It’s all about the dog bone floor mats:
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And don’t forget the practicality of the what seems like a small feature, the tailgate. 
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OMG, I miss the tailgate. We ended up with a Honda Pilot after my Element got totaled and it doesn’t have a tail gate. 
I know other people would complain about the suicide rear door but I thought they were a cycling feature. I’d often flip open both doors and change on the side of the road. You’d get privacy from both sides. Or, the back seat was large enough to change in if you needed total privacy. I find it sort of difficult changing inside the back of our Pilot.
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Thanks for the heads-up on the brake issue. hadn’t looked at the Rav4 as a bike hauler, but i will now! Also looking at the Outback.
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My last car was a (used/exec-demo) 2012 BMW 535i and it was awesome, 32-34mpg at 80mph on long trips, AND I could fold down the rear seats and put my 58cm Domane in it. Loved that car, we’ve been a 1 car family for 3+ years now. My neighbor has one with the roof rack for his bikes.
Now you got me curious, what are the other vehicles you already own!?
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A 2007 Acura MDX with all-wheel drive for getting over the mountains in winter. The first gen infotainment system (with “Hands Free phone calls!”) is always good for a laugh but the car is mechanically sound, still looks good, and no reason to get rid of it.
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My friends minivan is totally flat. He is a mountain biker and loves it. We had several bikes loaded in there during a road trip a couple years ago (30 or so MPG with him driving like 90), with just two in his van but a lot of people in a couple other cars. I have also known people to use minivans more quads.
I used to put a motorcycle (YSR50) in the back of a PT Cruiser. I recommend against that POS though.
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I used a SeaSucker on my Miata. Did 500 miles roundtrip - Philly to Richmond VA and back.
Two bikes on the roof (detachable hardtop).
Worked great the entire time. Even has the front wheels strapped to the bike frames, no problem.
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I sold my Miata (2002 Special Edition) during the first august of the pandemic because my wife can’t drive stick.
We bought a 2019 VW Golf. It was the base model plus the moonroof and the CarPlay system.
That Golf is faster off the line, handles corners better, and is LOADS quieter than the MX-5.
Also, I can fit two bikes inside and then two on the roof with the SeaSucker.
Not bad for a 4-for compact.
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my heart weeps as they discontinued them in north america… i’ve got the sportwagen and it’s sooooo versatile. can even get it with AWD
I’ve got the Odyssey as well. Still getting used to driving such a big vehicle, but love the storage room. I just roll my bike in without having to remove anything. I use the seat belts to strap in at the handle bars and seat post and I’m all set. The rear seats have been down since I bought it and the middle seats come out easy, but are a little on the heavy side.
Looking forward to road trips. One of these days …
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Oh. My.
I had no idea!
And here I thought we were lucky because we managed to get a certified pre-owned 2019 car - which means we got the 6-year, 84k mile warranty - basically new (our one-year old car had 1700 miles on it when we drove it off the lot).
Wow, really glad we have it now!!
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I actually HAD an Outback. It was great in the MN snow, and I could put two bikes in the back. Can’t find a decent one for under 10K, vs. a couple Elements nearby in the 6-7K range.
I didn’t name it, but i think the PT Cruiser is the least cool car in the US. Element is a close second. Walter White made the Aztek cool.
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If you are/were asking me, we’ve got a Highlander and a Grand Cherokee.
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I regularly fit four road bikes in the back of my 2000 Legacy, with only the back seats folded down.
In the other configuration, I had 68-inch wide roof racks and could put 4 Road bikes on the roof, for adults in the car, and enough bags for a weekend of racing in the trunk.
That car was the ultimate cycling car. My Golf is a partial replacement (still great), but not the same.
What a crime.
Wow, multiple crimes in progress!
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To be fair, the only bike ownership rule that she applies is N+2 within a 12-month period - if I try to buy more than 2 bikes a year, she gets suspicious and I have to sell one of the others.
So net net I think I’ve made out well.
Instead of the bikes, one year I can pick up another Miata NB, and then everything is back to the way it was…
I have an Outback. I can put any bike in the back (seats folded down) with both wheels on, and still have tons of space for gear. It has been great for long road trips. It’s long, but with awd, it drives smaller than it looks and with the turbo it’s got great acceleration on the highway. I leave my OneUp single tray rack on the back most of the time though since I like to get dirty. You can open and close the hatch without lowering the single tray, which is really nice and makes it great as a grocery getter.
Having said that, if I didn’t have the Outback, I would probably go awd minivan and remove the seats. Vehicles like the 4Runner are great, and you can take them anywhere, but they’re huge and they get lousy gas mileage.
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