers go in the trunk. If we are going to a one day race we can take a passenger. If we are going to a stage race, we will have 4 bikes and too much gear for a passenger. Our mileage is usually in the upper 20's lower 30's if I am remembering properly.

Now of course getting a new Saturn is now a bit out of the question..... (and we figured quite a while ago that GM had ruined them anyway). If an asteroid came down and smashed our Saturn and we had to go out and get a new car tomorrow, we'd likely go for a Jetta TDI - maybe even the wagon since its not much more expensive and gets the same gas mileage, but I suppose that would really depend on how it felt to drive. I am not a fan of large cars.

We put 3 bikes on the trunk rack of our Toyota Camry, all our stuff in the trunk (and sometimes half the back seat).

The bikes just have to have a big enough top tube to use the trunk rack. My son's 40 CM Fuji Ace with 650 cc wheels is big enough.

I drive a SUV ( Mercury Mountaineer) and although many people may not like them, I need a vehicle such as this. Like many of you, I tend to be the person who transports everyone/everything. I have a hitch rack that carries 4 bikes, and in that instance I can carry 3-4 people and gear.(not including myself) I also have a pickup/delivery option for my shop, and in that instance I can carry 8 bikes... 4 outside on the rack and other 4 are inside mounted to a rack. I could add a roof rack as well, although I prefer the hitch racks over the roof... jusr a personal preference. On the highway, I'll get 22-23 MPG, in town I'll average 19-20MPG.:rolleyes:

Love my 2008 Toyota 4-Runner. Yes, it gets 16-18 mpg around town, but on the flat turnpike I get like 25-26. It might be more vehicle than you need. I also pull a one-horse trailer with it. I had a hard time coming to terms with the gas mileage but I traded in both my car (28 mpg) and my F250 pickup (11 mpg) for this do-it-all vehicle, so I justify it since it about evens out. During the season my bike spends most of it's time in the back of the 4-Runner, with one back seat down and room for a kid on the other side. I only take the bike out if I need the full back seat.

Probably if you needed to get 3 people and 3 bikes you would need to put 2 bikes in the back and one on a rack.

Honda Element. Bikes can go on top, on the back or INSIDE with one seat folded up (or taken out, like mine usually is). Kid will be well protected by side curtain air bags, it gets 22 mpg, and you can drive it and park it anywhere. Also, it's good for dogs, because it has no carpet (the SC model has carpet, but is also less rough-and-ready than the other models).

Karen

We looked at one on the lot, and sat in one. Not quite enough room in the passenger cabin for 6'10" boyfriend, but it was close. I heard of a 6'7" guy that has one and is happy with it.

Sounds like you are close to buying a pickup or an SUV. The boyfriend is happy with his 97F150 which he bought new.

I don't know about Toyotas, I never considered one because they seemed overpriced. Though the new FJ1 cruiser may change my mind.

Don't bother looking at Subarus, they won't fit your husband. If Subaru ever makes a bigger vehicle I will be first in line.

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Originally Posted by channlluv

It needs to be something with some headroom - he's 6'3" - and not too long in the legroom - I'm only 5'4" and I need to be able to drive it, too.

DH is a Toyota fan. I just want reliable and fuel-efficient. DD may inherit it when she's old enough to drive, too, unless she gets my Rav.

Thanks, all!
Roxy

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You might like the Mazda 5...it's kind of like a small minivan, but pretty spacious. And if the seat position is half as flexible as my Mazda 3, you would love it. I am your height and my hubby is about an inch shorter than your DH. We both fit well in my 3 (which I can't say for his older 626--I have to be eating the steering wheel to reach the shifter and clutch).

I think the Honda Element suggestion is good, too. I had my heart set on one of those at a car show a few years back...it was HUGE on the inside. But the gas mileage was a bit low for a small SUV.

My MIL has a newish Rav 4 that is really quite roomy and even with a V6 she gets good fuel economy...I think almost as good as much much smaller Mazda 3.

I have a Subaru Outback. It gets about 22-25 mpg and the newer ones are even better. When I take one bike (mine) I just leave the back seat down and it slides in without taking off the back wheel. We have even stacked 2 on top of each other with a piece of cardboard in between. With 3 bikes, you would need a rack of some sort. See if it's big enough for your BF. It's a great car that has not had any problems, and I bought it in 2004.

If I get a new car it will be a Jetta Sportwagen TDI. Put the bikes on the roof and it gets better highway mileage than the Prius- 50 mpg.

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Originally Posted by fatbottomedgurl

If I get a new car it will be a Jetta Sportwagen TDI. Put the bikes on the roof and it gets better highway mileage than the Prius- 50 mpg.

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What does it get without the bikes on the roof?

