pie Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 The thing with the Rav 4 which would annoy me (I get my dogs in and out of my car a lot) is the side opening tailgate What a shame Nissan have ruined the X-trail - such a great practical dog car, now it looks like a generic SUV with not much boot I've been researching for well over 12 months and the Ford Mondeo station wagon is looking the goods to fit in 3 greyhounds. This is what I am getting next, love them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VizslaMomma Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 aw!!! soon as I saw your name, CrazyCresties, I hoped you might have those photos again. Yay!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCresties Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 The thing with the Rav 4 which would annoy me (I get my dogs in and out of my car a lot) is the side opening tailgate I know what you mean pie - we found it ok in the end, but we weren't putting crates in though which would be a pain in the butt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sail_Away Posted April 23, 2014 Author Share Posted April 23, 2014 The thing with the Rav 4 which would annoy me (I get my dogs in and out of my car a lot) is the side opening tailgate I know what you mean pie - we found it ok in the end, but we weren't putting crates in though which would be a pain in the butt. The new Rav4's open vertically now. I didn't like the side opening on the old models either. So many decisions to make. I need to get out and test drive them but I hate going into car yards when I haven't narrowed down my search! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 I prefer a side opening tail gate. Better on my shoulder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlaznHotAussies Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 My Rav had a side opening but it was also pretty low to the ground (little bubby 2 door!! So cute!) so never had a drama with that... Or is it more a problem when it comes to putting crates & other rigid type things? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 I think there's a reasonable chance you could fit a 90cm crate in the boot. I can throw my crate in tomorrow and see, it's about 83cm so i can see if there would be enough space left for a longer one. I fit a massive one in sideways but it's hard to get the dog in then LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandiandwe Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 I'm more interested in the boot liner you've got there! Where did that come from? (Cute dogs BTW!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sail_Away Posted April 23, 2014 Author Share Posted April 23, 2014 We've had our Mitsubishi outlander for just under a month now, and I'm stoked with it! Really roomy, and very economical for a car that size. Nice to drive, and heaps of room in the cargo area! So, so happy to have the dog off the back seat, and I'm loving the high driving position. I always thought it was better for the dogs to be on the back seat rather than cargo for safety - I always feared what would happen if someone rear ended you when the dog is in the cargo so that is why I think an SUV would be best size wise to put the dogs and I can put their harnesses on and tether to child restraints or hopefully an anchor point somewhere in the cargo area. The Rav 4 has the largest cargo space I think out of most SUV's.. it's nearly 600L with the rear seats up. I'm always down the beach and I'm sick of the sand on the back seats now too! Will be good to get one of those rubber floor mats for the cargo space to keep it clean! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeckoTree Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Suzuki Sx4 is a great hatch and bonus you can go off road in it a bit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sail_Away Posted April 23, 2014 Author Share Posted April 23, 2014 I haven't seen the new Toyota Corolla hatch in the flesh and the website says the cargo space is about 208L.. this seems very small - anyone else have one or know if that's insufficient for x2 dogs to fit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pie Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Doesn't seem that small for a hatch? My tip - if you are going to do dog sports get something with larger cargo area rather than smaller - you will be carting a lot of stuff around :laugh: Gazebo, chair/s, cooler, and much more :laugh: I am near capacity in my Astra Wagon with two small dogs and that's with a shelf in the back to put stuff under :p IMO Life is much easier if the dogs are confined to the back cargo area in crates / cargo barrier - yes there is the risk of you being rear ended but if they are in the back seat then you risk them going through the front windscreen, and then the seats staye reasonably clean if you need to use your car for people carrying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chequeredblackdog Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 I bought a Hyundai i30 wagon and it is only 25cm longer than my old car but the way it is designed it is like the Tardis inside! We have three dogs (1 large and 2 medium) and can manage three humans, three dogs and all our stuff quite comfortably because of the split back seats. Best car I ever owned, economical to run, well priced to buy. I've been totally happy with it. Oh and I upgraded from a fastback (elongated hatchback) so feel I am sitting nicely up off the ground even though I am not in a four wheel drive. My suggestion is to shortlist the cars you like and go for a test drive in each of them. That's how I discovered the i30 wagon was the one for me. Wagons today are not like wagons of ten years ago. Ooooo! I'm in the process of looking for one of these! What year model do you have? I have looked at the older models and the brand new ones.... The new ones seem a fair bit smaller and lower (I'm also not as keen on the new look) ..... So I've been thinking a 'new' old model.