• This topic has 96 replies, 58 voices, and was last updated 9 years ago by momo.
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  • New estate car for biking
  • rugbydick
    Full Member

    So, I’m looking at getting rid of my VW Transporter and replacing it with an estate…

    Current (not so-) short list is:
    – Merc C-Class
    – BMW 5 series
    – Skoda Octavia (or a Superb)
    – Audi A4

    Ideally, I want to be able to keep the bike inside the car (so I can hit the trails straight from work) on some form of front wheel off mount.
    It’s usually just me on my own, possibly plus one and their bike.

    Anyone got any real world experience of any of those cars as MTB-mobiles? Price bracket is sub £20k, so whatever spec / age I can get for that money.

    FunkyDunc
    Free Member

    Do you like driving or is it something to just get you from A-B ?

    rugbydick
    Full Member

    A bit of both really, but the driving “thrill” is one of the reasons for ditching the van.

    slackalice
    Free Member

    You’d get a nice Subaru Legacy/Outlook for that. Forester too.

    E-class Merc’s are huge and lovely.

    wrightyson
    Free Member

    B I law has 250 c class. Boot ain’t that big at all.

    iainc
    Full Member

    Of that list, the merc and the Audi are tiny in the boot, the Skoda is a good size and the 5 bigger again.

    I have a company car, had a 3 tourer for 3 yrs and a 5 tourer for last 10 months. The 5 is pretty much the perfect car for family and bikes…….however if it was my money I’d have a Skoda/hyundai/Kia

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    Apart from the 5, those are mid sized. I’d go bigger for ease of bike transport. E Class, A6, V70 or a spanking Mondeo. Or, as above, the Legacy is another to look at.

    wobbliscott
    Free Member

    I’m loving the jag XF sportbrake at the moment. Far more style than anything German. Mates got one, it’s lovely.

    ninfan
    Free Member

    Just test driven and ordered one – drives a lot better than the van derivatives e.g. Berlingo, but much more ‘bike practical’ than a normal estate

    http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/skoda-roomster-1

    alexonabike
    Full Member

    I picked up a 2001 525i for peanuts and its quite frankly excellent for everything i used a van for as well as being a nice place to be. win.

    mst
    Free Member

    I’ve got a 2010 5 series. Not had the bike in it yet though so can’t comment on how it’ll fit a bike in. It’s bigger than my Passat was, so I’m assuming it’ll go on it’s side with the front wheel off and the back seats down.

    nickdavies
    Full Member

    I wanted the Octavia next, had a good look but it’s got a boot lip.
    For me an estate has to have a completely flat load area, no boot lip and enough room to swallow 3 bikes, people and kit.

    I’ve got a Focus estate currently and it’s great if a smidge tight 3 up, Mondeo would do all that, both for sub 20k. I’m leaning towards the new Leon estate next, 180bhp diesel with all the toys, no load lip and flat boot floor.

    You’d be amazed how few estates can actually do flat load area and no boot lip – my favourite was the Hyundai i40 which I would have had but they ditched the flat load area for the ability to recline the rear seats by 15 degrees. I mean how many people have that on their hit list when shopping for an estate?!

    iainc
    Full Member

    I have 3 thule 591’s on my 5 but the track bike goes in the back a few times a week with seats down, no wheels off and shelf not even retracted. Fully flat and no lip

    jamj1974
    Full Member

    I would rule out the a relatively modern A4 – I’ve got the current A6, which can just about get 3 FS bikes (wheels off) and 3 people in plus luggage. Two bikes with front wheels off is a doddle though.

    BlindMelon
    Free Member

    Will any estates take a bike without putting any seats down?

    Harry_the_Spider
    Full Member

    My S Max swallows bikes whole and drives like a car.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Some people get antsy when I slag off VAG estates for their stupid boot lips. But it’s true, it’s a horrible piece of design and to me makes most of the difference between a good and bad estate. It just says “We can’t be bothered doing this right”.

    iainc
    Full Member

    BlindMelon – Member
    Will any estates take a bike without putting any seats down?

    iainc – Member
    I have 3 thule 591’s on my 5 but the track bike goes in the back a few times a week with seats down, no wheels off and shelf not even retracted. Fully flat and no lip

    Yes 🙂

    Kryton57
    Full Member

    I’m leaning towards the new Leon estate next, 180bhp diesel with all the toys, no load lip and flat boot floor.

    According to the telly advert, it’s able to stand 3 mtbs in the back. I’d like to see if that’s for real.

    gee
    Free Member

    S6 avant.

    You’ll get a lovely one for about £13-15k, V10 engine, 4WD, not that expensive to maintain.

    Win.