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Originally Posted by zoom-zoom

You might like the Mazda 5...it's kind of like a small minivan, but pretty spacious. And if the seat position is half as flexible as my Mazda 3, you would love it. I am your height and my hubby is about an inch shorter than your DH. We both fit well in my 3 (which I can't say for his older 626--I have to be eating the steering wheel to reach the shifter and clutch).

I think the Honda Element suggestion is good, too. I had my heart set on one of those at a car show a few years back...it was HUGE on the inside. But the gas mileage was a bit low for a small SUV.

My MIL has a newish Rav 4 that is really quite roomy and even with a V6 she gets good fuel economy...I think almost as good as much much smaller Mazda 3.

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Another one is the Kia Rondo(I did also look at the Mazda5), I'm fairly sure you could get three bikes , three people and their gear in it by stacking the bikes. I likes mine. (haven't had it long enough to comment on the reliability)
of course you'll be terminally uncool :)

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Originally Posted by Tuckervill

Honda Element. Bikes can go on top, on the back or INSIDE with one seat folded up (or taken out, like mine usually is). Kid will be well protected by side curtain air bags, it gets 22 mpg, and you can drive it and park it anywhere. Also, it's good for dogs, because it has no carpet (the SC model has carpet, but is also less rough-and-ready than the other models).

Karen

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++++++1!!!!

I LOVE my Element! DH and I usually leave the seats out of the back because it is mostly just the two of us. We can carry 4 bikes inside (if it is just us) or on the roof. Tons of room. Ours gets closer to 25 mpg (local driving, no bikes on top). Oh, and it will carry a 10 ft. Christmas tree completely inside. :D

BTW, has anyone noticed the new Element ad in Bicycling magazine? About the dog friendly one? Built in ramp, bed and non-spilling water dish. I can't wait to see what one looks like inside!

If you get a ute, there's a thread somewhere...(i'll have to find it...) that I posted pics of our bike holder thing that we made. It fits into the tray quite nicely.

Wow, this is tons to consider. Thanks, everyone! I like the Honda Element, too, although it's a bit boxy for my taste. The 4-Runner is a good choice for us, I think. His daily commute is only about five miles, if that. He'd ride more, but the road is treacherous for traffic in spite of the bike lanes, and now it's getting dark before he gets off.

Thanks, everyone! I'll keep you updated if we get a new bike carrier. <g>

Roxy

If anyone is looking for a great rack for the inside of a vehicle... SAris makes an awesome one!! You have options as far as how many bike or wheels mounts that you want , and there are also different options as to how you place bikes on the rack... which can also give you additional space. It's a great rack, especially for those of you that put your bike inside the vehicle;) It's fairly heavy, so stays in place well and can be ordered in different sizes to accomodate your vehicle.

If you go to my blog, you can see an "inside" rack I built for two bikes, which cost less than $100 to make. It can be modified and adapted to fit almost any situation. But it basically holds two bikes in the space of one. coolfiz.blogspot.com Look at the sidebar on the right.

By the way, my husband is 6'7" and if he had to drive the Element as his daily car, it would be too small (leg room). But he is comfortable for a few hours in either seat (the backseat is really roomy, and stacked like a stadium so you can see through the windshield, but he doesn't like sitting back there.) He drives an F150 supercrew cab.

Karen

I drive a Honda CRV. Gas mileage is decent. I can transport one bike in back with three people (one side of seat down) and limited gear . Two bikes in back with both seats down, and gear stuffed around- though you'd be surprised how much I can stuff around the bikes. We did just invest in a hitch and 3 bike rack. Just did a ten hour trip with tons of stuff and three passengers, three bikes, no problem. But for day to day, just one bike, I remove the rack and put it in the back.

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Originally Posted by channlluv

It cannot be a minivan, though. Just not happening there.

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Why? I always said the same thing - no way, no how, not happening. I've driven a Toyota Sienna now for 3+ years, and I LOVE it. And I should add, that we don't have any children. :D

We removed the middle seats from the van, and just use the rear bench seats. We can carry 3 or 4 bikes on the rear hitch rack, with all of our gear stored in the back (behind the bench seats), as well as in the giant "locker room". We typically carry our team tent, chairs, trainers, tools, pumps, gear bags, coolers, etc. and still have MORE than enough room in the van to change, stretch, move around, etc.

Over the life of the van, I've averaged 24.9 mpg, which is pretty reasonable, and higher than some of the other options presented here.

I LOVE this car. Wouldn't trade it now for anything, and I've been in your shoes.

SheFly

p.s.
We have carpooled with two other teammates, and managed us and all of their gear as well!

I have a Honda Pilot. I've put 4 bikes on my hitch rack, along with 2 big dogs inside, plus gear. It seats 5. But it also has the option of a 3rd seat, which I have. It can fit 2 kids or small adults.

