New car time, thinking a big estate; mondeo, vectra, etc. It'd be good to find one that's sleep-able in at a push.

Which ones have fold flat seats, and how big do you need to get before you've got 6 foot to sleep in?

octavia/focus? or does it need to be mondeo/passat? Are those even 6' long in the back with the seats down?

cheers!

Ed

Ed(it) should probably be in the chat forum, but it's going to be estate mainly for the bikes!

New mondeo estate would be OK to sleep in – for two probably. I'm 6 foot and fold the seat base up and the seat back doen and my head and feet have a couple of inches space each.

Octavia didn't used to be a flat fold.

That said I bought the mondeo hatch and then slept in the passenger seat at SSUK.

I use an 04 plate Vectra estate for bike duties & it is over 6 feet long in the rear with the seat folded down.

Same as Snaps – loads of space

cheers igm,

I'm trying to convince the girlfriend that a big estate is a good compromise between expense, practicality and having the comfort of a van.

Not sure "we can sleep in the front seats" is going to help things along!

It's an uphill struggle as it is, she's got an emotional reaction against estates becasue "they're for old people" or something…

snaps and pennine. do they fold flat, or nearly flat?

Or flat enought that it doesn;t really matter?

Mine fold flat.

My Skoda Octavia rear seats fold totally flat.

Ed – Aldi double airbed should fit in the Mondeo boot ans they do those cigarette lighter pumps to blow it up.

"they're for old people"

Don't think so – the estate is probably the best looking of the Mondeos – ditto for the Insignia (which may not be that hard)

Apologies to Skoda – they used to have a step from the boot to the back of the seat – which the Mondeo hatch has but not the estate.

I have an '03 Passat estate, which I've slept in ok. I'm 5'10" but my mate who was with me at the time, who is about 6'1 or 2 only just fitted. If we hadn't had a 12 hour drive to Galloway, I doubt he'd have slept much.

Sleep quite a lot in the marea when surfing. For extra length I remove the seat squabs & leave them at home – 3 allen bolts takes the whole thing out.

I have the old style focus estate and the seats fold flat. I am ft 4 and can sleep diagonally in it or I just curl my legs up

My golf estate folds flat too

I also slept in it at ssuk09 too! 0/10 points for packing the tent 😉

Was quite scrunched up though!

Did see a couple of guys there who had their Passats estates reversed up to each other with a waterproof sheet thrown over both the rear doors, looked like a neat and simple camp site.

Vans – often lower speed limits (commercial classification), often higher insurance costs, just generally more of a PITA for day to day use (often noisier, less comfortable, fewer "mod cons").

I'm not against vans, I'm sure others will argue for them but they're just some points if you need to convince the GF (you poor whipped bugger 😉

My Pug 406 folds the seats flat and I can sleep easily (last time in a carpark snuggled up to my bike whilst waiting for a client). Almost any estate should be fine, maybe apart from a Mini Estate (or whatever the mini BMW is called).

Honda Accord is good to kip in. Not while I'm driving it though, natch.

seats fold back in a subaru legacy sport wagon, and I (just over 6ft) can lie down in the back of it no trouble with space for someone else next to me… you wouldn't fit much other stuff in there with you though – that'd have to go in the front. the 2.0 petrol does a similar economy to my mates vans… but is a hell of a lot better to drive and far more comfortable!

if you were just doing odd nights in it, I'd go for a estate car… if its several weekends away, i'd go with a van (something at a reasonable price like a merc vito, rather than an overpriced vw).

*EDIT* or get a tent 🙂

My Pug 406 folds the seats flat and I can sleep easily (last time in a carpark snuggled up to my bike whilst waiting for a client).

I'm sorry, I didnt think it was that kind of forum!

Somewhat smaller and not an estate, but my Honda Civic's rear seats fold flat. The seats themselves can also be folded and locked upwards allowing for a bike in the back seat compartment area standing upright.

Don't know about room for a 6'er kipping though.