    GB

    ninfan
    Free Member

    Just looked at that ad:

    [video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-6KgMTdnow[/video]

    15 seconds in – its 2 bikes, but you can see the front wheel, appears to be in a holder makes it look like three bikes

    JohnClimber
    Free Member

    Not really an estate car but what about the all new Citroen Grand C4 Picasso.

    BlindMelon
    Free Member

    The new Leon looks good

    Kryton57
    Full Member

    It gets rave reviews too. Pity I can’t afford one they’re on offer at the moment – free led’s, in dash sat nav and a few other bits.

    BlindMelon
    Free Member

    Yeah I’m due a new comp car in June and I only just spotted it at the w/e the 180 bhp one would be around the allowance

    jamj1974
    Full Member

    Northwind – Member
    Some people get antsy when I slag off VAG estates for their stupid boot lips. But it’s true, it’s a horrible piece of design and to me makes most of the difference between a good and bad estate. It just says “We can’t be bothered doing this right”.

    Boot lips in estates are not helpful. However my VAG estate doesn’t have one!

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Yah, fair point, my rant was A4 and Octavia focussed.

    superfli
    Free Member

    Not estate, and not a particularly big car, but the civics rear seats fold up from the base and against the upright, allowing you to sit a bike in the footwell easily. Remove front wheel only.
    Great design.

    jamj1974
    Full Member

    Used to love taking my bike in my mates Civic for Superfi’s reason. Ace design!

    AlasdairMc
    Full Member

    It’s not strictly an estate, but I had a Merc B Class until a few months ago and it was great for bikes. Two with front wheel off was easy, but it would also fit a road bike upside down with wheels off and the seats up.

    Not the most exciting drive – the B180 was 108bhp so definitely get one of the more powerful ones.

    jamj1974
    Full Member

    Northwind – Member
    Yah, fair point, my rant was A4 and Octavia focussed.

    Don’t worry – it’s got an impractically low roofline which more than makes up for the lack of boot lip. It’s great for what we want – big boot for luggage and kids stuff. Not terrifically good as a bike car.

    Defender
    Free Member

    [/quote]Not estate, and not a particularly big car, but the civics rear seats fold up from the base and against the upright, allowing you to sit a bike in the footwell easily. Remove front wheel only.
    Great design.

    The Jazz has the same ‘magic seat’ arrangment which works really well.
    There is a Civic Tourer due out, with the rear seats down it has over 1900 litres.
    I’ve had an invitation from Honda for the launch on 14th/15th February, I will be taking a look at that.

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    OP I have an A6 Avant Quattro, 7 years and 120k miles great car. Will take a bike with front wheel off but laid on its side. It’s one of those estates that’s not that roomy as a load carrier but very spacious for 4 adults. For one (or two) bikes the A4 boot isn’t that much smaller and the overall car is easier to manage in multi story car parks etc. In reality a Golf will do the same.

    @Northwind – no boot lip on an A6 nor from memory an A4 (yes for A3 or some Golf models)

    peterfastlane
    Free Member

    Got a 2006 520d tourer(estate). Fits a single bike with seats down , wheels in lying flat. Or two on the roof, or three on the tow bar rack. 130,000 miles 40mpg, grey cloth seats mark easily though if you get them wet. Just use it like a van and don’t worry about it. Bought a 2011 520d sport tourer to replace this, which is a much better car, but can’t bear to put my mtb in it, so kept the old 520 as well.

    rugbydick
    Full Member

    Thanks everyone. Think the 5 series is topping the list right now.

    shifter
    Free Member

    rugbydick – Member

    Ideally, I want to be able to keep the bike inside the car on some form of front wheel off mount.

    It’s a ball ache doing this in my Astra estate. It’ll fit, just with the false floor folded back, but it’d be a fight with two and there’d be no space for a fancy “mount”.

    We could do with a “show us your bike in your boot (pic heavy)(bikes in boots content)” pic thread 😉

    tonyg2003
    Full Member

    I have a e class estate and it’s massive for boot space seats up or down. Seats down I can put my 29er FS in (wheels on) with the seat down or in the boot (wheels off) under the boot cover.

    dh
    Free Member

    op – i’m looking for the same as you soon – is there a reason the mondeo isn’t on your list?

    some good deals 1yr old with all the toys <20k. Estate car of the year 2013 according to what car, and surely cheap(ish?) parts etc.

    DezB
    Free Member

    Cos the Mondeo looks a bit boring? I’ve got one and don’t care how it looks, but the boot is massive – bigger than all the others he lists (don’t know about the Merc) becaase the wheel arches don’t intrude into the boot space. So easy to lob a bike in.
    Nicer to drive than the Skoda (and an Avensis, if that was on the list).
    I’d consider a Passat over the OP’s shortlist.

    dh
    Free Member

    yeah mondeo does look boring, passat i dont think is quite such good value. although there is a new mondeo out next year, so maybe prices will fall on the current model.

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