Cars To Fit The Dogs?

[pie]

Yep it's a massive problem - boxy might not look sexy but it's super practical!

[aliwake]

yep, all the ones that I initially picked for aesthetic reasons got crossed off the list once I saw them because the sloping windows made the cargo area so useless.

[Sail_Away]

Just read the cargo space is 404L - disappointing.

[pie]

I wouldn't go by litres - the Astra wagon has 454 litres but because of the shape and length you can fit a lot of stuff in there (I have a shelf, 2 x PP40 crates on top, a compact gazebo, two large camp chairs, and other miscelaneous stuff)

It's not that much more room litre wise than the SUV you are talking about, but their cargo space is tall and almost like a triangle so much less practical.

Buying a dog car = very difficult!

[Sail_Away]

I wouldn't go by litres - the Astra wagon has 454 litres but because of the shape and length you can fit a lot of stuff in there (I have a shelf, 2 x PP40 crates on top, a compact gazebo, two large camp chairs, and other miscelaneous stuff)

It's not that much more room litre wise than the SUV you are talking about, but their cargo space is tall and almost like a triangle so much less practical.

Buying a dog car = very difficult!

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!

[Airedaler]

That pic doesn't look too bad - though the back window slopes so much there would be very little headroom for a dog standing in there - and not much hope of putting an erect crate in there if that's what you want to do.

You could use a slope fronted crate.

[Dave73]

Im going to trade my ford falcon turbo for a Skoda Octavia wagon. Easily fits my Ridgeback and GSD in the rear luggage department, the dealer let us try, they actually came on the test drive and were happily laying down and they are very low. Wife has a new forester and they are useless, to high and not much space. The good part about them I can get the RS version and I still get a powerful turbo car with great fuel economy.

Edited April 24, 2014 by Dave73

[Sail_Away]

I just bought a SUV Fiat, it's pretty new in Australia so not many people are familiar with it, it's called a Fiat Freemont. If you are familiar with the Dodge Journey is pretty much a rebadged one of those with a smaller engine and cheaper price tag

We were looking at a Jeep patriot or compass but when we saw all the space the Fiat had we were blown away, and it has lots of other nifty features in the base model like keyless entry and ignition, bluetooth for music and phone calls, dual climate control, touch screen display and did I mention the space :p

You can get it in a 7 seater but if you go for the 5 seater all that space that would be usually taken up with the extra seats turns into sneaky storage under the boot floor.

The down sides are the engine is pretty revy and fuel consumption doesn't look great and it doesn't come in a 4wd but for the price something had to give

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

Leah82 is this the Fiat Freemont?

[mackiemad]

I have a Subaru impreza and find it really practical for my little dog and me - however if I had a large breed or multiple dogs I'd be getting a wagon - much more room in the back for them. There are some really nice ones around atm too :)

[LisaCC]

That pic doesn't look too bad - though the back window slopes so much there would be very little headroom for a dog standing in there - and not much hope of putting an erect crate in there if that's what you want to do.

You could use a slope fronted crate.

Where did you get yours from?

[Leah82]

I just bought a SUV Fiat, it's pretty new in Australia so not many people are familiar with it, it's called a Fiat Freemont. If you are familiar with the Dodge Journey is pretty much a rebadged one of those with a smaller engine and cheaper price tag

We were looking at a Jeep patriot or compass but when we saw all the space the Fiat had we were blown away, and it has lots of other nifty features in the base model like keyless entry and ignition, bluetooth for music and phone calls, dual climate control, touch screen display and did I mention the space :p

You can get it in a 7 seater but if you go for the 5 seater all that space that would be usually taken up with the extra seats turns into sneaky storage under the boot floor.

The down sides are the engine is pretty revy and fuel consumption doesn't look great and it doesn't come in a 4wd but for the price something had to give

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

Leah82 is this the Fiat Freemont?

yep, that's the freemont :)

[indigirl]

I bought a new Rav4 last year, had the previous Rav4 model before that. Once again I test drove everything similar and once again the Rav4 had hands down the most room in the back. I have a cargo barrier that's fitted behind the front seats. Huge amount of room in the back.

We have i35's at work I drive them a lot. Easy to drive but tiny boot. Crappy tiny rear window too. Build quality is nothing like the Rav, you can tell they were made cheaply. If you have big dogs I wouldn't bother even looking at it. Cx5 is the same. It drives great but very small inside.

If you need space go the Rav.

[Airedaler]

That pic doesn't look too bad - though the back window slopes so much there would be very little headroom for a dog standing in there - and not much hope of putting an erect crate in there if that's what you want to do.

You could use a slope fronted crate.

Where did you get yours from?

Good question. I've had it for about 6 years now I cannot remember exactly who I bought it from but it was at one of the show supply people at KCC Park in Melbourne. I think Pet Network also have them.

[kelpiecuddles]

I have seen the sloped ones on ebay too but it was a while ago

[Chequeredblackdog]

Vebo pet does them too, though only in two sizes.

Not bad price either!

Linky

[puglvr]

I bought a Jeep.

[westiemum]

I bought a second hand Audi A4 wagon - and it's the best car I've ever had for me and three westies. Much better than the workForester which didn't have any where near enough boot space and was difficult to lift dogs in and out of. When it dies I'll buy another wagon rather than another SUV precisely because of the boot space issue.

[Kirislin]

For a little car that easily fitted 5 whippets in the back when the seats were folded down the older model Mazda 2 (mine was a 2004) is excellent. The other good thing about it was when the seats were down they laid flat, not sloping like some.

I love my Forester now but I still am a bit precious about the interior.

[Clyde]

I have one of these: http://www.peugeot.com.au/offer/new-4007/ . It is seriously fantastic! I have fit many large dogs in it with no problems, it's is extremely economical and lovely to drive. I researched for ages! I needed a farm car that could fit feed bags, hay bales, dogs, crates etc and the Peugeot was the end result. Had it two yrs now, done 50,000k's and I'm still in love with it. I loved that it had the boot lip folding down so I could slide my car hating, giant sized dog and my elderly large dog in to it more easily. Also good for sliding in heavy feed bags etc, easier on my back.

[Airedaler]

I bought a Jeep.

You bought a Jeep?????????

Sorry could not help myself.