[Closed] Estate boot size

Not sure if it would feature for you, GC, but I bought a people carrier with the same motivation, and it's brilliant. Seats out and you can wheel the bike in (I just have to drop the saddle a touch on my large 29er), seats in and I can take my son and 5 of his mates to footie or wherever. Drives like a "normal" car, too

You do need to be careful which one you get though - I made an expensive mistake with the Galaxy I bought first...

I doubt I it. I've got an SMax which is based On a Mondy estate, and with the internal racks I can fit two bikes in the back upright removing the front wheeks and pushing the saddles down on the dropper, and then it's an only just sneezes in with an inch or two to spare. They are medium 29er full suss AM bikes. Maybe a couple of hardtails with seat stems removed might squeeze in. The back end of an SMax is a lot taller than an SMax even though you lose some space on the floor due to the fold away 6th and 7th seats.

Oh, as far as sleeping goes I could easily stretch out in the SMax, I'm 175cm / 5'9", so you should be able to in a Mondy estate.

In my Focus estate I can fit the bike in upside down with both wheels off. Don't think it would fit with rear wheel on though. The Mondeo's boot is bigger but not much if any taller. The good thing is both of them don't have a lip so its easy to slide things in and out.

Toyota avensis does what you want. Bike in with front wheel off and seat post out. Floor is flat and 1.9m long.

Merc E estate will fit bikes upright with front wheels off and saddles down. If you take both wheels off one will go in the boot with the seats up and load cover over if you need to leave a bike in the car overnight.
Lots of space for sleeping as well although a tent is probably more comfortable than a car.

Passats, certainly up to 2005, fit the description. With just one bike in, there's room enough to sleep alongside, too.

Pretty much any estate with a fold flat load bay and not a too sloping roofline will work.
New Passats don't iirc, Octavia does, Astra, focus, mondeo all work.
Hyundai i40 doesn't. Octavia needs an optional raiser to get a fold flat load bay.

Bear in mind it's trickier with a remote dropper, seat post normally needs to come out or its both wheels off.

C4 Grand Picasso ticks all them boxes. We were looking for the same in 2007. You can even drop the seats individually. Loads of room to get a bike in and sleep along side of it. Looked around again in 2011 and couldn't find enything to do the job better without buying a van so bought another. Did the same two weeks ago and again couldn't find anything as versitile. Bought a third and since the first have done over 200,000 trouble free miles. Also has 20,000 intervals between servicing. All been 2.0 ltr diesel automatics.

I will check later but I'm pretty sure I can't do that with my mondeo.

Peugeot 308SW does this - it's got a fairly high roof line.
Coincidentally, I want to sell mine 😉

I had a Mk.3 mondeo and it was a bit tight to put a bike in as you describe. Boots are generally good at hiding wear and tear but roof linings are not and it doesn't take much to make them tatty.

You also run into issues with the fork legs dragging back and forth over the lowered rear seats or slipping over the edge, having to drop the saddle, and bikes moving and the bars hitting the windows or just rattling against the glass.

A thick sheet and the bike laid in one above the other was easier and quicker.

Bikes in upright and sleeping space...you should get something like a Transit Connect!

Surely you have to get a T5 with your nickname?? #dubbers 😉

My bikes won't go in my mk3 like that but it'll depend on the bikes I'm sure. They just need a slight tilt to go in.

But it'll take 2 complete, big bikes without even the wheels out. It's not a very good idea, they're much easier to maneuvre with the front wheel out.

(I decided one time to see how many bikes the thing can hold with just the front wheels off. Ran out of bikes at 6.)

What spooky said ^^.
My bikes never fitted in upright without taking both wheels off and then you end up with the exposed chainring causing damage.

Best way I've found is just one bike in on it's left side front end in first, thick sheet over and next bike in on it's left, rear end in first. Depending on the bike you sometimes need to drop the front wheel out of the second one.

I've slept in the back of both my old Mondeo and my current Vectra (58 reg), it's got a completely flat boot and also no boot sill - look out for estates that have a big lip or sill round the boot cos it makes loading anything a total pain.

