Quote Originally Posted by mudmucker View Post
I have a Yakima roof rack on my subaru outback. Ten years and 230,000 miles ago when I first got the car I could put a heavy mt bike or my steel bike just fine, and then I would just step up into the car with the door open for added assistance after the bike was in the tray.
I have an outback and this is what I do too (step into the car door). I'm 5'6", and this works out pretty well for me -- I could lift a bit higher if I had to. I think I could do the same thing with a mid-size SUV, as the bodies are not necessarily much higher than a car, they just have more ground clearance, so you'd be stepping up higher but not necessarily lifting a lot higher. With a very tall-bodied, big SUV (Range Roverish profile), it might be an issue for me.