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airedaler Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 I think there's a reasonable chance you could fit a 90cm crate in the boot. I can throw my crate in tomorrow and see, it's about 83cm so i can see if there would be enough space left for a longer one. I fit a massive one in sideways but it's hard to get the dog in then LOL thanks, an option might be to have a side opening crate and put in sideways but I would refer not to do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sail_Away Posted April 23, 2014 Author Share Posted April 23, 2014 Doesn't seem that small for a hatch? My tip - if you are going to do dog sports get something with larger cargo area rather than smaller - you will be carting a lot of stuff around :laugh: Gazebo, chair/s, cooler, and much more :laugh: I am near capacity in my Astra Wagon with two small dogs and that's with a shelf in the back to put stuff under :p IMO Life is much easier if the dogs are confined to the back cargo area in crates / cargo barrier - yes there is the risk of you being rear ended but if they are in the back seat then you risk them going through the front windscreen, and then the seats staye reasonably clean if you need to use your car for people carrying. mmm good points. I think I will need to make the cargo space a big priority then.. I guess that narrows my search down to either Wagons or SUV's then .. if they end up at similar prices I think I would go for the SUV because I like sitting up high. It will be good to do away with the BSB system because it really is not practical having the whole back row of seats taken up by the dog! I can't take more than 2 people in the car then without moving it. Also the amount of sand that still manages to get into the seat material is not good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Airedaler I think you would just need to check that there was space for the top edge(unless it was a soft crate that would bend a teeny bit). I put my crate in and based on the length of my crate plus the extra space to the tailgate there was 91cm. So it's a bit borderline for me to tell you definitively whether it would work. Is it a wire crate or a soft crate? If we have one at work on monday and I know what sort of crate you are planning to use I can put one in and see whether it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 If you are planning on looking at an SUV I would seriously consider an Outlander. Ours is now well over 200,000km and is still running really well. We take it off road, up to the snow and do lots of long drives with it. It has a seriously good turning circle and is so easy to park. Plus the back seats are proper adult sized back seats that are actually comfortable to sit in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 I bought my X-Trail specifically as a dog car and I can see why so many dog owners have them. IMO they are the perfect dog car! I HATE the new model but if you like the old one they are running them out and if you buy now you will likely get a great deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyCresties Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 I'm more interested in the boot liner you've got there! Where did that come from? (Cute dogs BTW!) Thanks and everyone always asks about the boot liner :laugh: It was fabulous and made by a very helpful company back in the UK. They probably ship overseas, but have no idea what the postage would be! http://www.overthetop.co.uk/load-area-covers/ I always thought it was better for the dogs to be on the back seat rather than cargo for safety - I always feared what would happen if someone rear ended you when the dog is in the cargo so that is why I think an SUV would be best size wise to put the dogs and I can put their harnesses on and tether to child restraints or hopefully an anchor point somewhere in the cargo area. Now we just have the little ones that's what we do, there are two anchor points on the back of the rear seats in the ix35 that we attach their harnesses to, gives me peace of mind that if the cargo door flies open, they are still secured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denali Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 I bought a Hyundai i30 wagon and it is only 25cm longer than my old car but the way it is designed it is like the Tardis inside! We have three dogs (1 large and 2 medium) and can manage three humans, three dogs and all our stuff quite comfortably because of the split back seats. Best car I ever owned, economical to run, well priced to buy. I've been totally happy with it. Oh and I upgraded from a fastback (elongated hatchback) so feel I am sitting nicely up off the ground even though I am not in a four wheel drive. My suggestion is to shortlist the cars you like and go for a test drive in each of them. That's how I discovered the i30 wagon was the one for me. Wagons today are not like wagons of ten years ago. I just have the hyundai i30, not the wagon. And It isnt big enough for what the OP is wanting, but if the wagon is anything like my car it is great! So nice to drive, very economical and even my boot is huge for such a little car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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