Probably not the Type R though, which is only a 3 door.

Most estates will as long as you remember to tip the seat swab.
Looked at loads of estates over the last 6 months with the need for a 6'x4' load area with minimal wheel arch intrusions to fit the GF's harp in.

Settled for an '04 Mondeo estate, other runners were Vectra, Astra, Saab 9-3 (too pricey unfortunately), 850/V70, Passat (only just), Audi A6, Merc E-Class

Definitely not Laguna, Octavia, Saab 9-5 and Subarus suffered large rear arch intrusions and never ever the C5 as it is a horrible, horrible car.

On the cheap, would have settled for a Vauxhall Omega 2.5 diesel estate – BMW engine and bigger than a Volvo, could probably have slept in the boot without folding the seats down

VW Type 3 Variant is good, especially if the engine is still warm under the floor.

Old Citroen XM would nearly take a bed!

Astra estate, big enough for a six footer to kip in takes the bike no problem.

If you can cope with it being American,not handling,accelerating, with phase lag steering then the Chrysler Grand Voyager folds completely flat. Took 4 adults three road bikes and kit to France last year in comfort if nothing else

our 58 focus estate has fold flat seats, long enough to sleep in i'd have thought.

I've got an older (V/98) Mondeo estate, that has fold flat seats and is big enough to sleep in.
Newer ones are the same. Citroen C5 is apparently a good car for flat load area as well according to a mate who used to put a double mattress in his for sleeping duties!

Last 2 cars were a Vectra estate and an Accord Tourer.Both had fold flat seats ,little or no wheel arch intrusion and both were very easy to lay the seats down.Vectra had the biggest boot.

I've got a Nissan X-Trail as I thought the mondeo even though it's massive from the outside felt a little cramped on the inside. Plus I thought it was quite low to be slinging bikes in and out of it every week.

Piccy 1

Piccy 2

I beleive you can also buy a tent which attaches to the back of it (why?)

Where do you put your bikes and the rest of the biking crap when your sleeping in said estate/van? I have a mondeo estate but think its far easier just to take a tent to races etc

Sorry to dig this old chestnut up but…

can someone confirm whether a 2001 Octavia estate has a totally fold-flat load area? If someone has one, and has a tape measure, could you tell me the max load length of the flat area?

V70 FTW!

I'm with the Captain on this on, I have a V70 and it is refered to ad Hotel Volvo by some of the guys in the club, as they have slept in it from time to time at various races. Normally have an Alpkit Airic in it and that fits a treat.

saab 9-5 works too

I would like a V70 but the MPG will kill me I think – what do you guys get on average?

EDIT: Plus my budget doesn't stretch to the V70 diesel.

All cars are shit to sleep in, unless pissed/knackered.

Last time was a Xantia at the Le Mans 24hr bikes, it was very cold so I just left the engine running… for 6 hours, we were warm but the campers were 'unhappy' – probably due to the hole in the exhaust and it was a diesel.

Subaru Outback here.

Seats fold flat. I'm 6ft 1 and I could sleep in there in comfort on a thermarest.

I have no quarms about sleeping in a car – as long as it's flat and i can fit in (5'9"). Slept in a car for 5 weeks straight in Oz as well.

My Volvo is about 8 years old now, and is the 2.5TDi and I get late 30's to low 40's out of it, and it's an auto to, if that helps

Is it just me? But sleeping in the back of your car!!!!

FFS

You're all bleeding TRAMPS!!!!

What next "Which diesel engine is best for cooking roadkill on?"

+1 for Subaru.

Total tramp here, I HAVE cooked baked potatoes on the exhaust whilst driving.
Wrapped in foil, in a wire basket, takes about 3hours of open road. Heating pies is faster though.

LOL…..

Scum, utter scum…..

Do you have clean underpants every day / week / month?

The only reason to have a car with a totally flat rear seating arrangement is to have sex in when you're 18 and have nowhere else to go. And a MKIII Capri is the weapon of choice for that.