Being a bit of a petrolhead always wondered what ultimate car I might go for if I had a really big commission year. Criteria:
1) Need to get 2 bikes in the boot (with wheels off) – i.e not in the passenger compartment
2) Just enough room for kit for 2 people including overnight stop
3) Got to be very quick and fun
4) Up to 2 years old

Please no Evo or STi suggestions – great cars but I’m too old to be a boy racer, and the interiors are too low rent IMO

Currently run a Golf Mk V R32.

Audi RS4 or is it the RS6 now – avant. I drove one. My goodness, fantastic.

NZcol, agree that the RS4 would be the dogs. RS6 according to all the reports is overweight (2000kg), zero fun and stupidly expensive at around £75k with all the toys on

Something like a Volvo V70R-AWD would be fun. I have the slightly lower tuned version, 200bhp, and it’s a lot more fun than you’d imagine!

Otherwise, have a look at a few of these;
Audi RS6 or lower A6 hotrods. The big diesel engine is a surprisingly sporty thing!
BMW 540 Touring
Subaru Legacy? Interiors a bit better than the Imprezas, IMO

Then, if you really want to get a little silly, how about a Mercedes E63AMG

I dare say you could strap one to the back of a Caterham 7 if you wanted. Anything is possible.
Mate of mine used to have a rack on the engine cover of a Toyota MR2, took 2 bikes easy enough. And it’s possible to make a rack to get one on the back of a motorbike, too.
🙂

Subaru Forester. Am planning to get one when I take up residence in my country estate.

Holden SS sportswagon.

I had a forester turbo 08 – fast as **** but actually not that big inside. We now have a 05 WRX Hatch (2.5 t) and a 08 Legacy GTB 🙂 🙂 The legacy is fantastic actually – looks like nothing – goe slike shite off a shovel and cost not that much.
The RS4 i drove was new and was 128K NZ which was about 3 times the Legacys price and for me, the legacy is almost as good just less ‘niche’.

If your budget was not quite so big, you could go for an ex-police Omega MV6 estate. They are, surprisingly, great fun and a very comfy drive.

By the way… RS6 Avant. Nice. It might be a bit heavy, but the power it has more than makes up for it. I speak with the power of armchair knowledge as I could _never_ afford a 75k car.

Ever.

But I have owned an ex-police Omega.

A6 Allroad. The 2.5 TDi is reasonably rapid, the 27.T petrol more so. And it’s got some ‘go anywhere’ ability when you get to wherever you are going to use the bike.

It is a bit of a barge though, so although it’s quick it’s not the most nimble thing on the road. A quick A4 Avant would be more ‘sporty’, but I can’t comment on the boot space.

A4 Allroad would be just the ticket if the bikes would fit inside.

The Legacy dash is a big jump over the 90’s Japanese oldschool Scooby interior IMO. Slightly OT but interesting comment- I had a mkV GT TDI and loathed the interior quality!

Depends what you like, if you like to hear whine, noise etc go Scooby. If you like speed but slightly removed from proceedings; Audi.

TBH when I do get a new car it’ll be a diesel Forester 8)

Depends what you mean by fun. Have driven last gen RS6 a good few times and whilst its not hugely involving in the twisties, seeing other cars disappear rapdly on the straights whilst being shoved in the back all the way to silly speeds never fails to make me laugh. 4wd is also an MTBers’ car park friend!

NZcol the 2.5T – I’d love to try one of those. I’ve driven a 2lT Imprezza that had been chipped. Bejesus, when the turbo whistle started winding up the first few times the hackles on the back of my neck rose and I actually felt….scared. Never felt that sensation in a car before.

Ps. It felt like I was driving a ‘mans’ car. The V84motion/S3 and a 3.2quattro that I’d driven before felt v.quick (well the S3 did) but quick but vague/muffled road experience. The Subaru felt bloody involved, visceral, connected, planted, with alot of feedback (mental orgasm over)

A tad hard to suggest anything when there’s no budget set. However, assuming a sensible level of £££, Passat R36? A bigger, (presumably) pokier version of your R32. “Current climate” (ugh) + big, thirsty(ish) car + tax rules (which I’m assuming don’t bother you) + lack of publicity = no-one wants them, so there’re bargains to be had. Of course, buying such a car means that you could well be stuck with it for years, and take a hammering (again, if it matters) on resale.

whilst being shoved in the back all the way to silly speeds

so is that anything above 30,60,70 mph? isn’t that illegal in this country?

Hmm, some good suggestions. I am guessing the RS6 will take an absolute hammering on the second had market so might be almost sensible (relatively) prices in a year or so.

Agree with all the comments about Audis. They can be very quick, but also rather uninvolving, so a bit of a trade-off.

On the fuel consumption and budget, don’t mind something a bit thirsty if you get the fun out of it, but would not be keen to take a hammering when selling it on

Don’t like bikes on racks as they get covered in crud and are too easily nickable.

Range Rover Sport Supercharged V8,it’s got 4.2ltrs & has 390bhp of fun.
0-60 – 7.2 secs.
Top speed 140mph & that’s with limiters !

Oh yeah, it’ll off road a bit too ;o)

A legal 60mph can feel very silly on a short straight overtaking cars doing 30.

