What car to rent with 2 bike boxes

gwakamoley

How big a car would I need to fit two people and two of these hard-shell bike boxes?

I'm finding it very hard to visualise the boots on the different options. A Fiat Panda looks like it would have a good shape to fit two boxes in the back with the seats down. Other small cars have a more slanted rear window so I'd be a bit more nervous about those eg. Renault Clio. Going bigger makes everything a lot more expensive so trying to go as small as I can get away with, but the last thing I want is to not be able to fit our bikes in the back!

PringleDemon

Small van

07Lapierre

An Estate or SUV.

e'g Volvo V70 , Hyundai ix35 or Kia Sportage

Effects

I'd say find out what cars are available and try them out here. Maybe some kind of crossover thing with decent rear entry.
I had my bike box in France last year and it was tricky enough in a Peugeot 206, and that was just one.

tuxy

Effects wrote: »

I had my bike box in France last year and it was tricky enough in a Peugeot 206, and that was just one.

Even with the back seats down?
I've put two bikes in a starlet loads of time without any problem but I wasn't using a bike box.

gwakamoley

07Lapierre wrote: »

An Estate or SUV.

e'g Volvo V70 , Hyundai ix35 or Kia Sportage

Yeah this would definitely be the safe option. I'm hoping that a smaller hatchback car with the seats down will squeeze them in though because they're half the price but maybe I'm being overly optimistic.

tuxy wrote: »

Even with the back seats down?
I've put two bikes in a starlet loads of time without any problem but I wasn't using a bike box.

I'm kind of surprised by this as well. Was it a cardboard bike box or a hardshell one? The footprint of the hardshell is actually relatively small because wheels/bars/seatpost are off.

triggermortis

I had an Opel Zafira last year to get all the stuff into (wife, 2 kids, 4 bags and a bike box - and me).
If there's only 2 people you might get away with most hatchbacks but Id try and try one out before you rent if possible. ie, try and get them into your car or a friends to see what will and wont work

07Lapierre

gwakamoley wrote: »

Yeah this would definitely be the safe option. I'm hoping that a smaller hatchback car with the seats down will squeeze them in though because they're half the price but maybe I'm being overly optimistic.
.

I assume your also bringing Luggage? one check in bag per person, one carry on bag each etc. etc. it all adds up. Its not just the boxes.

gwakamoley

07Lapierre wrote: »

I assume your also bringing Luggage? one check in bag per person, one carry on bag each etc. etc. it all adds up. Its not just the boxes.

We'll probably just have two carry-on bags to be honest. We'll only be gone for 5 days, 4 days cycling. So I'd be happy enough we'd be able to stuff them down the footwells or worst case scenario on herself's lap .

Eamonnator

Skoda Rapid SB
Ford Focus HB
VW Golf
None of above will do

Effects

tuxy wrote: »

Even with the back seats down?
I've put two bikes in a starlet loads of time without any problem but I wasn't using a bike box.

Yeah, the bike box is bulky and a pain in the ass. No way it would have fit with seats up!

I'm driving to France this year but will probably just rent a bike when I'm over there. Driving one way and don't want the hassle of it in the car. Last time I drove to France my car got burnt out!

Wishbone Ash

gwakamoley wrote: »

... A Fiat Panda looks like it would have a good shape to fit two boxes in the back with the seats down....

I hired a Panda a few years ago and the rear seats were fixed!

andy69

We got a van last year from Barcelona airport...berlingo van. Tons of room for two bike boxes and luggage and shopping on the way to the house too.
Cost Nearly half the price of a decent size car so that was great, and was fine with just two of us in it.
Hard to get two boxes into some cars - we've a megane estate here and managed them both in, with luggage, but anything smaller and you could be in trouble as cars get more narrow towards the roof typically... probably depends on the boxes themselves I suppose, as the velovault ones have quite the footprint for example.
Only problem with getting a van is that not all airports seem to have them (just back from Malaga and Europcar didn't list vans there, but Barcelona did last year)

cdaly_

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I hired a Panda a few years ago and the rear seats were fixed!

Bring spanners!...

As an aside.

My brother packed his Trek Domane up and asked for his wife to sort out taxis etc for their break a couple of years ago to their apartment in Majorca.

She had to book a special taxi/bus to get them to the airport and they then waited over an hour at Palma for a cab big enough to take the bike box.

She refused to do it again and told him “I don’t care how much it costs, buy another bike and leave it out there”

All he heard was “I don’t care how much it costs” ....

He now owns a custom built Parlee

Mefistofelino

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I hired a Panda a few years ago and the rear seats were fixed!

cdaly_ wrote: »

Bring spanners!...

