Right, want to have a bike/surf car.
Ideally a VW tranny but it is not great on fuel.

I’m thinking VW Passat estate or Audi A4 estate.

Tax, insurance groups, mpg and practicality. 6 speed any good? New engines better or not much in it?

Can you sleep in it with seats flat – I’m 6’4?

Discuss and help me out lovely peeps.

I’ll start with an outsider – transit connect lwb. Swallows bikes. Sleeps 6″s no prob. Bulkhead folds and Passenger seat folds flat for 7″ loads. Can’t stand upright in back though. 46 mpg ave so far for me. Lower a road speed limits. Known faults by 100 k are cheapish (alternator loom, intercoler hoses, central locking actuentators). Based ona focus. Fun to drive. Ok in the snow. Lots around. 90 ps for movement and lx for basics like abs.

A4 really small, A6 might be sleepable in though. Would be worthwhile thinking Kangoo etc for flexibility. Otherwise Vectra/Mondeo are huge and cheap too.

If you want the ‘best’ vehicle for those activities alone I’d say you want a van of some kind. When I was windsurfing quite a lot I used an old van that I could just about stand up in the back of – brilliant for getting changed, cooking up soup etc.
But back then fuel cost was not so important and I’m guessing you want one vehicle for everything though.

I’m thinking VW Passat estate

That’s what I’ve got. This summer we went to France and I had windsurfing and surfing gear on top and a tow-bar mounted bike rack on the back, no problem at all.

Edit: rather than sleeping in the car, get one of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00322QRQE/ref=asc_df_B00322QRQE5085794?smid=A3ELFFJYTPO92M&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22218&creativeASIN=B00322QRQE

Honda Accord Estate

Transpotrers are ace, camping gear, bikes, garden rubbish, days out, they do everything. They are generally reliable and reasonably good on fuel too.
Had a Golf estate before my T4 and wouldn’t go back any time soon. There are loads of people doing conversions to cover most budgets nowadays too. Insurance can be tricky if you have a few mods like mine and it’s for private use but not insurmountable.
http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk should be a help.

i use a mondeo (mk2) for bike/surf/camping. Its a bit long in the tooth, however

biking : can (just) get 5 big bikes in the back with all seats up, with wheels/pedals off. 4 is easy, the mk3 mondeo (2000-2007ish) is a bit bigger/easier

surfing : a 6’6 goes in the back easily. 7’3 can go in just intruding into the passenger armspace a little, a 10′ board will fit, but touch the windscreen so a bit antisocial/difficult. that’s with the wider of the rear seats folded

camping : rear seats fold to form a completely flat load bed. you can camp with a bike and 2 boards, all in the car. the load space is about 6’6 long, could be longer if you slid the front seats forwards.

I’d imagine a passat is similar, but I don’t know them very well.

how about an MPV? the extra height would be very welcome when it comes to loading bikes/camping in it?

Redted – what seat is your little fella sitting in? I need something like that for my 9 month-old.

Both great bike luggers! The A4 is much more economical getting mid 30’s on biking trips if careful (not bad for 2.0L turbo petrol!) T5 is low 30’s but mils better for getting changed in etc.

I think the 6 speed ‘box in the Audi helps – only got 5 speed in the T5 and the previous owner had it chipped

Troutwrestler, can’t remember the brand but we got it from Argos. They are really handy for taking to friends, or restaurants (especially if they dont have high chairs) They strap to a normal dining chair really securely and also have a tray attachment.

i get 37-39mpg in my t5. worst thing for the fuel economy is wider wheels. stick to the steels and you’ll be reet.

incidentally – an a4 is quite a bit smaller in the back than a mondeo. I’m not sure on the passat (I think its about the same size)

edit : the mondeo is 100l bigger than the passat, but 300 bigger than the a4 (seats down)

The A4 does look tidy. The estate would be good as I can put a longboard or a couple of longers in when I want to leave it in town after a surf trip and not worry. If I have a car full, The boards will go on the roof no probs.

Is tinted windows a no no for carrying bikes? Do they get scratched up and knocked?

I really think an estate is good economic sense as its a fair few miles to some bike/surf spots and I figured that a sweet van is like having a 6’6 door bolted to the top of a car and the faster you go the worse it gets…

6 and 7 speed wagons…..are they any good on motorways or just funny gear ratios? The estate would come better finished inside unlike a transporter and a bit quieter.

Really like the light weight solo tent…

Had similar requirements and this is what we went for. It’s is our holiday home and my daily drive. Not as bad on juice as you’d think, never misses a beat and is fantastically practical and fun. Had a couple of Golfs before this and wouldn’t go back.

Our other car is a Skoda Octavia Scout estate which is also great. Massive boot, fun to drive and 4×4 too.

Abereiddy?

Yep. Well spotted. After surf round the point at Traeth Llyfn.

If it’s a ‘normal’ car most of the time and only for bike duties on special ocasions (sp?) how about a diesel Golf/Focus/147 and a smallish caravan? All the benefits of a small car most of the time and the space and comfort when you need it.

Mondeo needs considered… Ubiquitous but for good reason, they are ridiculously vast. And with the big diesel in they’re fast and economic. Still boring though.

A4 is disappointingly small in the back, as are a surprising number of estates.

Mazda Bongo? Don’t really know a lot about them but they seem designed for what you describe, other than slightly high running costs. Much cheaper to buy than a VW.

The A4 does look tidy. The estate would be good as I can put a longboard or a couple of longers in when I want to leave it in town after a surf trip and not worry

I’ve never tried, but I’m pretty sure my 9’6″ wouldn’t fit in my A4. Nice motor though. My 1.9 TD does about 55mpg. Not that roomy for a big car though.

How about a smaller van? I had an escort van for years and loved it. Big enough to sleep in (just, at 6’6″) and fit longboards in (folding the passenger seat down), small enough to be able to park normally and decent fuel consumption. Vauxhall Astra Max van?

yeah I don’t think anything over 9′ would get in a a4. my mondeo will *just* fit a 10′ board (touching windscreen and boot) – and I suspect an a4 is a good foot shorter. I’d also imagine you can’t sleep comfortably in one. If you want VAG group car, you need to look at the superb/passat/a6 for this much space (an octavia isn’t massively long either)

6 speed gearboxes don’t make a huge difference to fuel consumption as its mostly more ratios squished together. might make 1-2mpg difference but I wouldn’t buy a car specifically for this. having boards on the roof takes 5-10mpg off on the motorway in my experiance so if you want something economical, get something you can fit the boards in rather than something with a specific number of gears

on the astramax idea – vw caddy? although again I don’t think they’re big enough for sleeping/boards

The Golf Estate is worth considering, it’s got a bigger boot than an A4 and a 3 Series. I can fit Family camping kit inside with the bikes on the roof.

Economy wise I get on average 56 MPG from a 2ltr TDI.

Caddy Maxi would solve the Caddy/space problem, and I’m sure I’ve seen ones with a second row of seats (don’t know if factory-fitted)
When they are old enough for my budget that’s where I’ll be going.