Show us your… large estate cars with seats up and bike in the boot

Eternally pondering a new vehicle (second car alongside a Golf GTI which is currently the bigger of our two cars).

Caddy Maxi Life makes sense for throwing my bike in the back whilst still carrying two young kids, but it’s larger that I’d need 80% of the time and looks a bit crap with bouncy suspension. Transporter etc. are a bit spendy and since most of my driving is quiet A roads, I might prefer a car.

Wondering if a fast, large estate might be an option. Roof rack for proper weekends away, and if I need to throw the bike in the back occasionally (e.g. impromptu ride home from family days out to squeeze the miles in) popping a bike in the boot with both wheels off.

What do your large estates look like with seats up? Thinking second-hand BMW 5 series, E Class, Skoda Superb. Pics please!

What size are you / is the bike?

My old car was a Vectra estate boasted at the time if I remember correctly, the largest boot of any estate.

It swallowed my old 26″ if I took the front wheel off. However my newer 29″ needed both seats down and the front wheel off.

I am 6’4″ so bikes have always been pretty large…

There’s plenty of stuff available to sort out Caddy’s even a Maxi Life.

Large full suss frame will fit in a 5-series boot with both wheels off. However, the handlebars will be over the rear seat a little so would be a pain for adults but small kids should be fine depending on the size of the car seats.

Ford Mondeo estate – 2 bikes go in upright, saddles and front wheels off with the small split seats down. 4 go in upright with the big side split down,

All seats down, chuck a bike in whole.

All seats up, 2 bikes in the boot with wheels off, saddles off, underneath the tonneau cover.

talking hardtails, 26, 29,, I think the upright thing would work with a long slak 29er full suzss up to 140mm travel, maybe 160, bars dependent.

S212 Merc E class estate here, upgrade from my E61 BMW 5 series

The E class is massive. It had the biggest estate boot on sale at the time. Huge benefit is the (optional) seats that fold into the floor. Plus dropping the seats is a complete doddle. Takes 2 dogs with room to spare

5 series was previously big enough though, it’s a good size and I liked it.

Duffbag used to show a 26 FS in a Golf boot both wheels off in their smaller/standard bag.

As above it’s the bars which typically cause a problem

Mk.3 Mondeo estate. As above, a whole bike goes in with the seats down. Seats up, with a little careful packing, 4 bikes stacked in the boot and about 12 inches spare to the door for toolbox, helmets etc.

4 adults in the car and a big roofbox. Roadtrip!

I have a mercedes E class W212.

I was able to fit my FS 26″ bike with the bars/stem removed in the boot with the load cover over the top (seats up). Handy for when leaving it parked in a hotel car park

Anyone tried this with a B8 Passat? Contemplating my next company car but suspect I will miss the practicality of the Zafira Tourer I have now. Yes, our company car list is shit.

Sounds like a Nissan Prairie AKA ‘The Pussy Wagon’ is what you need with a 1.8 Stanza Turbo engine fitted……….

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once had 5 bikes and 5 blokes inside an old mondeo estate, but that was tight. bars and wheels off, it’d go in the boot all seats up.

also worth having a look at cars that can drop the middle rear seat. my current car (vauxhall signum) can take 4 people/bike down the middle with the front wheel off (rear wheel on), handlebar ends up behind the front headrests

What size are you / is the bike?

Only 5ft7. Ride a medium sized 29er with narrowish bars by today’s standards (c 700mm). Road bikes should be an easier win.

Thanks for the feedback. I take the point about tarting up Caddys, but the Maxi is still a bit wrong on the proportion front, and I’ve discovered it is about 3cm too tall for my garage, hence wondering about estates again (that, and I do enjoy driving so at least a fast estate would be relatively entertaining when I need to take the bike and kids).

Keep em coming. E class Merc and 5 series still look manageable. Any experience of the XF Sportbrake?

I probably need to actually put a bike in some to see how much of a faff it is.

No pics but i got 6 bikes and 3 lads kit in the back of my saab 9-5 estate for our trip down to the alps this year,. Back seats down so only 2 folks in the car however.

Estates are ace!

ps..its not called an estate its called a ‘sports wagon’

Absolute size is not necessarily as important as where the intrusions/wheel arches are etc.

I have a small estate (Toyota Auris) but can get my bike in wheels off without moving the seats.

03 Galaxy gets 3 29ers & 3 Adults plus gear, with the bikes stood up – all seats modular,

could probably fit 4 no bother using 1 seat on both rows 2 & 3

More pix of the nissan prairie please

[Quote] ps..its not called an estate its called a ‘sports wagon’[/quote]

Nah it’s known as a state.

Come now, RS6 clearly meets sirs requirements.

joshvegas – Member
More pix of the nissan prairie please

Note the ‘I love Cwmcarn’ writing on the crumpled front wing – I was racing my mate down the hill at Cwmcarn when you used to be able to drive up yourself and drop off, I lost it on a green slimey corner and shunted a locals Vauxhall Corsa stonermobile into a ditch. Hammered the wing back out in the carpark with the only tool needed for the Prairie – a 24″ Bahco adjustable!