I can easily get 3 bikes in the back of a Mk 1 Focus, upside down, front wheel off all, back wheels off two and either back wheel or seat post off the other, depending on the size of the bike. With somebody sitting in the 1/3 split seat.

Yeah I did have a t5 transporter but that went along with the relationship. That's what a shared car household does sometimes *shrugs*

Ideally want to be able to have the bike in stood upright as Ziva has to fit in alongside it with the back seats down. Octavia estate is winning atm, surprised a newer passat won't fit them like this. The ford s max is a consideration but it's a ford haha

Double post

Berlingo.
The greatest car ever made.

Ok here you go. Sorry for the rubbish photos.

I managed it but it's very tight. If you have a bike with a tall front end it may not go unless you dump the air out of the fork. Also if you can't put the seat post all the way down like some dropper posts then you may struggle with that too.
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You have to put it in at an angle to as shown in the last picture.

For your info that's a large giant trance with 150mm 27.5forks and 30mm rise bars.

Use to get Kevins SX Trail in Grand Picasso with 180mm Forks and just the front wheel off. We can get three in along side each other with 160mm forks and still use the third seat or one bike and Fins dog cage. Its like a Tardis inside.

wow thats seriously tight, cheers for that. maybe back to drawing board of it not being easy or getting something in-between like the touran and smax

I had an smax previous to the Mondeo. Bikes would fit in that a piece of pee.

I'd take the bike with me and try it before you buy. We did that when we were first looking. Tried the SX Trail in a S Max at the Ford garage in Sheffield and it didn't fit. Salesman said we had the wrong type of bike for that car after he scatched his head for a bit. He was convinced that it would fit as the brochure showed a bike in the back of one

Accord won't do it, the roof is too low - BUT it will swallow a DH whole, both wheels on if you lay it on its side.

The 'trick' for keeping them upright is to tuck the forks behind the front seats - you may have to remove headrests to do it though and it will depend how much you like your car as to how much dirt you'll put up with.

One thing I'm sure of the boot in an Audi B7 / Seat Exeo estate it tiny, better shape than the boot in the saloon, but actually smaller. I gave up trying to carry bikes in there and got roof bars.

For an SMax you have to either drop your saddle on a dropper or remove the seat post. If you've n XL frame you might struggle. A galaxy might have a bit more headroom in the back than the SMax as the back end is a bit taller and boxier.

To be fair thought it is a useful feature due to security, I tend not to use it. Its a bit of a PITA, you inevitably get muck inside the car no matter how hard you try to avoid it, and whatever mud or muck is on your bike after your ride you get the pleasure of its aroma on the journey back. I'll use it for post work rides for security while the car is in the car park during the day, but after the ride it goes on the roof on the Thule 591. It is definitely nothing like 'chucking the bike in the back of a van'.

[i]I decided one time to see how many bikes the thing can hold with just the front wheels off. Ran out of bikes at 6[/i]

I got four bikes in the boot sideways and laid down with the rear seats up, all wheels off and stacked on top. I used releasable zip ties to hold the rear mech forward against the chainstay (which is quick and I do it whenever I put bikes in a bike bag too) but a couple I had to unbolt the mechs to save them from damage.

Add 4 adults and a roofbox, road trip 🙂

Will depend on the bike as much as the car. Have to wind my fork down to 90mm before I can squeeze it in mine.

my vauxhall signum seats fold flat,bike goes in complete on its side with the fork compressed to 120mm,..mines for sale if you want 😉

Anyone tried this with a Subaru Legacy or Outback ?
Neither economical , but if the primary criteria is capacity then maybe one of these would do?
Volvo V70 would get you a 6ft flat sleeping area , but roof line is too low for upright storage.
What about one of those god awful looking pretend people carrier Nissan Tino, Seat did one as well.
VW Sharon no good ?

the Sharan is very similar to the galaxy and not fantastic mpg which is also a criteria, I might have a look at a touran tomorrow. I think my list of requirements is impossible and Ill have to cave on something!

What about a Yeti? They look tall?

[img] [/img]

If looking at a sharan, what about the identical Alhambra?

