As Spring and Summer arrive, be sure you’ve got the vehicle that can handle all of your recreation! Here are some of the best cars for cyclists.
Cargo Space That Can Fit a Bicycle
The weather is heating up and, in some areas, the snow is finally melting! Warmer weather means it’s time to tune up that bicycle and hit the pavement again. I don’t live too close to the bike trail and I’m not a big fan of dealing with road traffic while trying to get to the bike trail, so I’ll be loading up my bicycle this summer and transporting it to a good place to ride.
Unfortunately, I didn’t plan this out when I bought my car. I also didn’t plan it out well when I purchased my bicycle. As a result, I have a vehicle and a bicycle that aren’t necessarily compatible. The bike fits, but you have to turn the handlebars just right for it to clear the wheel wells in the cargo hold. I do have rails for a roof rack, but I don’t have a hitch. There are other options, like bike racks that can attach to a hatch, too. The less hassle the better though. That’s always the goal, so which cars are the best for any cyclists out there?
Jeep Wrangler
This is the quintessential adventuring vehicle! The Jeep Gladiator, of course, has a very useful truck bed. You can’t count the 2023 Wrangler out, though. Cargo capacity in the Wrangler is limited because of the narrow body, but it’s still got enough space for some outdoor toys, including bicycles. With all seats in place, the cargo capacity measures 12.9 cu. ft. It’ll be a little tough to fit a bike in there, but the rear seats do fold flat into the floor. If you do that, cargo expands to 31.7 cu. ft.
Bike racks are always an option on the Jeep Wrangler, too. If you go that route, take a look at our Guide to Vehicle Bicycle Racks. The Wrangler can tow up to 3,500 lbs, so, if you’ve got an entire fleet of bicycles to take, trailering them in some way is always an option, too. 2023 Wranglers don’t come standard with a trailer hitch, but it can be purchased through Jeep. Aftermarket versions are also available. Whether you prefer to throw your bike in the back of the Jeep, want a rack, or are towing several bikes, the Jeep Wrangler can do it all.
Subaru Forester
Subaru is known for off-roading prowess, so it’s only natural that they’d be a good car for bicyclists, too. It’s not only got 28.9 cu. ft. of cargo space with the seats up, and 74.2 cu. ft. of storage with the second row laid flat, but it is also a good choice to take into the mountains in order to find good trails to ride on. Subaru’s 9.2 ft of undercarriage clearance, 182-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, and all-wheel drive (AWD) system work together to make the Forester a good one to choose. Whether you’re going to the local bike path or heading out a few hours away to a specific location, the 2023 Subaru Forester can get the job done.
Tesla Model Y
If you’re looking for an electric vehicle, the Tesla Model Y, believe it or not, isn’t a bad option. It’s $52,990 and has a cargo capacity of 76 cu. ft. that can be used for laying a bicycle down without taking any wheels off! If you’ve got larger mountain bike tires, you may have more difficulty, but a regular road bike should fit without struggle. The 2023 Model Y is a compact car, but it’s designed well enough that there’s space for a bike. It seems to work best if you place the handlebars towards the rear of the car. The 2023 Model S, which is priced at $84,990, has 28 cu. ft. that can also accommodate a bicycle.
Toyota Tacoma
If you don’t want to worry about cargo space, then a truck is always an option. The Toyota Tacoma certainly isn’t the biggest option. It’s a midsize pickup and, because of that, the price isn’t that outrageous either. It starts at around $27,000. There’s plenty of room to stand some bikes up in the back of that truck. Additionally, the Tacoma has rugged 4WD power that can handle going off of the paved road, taking you to some new areas to take that mountain bike out and explore.
The 2023 Tacoma utilizes a 159-horsepower 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine with 180 lb-ft of torque. There’s also an optional 3.5-liter V6 making 278 horsepower and 265 lb-ft of torque. Similar options include the Nissan Frontier and Honda Ridgeline (also both with V6 engines), though the Ridgeline costs quite a bit more. Take an up-close look at this pickup in our 2023 Toyota Tacoma review.
Chrysler Pacifica
If an SUV or a truck provide enough room for bicycles, a van certainly can, too. Let’s start with the regular cargo capacity of the 2023 Chrysler Pacifica when all three rows of seats are still upright and in place. There’s 32.3 cu. ft. of space to work with. That should be enough space to fit an adult-sized bike without having to adjust anything. However, if you don’t need the third row, the seats fold down to create 87.5 cu. ft. Dodge’s stow and go seats were a great convenience in the now discontinued Grand Caravan. Thankfully, that same technology is used in the 2023 Chrysler Pacifica. That makes it easy to fold down seats in a matter of minutes.