It had a sticker on it saying ‘dont laugh your daughter may be in here’

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Looks like its being held together with hope!

Man I miss my 750cc panda.

Current(ish) Mondeo here, apart from other loading suggestions, I often put my bike in both wheels on, all seats up with rear wheel hanging over back seats. Works with kids in back seat – though that’s with a roadie or an xc mtb.

Not sure from comments whether a Ford is beneath you, but fairly sure there’s more load space than any of the other conventional estates mentioned apart from the E class (and it’s close to that and a lot cheaper).

That car, is utter perfection. Love it 😀

ps..its not called an estate its called a ‘sports wagon’

Only the ones with stupid sloping rear window and compromised load space. In fact that description gives you a good idea which ones to avoid if you want to carry stuff.

Some pics

Another W212 Merc owner here. Large 29er in the back no problem. Also got a towbar for when need the rack on the back for that extra space. Pretty damn big as estates go. Maybe only the new Superb is as big.

Golf estate (which is big enough for me but not vast) is apparently called a Sportwagon in Murica.

B8 Passat must be huuuuuuuge?

Aye my golf estate will take a bike without touching the seats.

Not sure how many bikes you can fit in the boot of a mk3 mondeo estate with the seats up- I ran out of bikes, but it’s at least 4.

Mine is stupid though, it has a 60/40 top seat but a full bench bottom, so if you split the rear seats they don’t fold down fully. What idiot came up with that?

I have ordered an e class estate. Its just simply massive and i got the electric folding tow bar as well for a rack. Cant wait as it will be ace for camping etc. You can get 3 bikes in tbe back with front wheels off upright apparently…..

I couldn’t get my giant trance into my old Mondeo upright.

I did have a pic but can’t find it now.

BMW 5 series not as big as I thought.

Skoda superb is huuuuuuggggeeee !!

Come now, RS6 clearly meets sirs requirements.

Fast, petrol, roomy. Certainly ticks the boxes, except for the bank balance requirements (or at least at a mileage/age I’d be happy with). I’m not a massive Audi fan, but the RS4 appeals – there are too many bland A4/A6 estates around for my taste, but the RS4 looks different enough whilst still being quite subtle. Probably not that big though.

That Nissan Prairie is genius. 🙂 Not many around either – must be going up in price soon. 😉

B8 Passat must be huuuuuuuge?

Doubt it unless it’s a lot bigger than the B7. I doubt it’s that much bigger than the Golf estate.

I’ve got a B7 estate and honestly it’s not that big. I came from a mk3 Mondeo and that had tonnes more interior space (it was a bit bigger on the outside to be fair). On the Mondeo I could get a large 29r wheels out but seat and bars in place and a weeks biking kit in the boot seats up under the load cover without trying. Or whole bike in seats down.

No way I’d get close to achieving that in the Passat without bars off (think it will just go in whole seats down but have to fight it in a bit).

It’s a really nice motorway muncher but cavernous it is not.

No pictures as from a while back, but Mk3 Mondeo would take 5 riders and their bikes and kit, back when everyone had 26″ wheels.
Mk2 Mondeo at Uni’ managed 5 riders and 6 bikes on one occasion and 2 riders with God knows how many bikes on another, 12 maybe? Contents were about 40x the cars value.

Mk3 Mondeo ST TDCI would still be my choice today, just waiting for the Octavia to die.

Edit: awaiting picture of robdobs Volvo, I reckon about 7 with seats up.

V60 has a 40:20:40 rear seat, it’s wider than my old mk3.5 mondeo, but not as high or long.

Takes a 26″ 456 with all wheels and the like on.

R-design suspension is ace with heavy loads.

Another vote for Merc E-class; the older ones have truly colossal boots but beware of rust.
With the rear seats down – and they do fold flat – you could easily fit a full size coffin in there – not that I’m inferring anything; nor interring………

Doubt it unless it’s a lot bigger than the B7. I doubt it’s that much bigger than the Golf estate.

Overall length 25cm longer than the Golf.

On a useless tangent, an Up! is apparently much the same size as a Mk1 Golf.

ratherbeintobago – Member
On a useless tangent, an Up! is apparently much the same size as a Mk1 Golf.

On the outside I guess, not on interior space given all the padding/safety stuff these days.

Owned 2 MK1 Golf’s in the 80’s and they seemed very roomy?

Volvo V70 is ok, not exactly fast, but who cares

Easily fit bike in boot with wheels off. Been on holiday with bike, wife, in-laws and all their crap, plus bike, no problem. I bet you’d easy get 2 in with seats up, probably 3 if you weren’t bothered about pulling the cover over.

With seats down I just chuck the bike in and bungee strap it.

We once had 3 people, 3 bikes and enough clobber for a month in the alps packed into the back of an Octavia. Wasn’t even that snug.

On a useless tangent, an Up! is apparently much the same size as a Mk1 Golf.

Around the same size as a modern Polo I think but much lighter / more flimsy. I had a metallic Green one 😯