Sail_Away

Wow really! I love the XV's but unfortunately the boot space is too small. Lots of people at obedience have the Nissan X-Trail - I had a look at that too, not bad, great boot, good price but just not sold on Nissan's.. I'll most likely take one for a drive though to see how it fairs. I am starting agility this year and hope to progress into competitions sometime in the near future plus possibly tracking, story dogs, dock diving etc... so lots more travel with the dog(s) plus gear and I guess some light 'off road' stuff too getting to some of these places. The Forester has the best ground clearance out of all the ones I've looked at too, my Jazz scraps the ground coming in and out of some driveways!!

My parents have a 2007 model and while it's not as high as my xtrail I do like to take the Forester out occasionally (in the name of resetting the transmission computer) and fang it around corners, it's much more stable and responsive. :D I did a 'build your own' on the Subaru site- got to $51k without leather trim and heated front seats. Bahahaha....oh well, one can dream... Haha Yeah I did 'Build your own too' and laughed out loud thinking yeah right! However, you can get the base model Forester in Auto for approx $33,000 drive away which is on par with the other small SUV's in that class - and with the bonus of it having AWD standard. The good thing about Subaru models is that the base model is pretty stacked with features so you don't miss out on much without upgrading I'm really leaning towards this now.

I have been looking closely at the Subaru Forester after going to see some of the makes in the flesh, I was pleasantly surprised with the Foresters cargo space. So after some research I also found out that Subaru advertising in the US uses the slogan "Dog tested. Dog approved" and a family of Golden Retrievers called "The Barkleys" in their TV ads... pretty funny videos, thought I would share http://www.subaru.com/dogs/

That looks nice - I looked at the Peugeot 2008 and it is soooooooo sexy! But I thought maybe too small? And.. I wasn't sure about Peugeots... don't know much about them... http://www.peugeot.com.au/showroom/2008/suv/

Perfect thanks Nothing really compares to Toyota build quality does it, that's why I'm always drawn back to them! Ravs seem to be getting bigger and bigger lately!

Woah that is huge! I always thought Fiat's were tiny! Leah82 is this the Fiat Freemont?

That's true, I have been going by how many L the cargo space has... my friend has the previous model Mazda 3 and we fit x2 Vizsla's in there - mind you cramped and only suitable for short trips to the beach - not necessarily something I would want long term but she takes her Vizsla around in the cargo space all the time.. I am planning on doing more travel with the dog than her though due to agility etc and I will have 2 dogs rather than one. And yes 100% agree finding a dog car = VERY difficult!

Just read the cargo space is 404L - disappointing.

mmm that's a good point. That seems to be the problem with some SUV's, they have the slopping rear window so for the dogs not ideal.

Here is a pic of the cargo space... doesn't seem too bad. This car is meant to be one of those 'mini SUV's' - which I had a look at in the Holden Trax, Suzuki SV but most of those looked a bit too small so this could also be the same.

But that's an american website - it may not come here? Or if it does, it will no doubt be a couple of years after everywhere else, so you might be waiting a while. Looks like the cargo area is tiny too... Apparently it is coming to Australia in early 2015. I can't find any info on the actual size of the cargo area but the CRV has a decent cargo space and my Jazz is huge for a small car (not enough for x2 dogs comfortably though)... looks ok though, can't work out if it is only 3 door or just futuristic handles at the back I can't see?.... a 3 door is a no go. Honda's are great cars but they are falling behind the eight ball in terms of specs and inclusions when you look at what you can get for the same price in other brands.

Oooowwww now this looks right up my alley... maybe I should wait until 2015 as seems a lot of upgrades from different brands are coming - I must admit I love how versatile my Honda Jazz is on the inside it's like a mini van so this might be perfect size for me http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2013/11/2015-honda-vezel-a-production-version-of-urban-suv-concept.html

WAY too many choices out there! I will need to go test drive a few but I hate going to car yards before your've made up your mind, always feel so pressured!

Woah that is huge! I always thought Fiat's were tiny!

Maybe the Hyundai ix35 might be worth a look too...

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!

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?

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!

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!

I have been a bit skeptical of Hyundai's but they have definitely come a long way - a few friends of mine have the i30 and love it - I just asked this question on Facebook and some people responded with the i30 wagon - which I didn't realise it came in. Also mentioned was the Subaru Forrester...

Thanks everyone! 'Pie' I apologise I didn't realise there was another thread on this, I actually can't find it... there are so many choices of cars out there these days and my biggest problem right now is how big do I go... the Rav 4's cargo space is very impressive - about 600L I think, so two gundogs in the back without compromising on passenger space is a very big plus. I will be doing a fair bit of travel in it next year when I take on more dog sports and activities with my girl, so her comfort is important.

This may not be the best forum for this post as it is car related but I'm curious to hear the opinions of other dog owners... I am thinking of upgrading from my Honda Jazz to either a Toyota Corolla, Toyota Rav4 or Mazda 3 (hatch) or Mazda CX 5... I love my Jazz for its spacious interior but I no longer want a manual transmission and the 1.3L engine is not very powerful on the hills around my area. I have no kids yet and x1 Hungarian Vizsla looking to add another to the household next year... at the moment I put her on the back seats with a BSB but when I want to have others (humans) in the car it's an issue for space so it is probably better she go in the cargo area... SUV's have the best cargo space of course and I love the visibility sitting up high in an SUV but maybe my current situation (no kids) doesn't warrant such a car... So I was just wondering what cars other dog lovers have and if you have any of the above how do the small hatches fair with you pooches?

Even the vet nurse said her neck is just too long and lean when trying to fit the elizabethian collar - the smaller size which fit her neck circumference better was too short to the muzzle so she would still reach but the next size up was too wide...! Sailor got so stressed in that cone anyway, the soft one may have the same result regarding size too... she is leaving wound alone at moment, no interest in getting to it the vet said I could put a T-Shirt around on her hind legs and tie up around waist ... I thought I could also bandage around her waist over site if she tried to take off dressing but at the moment she is behaving Now just to keep a Vizsla dry and calm for 10 days...

Thankyou! The Kong Bounzer is one of her fav toys also - it does have a big hole in it though! But she still plays with it, I'm getting her a new one soon I bought the large size cloud collar as her neck circumference is 36cm and the package said for dogs with 32 - 45cm... the next size down seemed to be too small... I have been contemplating taking it back to the pet store to change... but my girl has been good and still no licking at site so happy with that!

Thanks everyone - I bought a cloud collar yesterday, large size however within about 15 minutes she got her foot stuck through the velcro loop and then managed to get it off... I wouldn't want to leave it on her unsupervised.. It is bigger than I anticipated. I think it would prevent her from getting to the wound site though. In the end I decided to trial her without a collar for the day and she didn't attempt to lick the area at all so at this stage I'm just watching her closely. Here is some photos of the cloud collar on her and the other picture is of the device the vet lent me for the short term to trial as the elizabethian collar didn't fit - it's just a wide stiff collar - similar to neck brace, it worked well but albeit uncomfortable when sleeping!