Are you thinking new or S/H cap’n?

An A6/S6/RS6 is a bloody big car, the wife has a Saab 9-5 which feels massive even when loading bikes in. It’s handy, but you really don’t need that much space if the fun is more important the practicality. I have a Lancia Integrale which would meet your requirements apart from the age! I have used it many times for biking duties, but i find i drive slower when i have bikes in the back as i want them to be usable when i get there!

You find 2 cars is a better idea? A big engined diesel A6 for bikes/ motorways and then a proper toy in the garage that really makes you smile…

emac65, not going to touch a big 4×4. Not that quick, ridiculous fuel consumption if you push them, not fun to drive, and don’t like the image

By the way, thanks for the tags someone 🙂

Agree with leggyblonde. In a normally aspired car, overtaking maneuvers can soon become questionable or 50:50 compared to overtaking smoothly in a more powerful car.

Caterham 7 … strap them to the roll bar

Do Mitsubishi still make the quick Galant? Can’t remember what it was called, but it looked mean, went like stink and had all the electronics stuff like the Evo to keep it on the road – yaw control and all that.

Other than that…..RS4 Estate or the Passat R36 as already mentioned. I think Mercedes do some quick estates too but seeing as cars like this are completely out of my price range, I can’t quote badges unfortunately.

I take it something like a Focus ST/Civic Type-R etc. wouldn’t quite cut the mustard?

An A6 (or derivative) is a big car but you won’t get 2 bikes in the back of an A4/derivative without dropping the back seats, at least I couldn’t in my old S4 Avant (2.7T). It was a great car though and boring/uninvolving Audis can be improved no end with the right springs/shocks/ARB upgrade at minimal cost (although not the RS6 with its fancy-pants suspension system!)

Has to be this

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/843236.htm

CaptainMainwaring,you don’t need that quick when you’ve got cubes 8)

WCA’s ‘Safety Car’ surely has to be the best ‘car to go bikeys with’ on STW! 18 litre V64 or something. Don’t get in it with him; you will sh1t yourself.

Big silver thing. German, I think.

leggyblonde – new or second hand, but newish second hand preferable because you miss the worst of the depreciation while still getting manufacturer warranty

stumy01 – nothing wrong with that type of car – currently have a Golf R32.

Anybody know what VW are planning for the next Golf Mk VI R**. I heard they will go for the same 2.0l turbo as the S3 because the V6 can’t hack the new emisssions regs

Also anyone know if you can get a bike in the back boot of a Cayman? They are looking very good value second hand at the moment

Cayman? Not a chance. Certainly not two anyway.

Cayman- you know theres a company that tailors/manufacturers racks for certain cars (Uk-based I think?).

If you can get a secure enough one. Why not? The benefits of the car interms of use would outweigh 2 journeys a week to rides?

In a normally aspired car, overtaking maneuvers can soon become questionable or 50:50 compared to overtaking smoothly in a more powerful car.

what does this mean?

there is a rack available for the cayman already. chap turned up for a ride in one last year.

to answer the OP, bmw diesel would be top of my list as you’ve started throwing in concessions to mpg. the top of the range is loopy fast ( only marginally slower than the flagship petrol ) but will still get good mileage.

You make a good point hora. Only take the bike in the car once every couple of weeks as I have so much riding right on my doorstep. Perhaps the bike will just have to suffer the rack, then I get a non-compromise car for 90% of the time.

Anyone know the name of specialist rack manufacturers?

Del, example- yesterday there were 3 cars plodding along in a NSL. In my normal aspired 2.0 I had to plan, take abit of a run up and leapfrog one at a time. In a turbo I’d have hit 3,000rpm and cleared all 3 in one go with minimal fuse and ease.

Capn, once every two weeks?! Then the Cayman is looking good! Why totally compromise your driving experience with a kiddie-estate or shopping trolley if its only used to carry bikes every 2 weeks?! Is the Cayman midmounted? Just wondering if you could fit a towbar? Remove when sell?

In my normal aspired…in a turbo

Both the R32 and R36 are ‘normal aspired’, but have more than adequate capabilities for overtaking…

Not sure there are really that many R36’s about. I’ve only seen one, and that was within 500m of the VW UK HQ in Milton Keynes… No doubt it will have appalling residuals! I seem to recall that there were W8 Passats at one point, which would be an alternative, but equally scarce.

Theres a wee bit of difference between my 2.0 petrol and a 3.2 V8 though isnt there?

Theres a wee bit of difference between my 2.0 petrol and a 3.2 V8 though isnt there?

Yes, merely underlining the fact that it’s not necessarily simply a question of whether or not a car has a turbo…

(V6 in an R32 or R36)

What about the new diesel Jag XF, around 6 seconds to 60, 50-70 in 3.2, electronically ltd to 155mph and still returns 42mpg, £36,900

Wouldn’t touch the R36. It’s so big and heavy the performance isn’t that great, the fuel consumption is in 4×4 territory, and it is not that good to drive. All that came from a VW dealer sales person

there’s a W8 passat in our village

only one i’ve ever seen

same colour and spec as our TDI one

wonder if they’d like to swap?

My mate John Bardgett in Cumbria had a bike rack on the back of his Ducati, so he wins.