Mileage is 20-21 mpg (in the summer and 17-18 in the winter with the studded tires).

we went round and round about this and ended up getting crew cab Ford 150 pick up.
we can transport 1 bike inside if we want (DH calls the car his mobile bike rack)
we can transport 1/2 dozen bikes easily in the pick up bed.

we were strongly considering an Element, but the gas mileage wasn't enough better to offset the huge difference in price.

Great idea for the rack Tuckerville! I too, have a rack that I made many years ago, although it doesn't have the flexibility of the Saris rack. The Saris rack offers different attachments points, so that you can have bikes mounted in front of each other, at angles, and consequently have more space for bikes. The other nice thing is that it can adapt to different size bikes very easily, as you know, even different handlebar widths can play havoc with storing bikes. If I were only transporting my bike(s), then I would probably stay with the rack that I made... as you mentioned it certainly is much less expensive. But if you are carrying mutilple sizes and bikes, then the SAris rack is a great option!:D

I have a BMW X3 (bought it used, my Dad was a BMW guy and trained me to be a German car snob) and I hate it. I have a Yakima roof rack on top and can put the hitch rack on the back to hold up to 5 bikes (if the 5th is the little bike for the 9 yr old). I also thought it would hold a mastiff. It doesn't.

When my son starts driving next year, I am going to get rid of the BMW and get him a used Toyota pickup. I like pickups for kids because he cannot carry around the entire neighborhood in it....and get myself the 4 runner.

BTW, I know a HOT guy that drives an Element. I can't get my head around the fact that it looks like a toaster. But he can fit the bikes for half the department in it, so none of us can jack with him.

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Originally Posted by kenyonchris

I like pickups for kids because he cannot carry around the entire neighborhood in it.

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Remind me to tell you the story of the first time I got drunk, where on the way to the movies there were seven of us in the cab of my friend's pickup (no back seats in those days), and it was so crowded that one person had to work the clutch, another worked the steering wheel, gas and brake, and a third operated the shift lever.

Or not. :eek::o The things we survived as kids...

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Originally Posted by zoom-zoom

My MIL has a newish Rav 4 that is really quite roomy and even with a V6 she gets good fuel economy...I think almost as good as much much smaller Mazda 3.

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I have a 2007 Rav4 and I can fit 3 bikes INSIDE with the front wheels removed, plus three people with the split 60-40 back seat. I love my Rav

We are also a Toyota family. In fact, we just traded in a 1987 Dodge Dakota (farm truck) for a 1996 Tacoma.

Our 'go to' car is our 2004 Toyota Matrix. With hitch rack, we can easily carry 4 bikes (for us, it's usually only 2) and with full fold-down seats, removable cargo carpet and a hatch glass that lifts up even with the bikes on the back, it works for everything. We actually opted to keep it over the Prius because the Matrix highway milage with bikes on the back was THE SAME as the Prius highway milage with bikes on the back! And the Matrix gave us much more internal room due to more head space. We can easily cart 2 70+ lb dogs, luggage, gear, two bikes and Christmas presents for 6 people from NC to FL in one comfortable trip. ;)

Oh, and milage averages about 30 mpg - bikes on the back or not. :D Ours now has 86K miles on it and it runs like brand spankin' new.

As soon as my Toyota Sienna blows the big one, I'm going for the Element. Mostly because I can't do the soccer mom look anymore. That being said, my Sienna has 150k on it without so much as a burp. It will haul anything. I have had 10 bikes in it with the seats out, and that includes the wheels. But it can't get out of it's own way, down a mine shaft, with a tailwind, in the snow.

I'm going for the FWD Element.

For years I used a Dodge Ram 1500, with fork mounts for the bikes in the bed. Coming back from the last century ride of the season, a little old church lady right-hooked me. Since Dodges don't do a quick-turn quite like my Orbea does, I eventually wound up swapping for a Ford F-150 crew cab. It's been nice for the bikes, has provisions for a hitch mount,and gets a whole lot better gas mileage (21 mpg) overall than the Dodge did. I still need to replace the bed-mounted tool box to really have my rolling bike shop fully functional again, but I've been really pleased with the F150.

Tom

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

Remind me to tell you the story of the first time I got drunk, where on the way to the movies there were seven of us in the cab of my friend's pickup (no back seats in those days), and it was so crowded that one person had to work the clutch, another worked the steering wheel, gas and brake, and a third operated the shift lever.

Or not. :eek::o The things we survived as kids...

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Yeah, I know. I am regularly out with a kid whose parents saw fit to buy him (he is 16) a white panel van with a bed and full boom boom stereo system in it (these are educated parents). He transports around half the city. He manages to be wherever trouble is. Not my kid. I don't believe any kid is an angel, so why give them opportunity to be labeled as the harborer of trouble.

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Originally Posted by ny biker

What does it get without the bikes on the roof?