From experience, taking the seat base out of a Panda is a disproportionate faff. Not to mention that you'll have to find someplace to put the seats plus the hire companies get upset if you start demolishing their cars in front of them.

A few years ago, we'd hired a Golf for two people and two bike boxes. When we collected the car and tried to load it, there was absolutely zero chance they'd fit. The hire company took pity on us (or more realistically, didn't want their Golf damaged) so they gave us a Picasso instead which was a far better option.

Mind you, Andy69 has the right answer - small van.

gwakamoley

Mefistofelino wrote: »

From experience, taking the seat base out of a Panda is a disproportionate faff. Not to mention that you'll have to find someplace to put the seats plus the hire companies get upset if you start demolishing their cars in front of them.

A few years ago, we'd hired a Golf for two people and two bike boxes. When we collected the car and tried to load it, there was absolutely zero chance they'd fit. The hire company took pity on us (or more realistically, didn't want their Golf damaged) so they gave us a Picasso instead which was a far better option.

Mind you, Andy69 has the right answer - small van.

Good thing I didn't go for the Panda so!

I'm surprised you'd such issues getting boxes into a Golf, this site suggests (with picture evidence at the bottom) that you'd fit two boxes into the back of a Polo.

No vans available at any sort of reasonable price out of Bergamo. I have however found that Enterprise have cheap Estates, so I think I'll probably go with that.

youtheman

Aegir wrote: »

As an aside.

My brother packed his Trek Domane up and asked for his wife to sort out taxis etc for their break a couple of years ago to their apartment in Majorca.

She had to book a special taxi/bus to get them to the airport and they then waited over an hour at Palma for a cab big enough to take the bike box.

She refused to do it again and told him “I don’t care how much it costs, buy another bike and leave it out there”

All he heard was “I don’t care how much it costs” ....

He now owns a custom built Parlee

Absolutely brilliant. Pi55ed off the wife and she insisted he buy a new bike. That's even better than a 'win win' situation, don't even know how to class that one !.

Daroxtar

A Citroen Berlingo or equivalent. Me and a mate had one last year. Worked out cheaper than a car

boombang

I would strongly suggest going with something that is likely to have the capacity rather than something that you have to take spanners to. I drive a Panda with folding rear seats. I would be surprised if a two boxes would fit into it.

Mefistofelino

gwakamoley wrote: »

Good thing I didn't go for the Panda so!

I'm surprised you'd such issues getting boxes into a Golf, this site suggests (with picture evidence at the bottom) that you'd fit two boxes into the back of a Polo.

No vans available at any sort of reasonable price out of Bergamo. I have however found that Enterprise have cheap Estates, so I think I'll probably go with that.

To be fair, it was over 15 years ago, when the Golf was a smaller beast than it is now.

Personally, I'd be a little wary stacking the bike boxes on their side (and probably the remainder of the luggage on top of that) like in that Polo. If you have the misfortune to be involved in a crash, a bag or the corner of a bikebox into the head won't be good. In addition, your rear visibility will be shyte - which always gives an added frisson to driving a LHD car on the "wrong" side of new roads.

A completely different approach would be to leave your own bikes behind and hire when you get to your destination - a number of friends now do this as its cheaper and far less hassle than dragging boxes halfway across the Continent, by the time you have the flying costs, box rental, sorting suitably sized cars etc. The quality of bikes available for hire in the popular cycling destinations can be really good these days.

Miklos

A Golf is your man. Deceptively spacious with the seats folded down.

Effects

Mefistofelino wrote: »

If you have the misfortune to be involved in a crash, a bag or the corner of a bikebox into the head won't be good.

After my other half picked me up at the airport with my bike box, we folded the seats of the 206, which didn't fold flat. Placed bike box in and my luggage on top.
Ten minutes later she had to slam on the brakes and my luggage launched forward and hit her in the head.

A completely different approach would be to leave your own bikes behind and hire when you get to your destination

This is what I'd rather do from now on. Only thing is I prefer a gravel bike in France, as there's so many nice routes that are off the roads. Haven't looked into the availability to rent there.

terrydel

Wouldnt touch an suv, only the very biggest are gonna be close to what you need.
Forget Sportage or any of that type of thing.
Get a large estate, passat, octavia or better still a superb, or a van.

terrydel

Aegir wrote: »

As an aside.

My brother packed his Trek Domane up and asked for his wife to sort out taxis etc for their break a couple of years ago to their apartment in Majorca.

She had to book a special taxi/bus to get them to the airport and they then waited over an hour at Palma for a cab big enough to take the bike box.

She refused to do it again and told him “I don’t care how much it costs, buy another bike and leave it out there”

All he heard was “I don’t care how much it costs” ....

He now owns a custom built Parlee

Ah, first world problems.