Just about to get a grand Picasso. As mentioned above, plenty of room and with the seats forward the boot is almost as big as a sharan/Alhambra. Find people carriers tend to have deeper boots too rather than shallow offerings ie Passat.

Touran - you can get bikes in sans front wheel (we had for years).
Alternatively, you can have the cave on wheels that is the Galaxy - we can fit a bike without front wheel across the boot, with middle row of seats still up:
[img] [/img]

Yeti's are tiny inside though, I'd be surprised if you could fit a bike in as described (=given my old man rejected it for ferrying around a wolfhound which is still smaller than a bike.

Never tried it with the Leggy or Outback but IIRC it was doable in the Forester (this was some time ago with a DH HT and latterly a Norco Shore which is probably as big as big gets without being a Brooklyn).

What's the problem with removing saddles BTW? There seems to be a massive aversion to it as if it's the most difficult thing in the world 😕

Removing saddles can be a pain in the arse with dropper posts and cables.

Even in big estate cars ( I ve always had then as company cars, mostly to sleep in and carry windsurfing kit in years gone by) , leaving the back wheel in can give 'issues' with headlining damage.

I'm lucky to have the Superb ( company car for work ) and a T5, but am toying with buying a Caddy as a bit of a project to see how viable a bed / bike carrying set up could be in that.

Ah, I'll go back to 2005 then...

Take the back wheel off too and knock up something like a lower "Andy Stand" or fake small rear weel to keep the rear mech out of harms way.

Dropping the dropper post helps too.

I can fit by bike across the back of the rear seats with both wheels off (tied to head rests) and wheels propped up at the sides of the boot. Dog goes on rear seat though if anything with sharp bits is in the boot. A slacker 650b FS might need a wider car to do that though.

Pretty sure I got bikes into my Mk3 Mondeo upright with just the front wheel off, bit tricky when forks were over 150mm travel.
It was of an age/mileage where I wasn't too concerned about the interior.
5 bikes and 5 riders was common and easy enough.

Wouldn't have slept in mine, it was bloody filthy.

Mk1 Zafira can fit (at least) two in with both wheels still on. Plenty of room, and you can easily sleep in it.

As a car, they're dreadful, but hey ho.

T4? Caddy? Golf Plus? they are a bit higher than a normal Golf.

Yeah i was toying with a caddy actually but the mpg is pretty awful, I think if I've any hope of getting the bike in occasionally like I want then it'll be a touran. Cheers guys!

Someone on here mentioned their Touran felt like it was build down to a price the other day (think it was in the Tiguan thread). Might be just because it has more hard plastics so it can stand up to family life though so not a bad thing with a dog, bike etc going in.

Ford C-max and grand c-max are similar in size too and might be worth a look, especially for handling. No VW badge though.

Wanna have a word with my missus one woman to another? Trying to sell her on a Touran or similar but falling on deaf ears, I might [i]just[/i] get away with an S-Max if I play it right...

That was me speaking of it being less well built than the preceding car - A 1999 Passat. It just was not the massiely solid car I was expecting, post Passat and post a cheap to fix and didn't really go wrong Cordoba estate.

It was a pain in the arse, constant niggly repairs and high cost to fix.

Having said that, it is practical and it is efficient and it is comfy.

golflass - Do not get too het up on mpg. The cost of maintaining the Touran dwarfed driving a less efficient car. I would say the same for depreciation. I currently drive a Galaxy - that gets 35mpg if I am lucky on a long run, despite it being claimed to do 53mpg...

@maxtorque all the Yeti threads here describe them as reverse Tardis's ie big on the outside small on the inside.

OP as suggested earlier the people carriers with removable seats are probably the most flexible and they have the height t fit the bikes in easily. Toiran is a mini/modern version of the same. Depending on your budget you'd get a bike in upright in the older shape Rav4's as they had removable seats. Not sure they are long enough to sleep in though. You can get decent ones for £5-£10k

We've got a yeti as a security vehicle, I've used it a couple of times for work and it's not exactly that it's small, it's just that it's big like a wardrobe not like a shed. So it's fine for stacking things in etc but it's not the right shape for bike use imo

The best way to do it is put the bike in upside down, back wheel first, with seat lowered as far as it'll go.