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Good Question! Our Prius gets 53mpg on the freeway, without bikes. However, with the bikes on the back (low hitch carrier, the most fuel efficient way) it goes down to high 40s. Still good MPG, but the bikes do take a bite.

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Originally Posted by alleyoop

Good Question! Our Prius gets 53mpg on the freeway, without bikes. However, with the bikes on the back (low hitch carrier, the most fuel efficient way) it goes down to high 40s. Still good MPG, but the bikes do take a bite.

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Yes, I find that with my Prius, even under "bad" conditions I still get higher gas mileage than other vehicles and it does everything I need it to do. I can easily fit 2 bikes inside, and have hauled lots of other stuff in it too. I didn't suggest it here because I didn't think it would work in the OP's case.

I had to drive a Matix for a few weeks over the summer and it killed me to have to fill the tank so much more often than my car. I also preferred the way my car drives (quieter, etc.).

Just a suggestion: I measured my bike in all different directions. Then I went to the car show. I live in Pasadena, so I went to the big one in Los Angeles. It was quite the site, a woman with a measuring tape climbing in and out of station wagons, SUV's and sedans. Yes I even climbed in a few trunks. I also had the specs and measurements of car racks, both roof racks and sedan racks. I looked at the most expensive to the least expensive. Because it is a car show, you don't have the sales person following you around. And you can pull the phamplets and get other vital information without much contact frome the dealers.

My favorites: FJ Cruiser, 4 Runner, the Element.

In the end I bought a Lexus GX mid size SUV, it fits 2 bikes in the back, has a barn door. I never have to take a tire off my bike just slides right in, I only have to fold up one seat.

Good Luck

You could take the bike and assorted parphenlia along with you to the car dealership. it does help weed out the less-helpful sales staff;)

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Originally Posted by Fredwina

You could take the bike and assorted parphenlia along with you to the car dealership. it does help weed out the less-helpful sales staff;)

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I brought my bike with me to the car dealer but by looking at the car I could tell that it would fit without having to try it. I know a guy who always brings his golf clubs when he buys a car so he can make sure there's plenty of room in the trunk for them.

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Originally Posted by ny biker

I brought my bike with me to the car dealer but by looking at the car I could tell that it would fit without having to try it. I know a guy who always brings his golf clubs when he buys a car so he can make sure there's plenty of room in the trunk for them.

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We did this too. Test drove the van, then told the salesman that we needed to come back with our tandem to make sure it would go inside, and that it was a deal breaker if it wouldn't! We can get two tandems inside, as it turns out.

SheFly

I did the shopping for my BF's PT Cruiser - he lives in another state, and our local dealer had an amazing price. So, I take his bike and mine to the dealership and make the poor salesman remove the backseats, leave them on the curb while I put the bikes in and took a bunch of pictures.

That guy earned his commission that day. :D

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Originally Posted by alleyoop

Good Question! Our Prius gets 53mpg on the freeway, without bikes. However, with the bikes on the back (low hitch carrier, the most fuel efficient way) it goes down to high 40s. Still good MPG, but the bikes do take a bite.

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Wow, you must have one hell of a Prius! ;) Those MPG's are impressive!

My husband and I drove our two cars (2005 Prius and 2004 Matrix) across the country together. We started with the bikes on the Prius but found that our gas mileage was barely above 33 mpg on the highway. The Matrix was getting the same mileage! We switched the bikes to the Matrix to cross the mountains past Denver because the Prius battery drain was soooo intense that we feared we'd get stuck before getting over the big mountains. When we put the bikes on the Matrix - it continued to get 33 mpg on the highway while the Prius shot up to it's normal 48-49 mpg. We never averaged better than 50 - but then again, it was the middle of winter at the time.

Gas mileage aside, my biggest little complaint about the Prius was that the sloping back window wouldn't allow us to fit both dogs in the far back without putting the seat down. On the Matrix, we can do that (more head room). Other that that, we really liked the Prius and mostly sold it because it was fetching such freakishly high prices in the fall of 2008. :D

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Originally Posted by GLC1968

We are also a Toyota family. In fact, we just traded in a 1987 Dodge Dakota (farm truck) for a 1996 Tacoma.

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We just bought a 96 Tacoma too. First generation Tacomas are very expensive around here, even ones with 150k on them! Ours has 130k on it, 4wd, V6, 5 sp, xcab. We paid $6700. Seems steep for a 13 yo truck, but newer ones were $10k+.

It doesn't seem to be in too bad a shape. It has a topper on it. We have not yet been inclined to put a roof rack on the topper, we are thinking of setting up a fork-mount situation in the bed. Maybe some fork mount attachments on a 2x6 plank or plywood.

A good place for car comparions (as far as real-world repair and MPG data) is www.truedelta.com