Toyota RAV4
For compact crossovers, the 2023 Toyota RAV4 offers a good amount of space for bicyclists. There’s 37.6 cu. ft. of volume behind the second row, larger than some of the competition like the 2023 Nissan Rogue and the 2023 Mazda CX-5. Lower the second row and that space expands 69.8 cu. ft. The seats fold flat in a 60/40 split format. The liftgate comes manual on 2023 RAV4 models, but a power liftgate or hands-free power liftgate are available.
To carry multiple bikes, the RAV4 may need some customizing. Roof rails are standard across the lineup, though some have cross bars, some are just raised, and others are low-profile rails. A hitch is available on all trim levels. There is AWD on gas models, and there are also hybrid options for those who prefer that option. Learn even more all the trims, powertrains, and pricing by reading our 2023 Toyota RAV4 review.
Nissan Pathfinder
It can be difficult to fit bicycles into the back of Nissan’s smaller SUV, the Nissan Rogue, but the Pathfinder is considerably larger. There are three rows in total here. Like we mentioned in our 2023 Nissan Pathfinder, there’s 16.6 cu. ft. of space behind the third row. It expands to 45 cu ft when the third row is folded in a 60/40 split formation. Total cargo space equals 80.5 cu. ft. if all seats are folded.
Like some of the other SUVs mentioned, the 2023 Pathfinder has 4WD across the lineup, has roof rails starting with the SV trim level, and a variety of liftgates. A manual gate is standard, but power and hands-free power are both optional. Overall, it’s a versatile SUV with easy access to the cargo area, so it works whether you’re planning on city or more rural biking.
Toyota 4Runner
The right car for the job could also be a Toyota 4Runner. It’s another off-road-worthy SUV. Every model has a 270-horsepower 4.0-liter V6 and a five-speed automatic transmission that work together to make 278 lb-ft of torque. All 2023 4Runner trims are available with rear-wheel drive or 4WD. TRD trims are even more well-equipped with off-roading features like high ground clearance, all-terrain tires, roof racks, and special suspension and dampers. The SUV does lack a little bit when it comes to fuel efficiency, getting 16 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city and 19 mpg on the highway. That’s less than some competitors.
Still, it’s a good choice for bicyclists, particularly those who want to do some mountain biking. The cargo space equals 47.2 cu. ft. Behind the second row. An optional sliding deck limits cargo to only 46.3 cu. ft. If the second-row seats are folded flat, that space expands to 89.7 cu. ft. of space in the regular cargo hold. The models with a sliding deck have 88.8 cu. ft. of space. With a boxy cargo area, that space should be sufficient to store your bicycles while you drive to a good biking location. For even more information about this bicycle-friendly SUV, click over to our 2023 Toyota 4Runner review.
Kia Soul
This is another vehicle you may not think of right away when thinking about loading up a bicycle, but it can be done in a Kia Soul. 2023 models have 24.2 cu. ft. of space behind the second row. If the seats are down, there’s 62.1 cu. ft. of room to work with. SUVs with more than two rows understandably have more cargo space, but this cube-shaped vehicle bests the Mazda CX-30 (45.2 cu. ft.), the 2023 Hyundai Kona (45.8 cu. ft.), and even the 2023 Honda HR-V (55.1 cu. ft.) when it comes to cargo! The 2023 Kia Soul doesn’t come with a hitch, but can be fitted with an OEM lifestyle hitch in order to rack your bikes. While a roof rack isn’t standard on the Soul, all trims do have roof rack mounting points. You can review all the trims and features in our 2023 Kia Soul review.
Subaru Outback
Still, the Outback is equipped with AWD, has a 182-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder or 260-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder turbo engine, can tow up to 3,500 lbs with an available trailer hitch, and still has 8.7 inches of ground clearance. So, whether you’re in the city, going through the mountains, or heading onto some back roads gravel road in the country, you’re set. The Subaru Outback can not only fit your bicycles, but it can get you to wherever you want to ride them, too.
Last but not least is one of Subaru’s larger SUV: the 2023 Subaru Outback. It’s 9.2 inches longer and 1.5 inches wider than the Forester. There’s a little more cargo space in the Outback than the Forester, too. There’s 32.6 cu. ft. of space in the 2023 Outback even when the rear seats are up. If the seats are folded, cargo expands to 75.6. cu. Ft. The downside is that the Outback doesn’t have as much ground clearance as the Forester.