The bike will stand up a lot better with the triangulation of the handlebars and saddle.

Depending on the bike, you may have to compress the forks to squeeze em in, but in so doing, when they extend to the roof, it'll further help secure the bike.

Saves all the hassle with chainrings and mechs that everyone has been mentioning.

Worked for me in all sorts of estates, with all sorts of bikes... unless you have a full downhill rig, you should be golden.

I used to manage a couple of bikes, upside down, front wheel off and seatpost out inside a Honda Civic. The "tip-forward" seats give you lots of depth.

I made a 'stand' for my bike so I can get it upright in the back of the car if needed.
But, my car is small (Ibiza) so I have to take both wheels off and the seatpost out. Part of the problem with my car is the fairly high boot lip that gets in the way as you slide the bike in.

I imagine most estates with both wheels off, you could keep the saddle in (just lower it) and slide the bike in.

I use wheel bags to stop things getting scratched up and from the tyres spreading mud everywhere.

Here's some pics. It was supposed to be a quick mock-up to see if it worked, but it must be about 6 years old now! Well, the FSR in the pics has been disassembled since 2010....

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Mondeo is the best choice for long, wide, flat boot and front wheel/saddle off, upright bike carraige. IMO, obvs.

We're on our 2nd. We bought the first for precisely the same reasons - space, bikes, sleeping in as an option. We regularly get the bikes in the back and that's how we do it. 120mm forks on a 29er no problem. 2 fit in on the small split, 3 or 4 on the large split (if 4, then a minute with the pedal spanner is worth it to save jiggling aggro)

When the 1st one died at 180,000 miles, we went to CarGiant and looked at all the big estates going, and bought another Mondeo. Lots are smaller and those that are comparable don't make use of the space as well as the Mondeo - floor that's not flat (octavia), sloping roof/tailgate (audis), narrow between the arches (passat, honda).

Looked at the SMax, but I think the load length with seats folded/out is shorter. Also, the tyres are expensive and some of the versatility comes from removing, rather than folding the seats. Drive to France with 3 and bikes in the Mondeo, you can un-pack, unfold the seats and take 5 on a trip to town. trickier in the Smacks.

Big comfy estate here (company car 5 diesel) however bikes are usually on 3 Thule 591 roof carriers. It is so much less faff, less mud inside. Economy suffers a bit I guess and security wise never leave unattended. Often loaded up with kids etc. If its just me I'll put road bike or track bike in back with seats down, on side, fully assembled. Rarely do that with a mtb due mess.

Nedrapier. How do you manage that then. Have you seen my pics on the first page.

I struggle to get my 27.5 in.

I was confused with yours to be honest! I think the top edge is lower than the main roof, so some angling is needed.

Just had another look at yours - turn the bars! You can have the bikes at a slight angle then if they're a bit tall. secure with a tie down strap to one of the luggage tie down points and the jesus handle.

You'll still have a trickier job than me - you've got higher rise bars, more travel and probably a bigger head tube too.

Looks like our company car scheme is going to be phased out as existing leases expire - will be on the lookout for a bike / kid / dog / kayak friendly estate / people carrier / van at some point in 2015...

Mondeo or SMax both on the possibles list

With my 2012 Passat, and HT 29er, or FS 26er, front wheel off and seat-post removed and upright. A rubber band from the rear-seat grab-handle around the stem keeps them nice and vertical.

Cheers, Rich

Peugeot partner tepee?

Here's mine with 4 fat bikes in, just the front wheels off!

[img] [/img]

2 bikes go in whole, at an angle no problem. I've had 3 fatbikes and 3 fat blokes in it at the same time - the 3 rear seats are individually removable, and that helps with the flexibility!

rkk01 - Member
Looks like our company car scheme is going to be phased out as existing leases expire - will be on the lookout for a bike / kid / dog / kayak friendly estate / people carrier / van at some point in 2015...

Mondeo or SMax both on the possibles list

Indeed, thankfully mine has 2 yrs left....