Well I'm going to be getting a new car soon and am currently looking at larger cars and small SUV's. The VW Tiguan has caught my eye, plus I can get a great deal on one. I know there are other cars, such as the Element, but I can't get a deal on one, and frankly, I hate the way they look. One thing I like about my Camry is the fact I can fit either my road or mountain bike in the trunk with the rear seats folded down and the front wheel removed. Since I'm able to do that, it doesn't decrease the gas mileage when driving to races. However, I would like to be able to fit 2 bikes inside so I can carpool with people and split the cost of gas. So my question is...Can you fit 2 bikes upright with the front wheels removed inside the rear with the rear seats folded down? I ride a size 52 road frame and a 17 inch mountain frame. But there are times I might need to fit a size 54 road bike in there. Here is a picture of what I want to be able to do.
We have VW Tiguan. Great car. It also has a great engine with Audi engineering under the hood. The seats fold down but I don't think there will be enough room to hold bikes like you pictured. I haven't tried it though. The trunk opening isn't that tall or wide. However, I think most of the Tiguans come standard with a tow hitch already instead. You could then just purchase a bike rack. Extra info - The name "Tiguan" is a combination of Tiger and Iguana. The name was chosen after VW owners voted on it. It was chosen due the speed of the Tiguan and the versatility.
The Tiguan has the same 2.0T (turbo) engine as the MKV VW GTI... Not sure how they are for storage/bike hauling since I got a roof rack on my GTI
My wife has one. It's a nice little SUV. The Turbo keeps it zippy, but you have to run premium gas. As for bike fit... we never use it to haul bikes... so I haven't tried, but I don't think you could fit bikes upright as shown in your picture.
I just went out and took some VERY rough dimensions. Rear hatch opening is about 31" tall and 41" wide. Inside the rear cargo area, floor to ceiling is about 35" tall and the width stays at about 41". The ceiling height begins to drop as you move close to the hatch.The width does get quite a bit wider in the passenger/back seat area between the doors. With the front seats in an average position, you'll get around 60" between the back of the front seats and the closed hatch.
My wife and I bought one last summer. It's an awesome little car. I occasionally put my mtb in the back, but I have to remove the seat post to do it. I don't think they will fit as you have it in the picture. Another downfall is that the back of the rear seats are carpeted (not good after a dirty ride). When we bought hers, there were to packages, one with the roof rack and one without. The difference was about $4k and you got one that was pimped out with rims/tires, nav system, etc. I don't think they come with a trailer hitch receiver, but you can buy one online for about $75 and install it yourself (no drilling).
Thanks for the hitch info, wasn't 100% sure it came with one or not factory installed. I did want to avoid getting a hitch rack because I would always be afraid someone is going to rear end it. Thanks for the dimensions. It looks like my road bike would be able to fit with the seatpost on. I just measured it and it is 34" tall with the front wheel removed. Or I can just put a wrap of electric tape or find a collar to put on my seatpost (to hold my exact spot), so I can just removed my seatpost and it would fit with plenty of room.
