Small Cars that Fit BIG dogs?

[fizzyfuzzybuzzy]

My fiance and I are looking to replace both of our cars. Right now we have horrible Dodge Caravan that we have taken all the seats out (a 2 seater mini van… :eyeroll: ) that we generally just use to drag the dogs around and go to IKEA. We are going to replace it with a 2500 Suburban (used) so that it can also be used to pull a 2H BP trailer. That being said, those suckers get like 3 miles per gallon so we don’t want to use it for commuting or short local trips.

We are also going to replace my fiance’s 2007 Mazda 3 sedan that he uses to commute. We would like a smaller, fuel efficient car, but we’d also like for it to fit our dogs – a 85 lb Greyhound (he’s TALL) and our 30 lb Border Collie. Then we won’t have to take the gas guzzler every time we want to run to the state park to hike or run them to the vet.

I’ve done some research and like the Honda Fit, the Nissan Versa Hatchaback, the Ford Focus Hatchback and the Toyota Matrix hatchback, but I am completely open to any and all suggestions. Do any hatchback models have back seats that fold completely flat that I could put a cover over and they could have the whole back if needed?

Help!!

[Ladylexie]

@fizzyfuzzybuzzy

My fiance and I are looking to replace both of our cars. Right now we have horrible Dodge Caravan that we have taken all the seats out (a 2 seater mini van… :eyeroll: ) that we generally just use to drag the dogs around and go to IKEA. We are going to replace it with a 2500 Suburban (used) so that it can also be used to pull a 2H BP trailer. That being said, those suckers get like 3 miles per gallon so we don’t want to use it for commuting or short local trips.

We are also going to replace my fiance’s 2007 Mazda 3 sedan that he uses to commute. We would like a smaller, fuel efficient car, but we’d also like for it to fit our dogs – a 85 lb Greyhound (he’s TALL) and our 30 lb Border Collie. Then we won’t have to take the gas guzzler every time we want to run to the state park to hike or run them to the vet.

I’ve done some research and like the Honda Fit, the Nissan Versa Hatchaback, the Ford Focus Hatchback and the Toyota Matrix hatchback, but I am completely open to any and all suggestions. Do any hatchback models have back seats that fold completely flat that I could put a cover over and they could have the whole back if needed?

Help!!

My Honda Accord fit two German Shepherds.

[Foxtrot_s]

A Kia soul and a Subaru Forester would not fit them in the back, and I don’t like dogs in the back seat.

[Renn_aissance]

If you liked the Mazda 3, what about the CX-3 or the CX-5? A friend has one that fits her 120lb Rottweiler and her linebacker of a Pit Bull back there at one time.

If you’re really looking to swing the other way on fuel efficiency versus your Suburban, you actually might try the Prius V. I don’t know if the back seats fold all the way down, but it has a lot more cargo space than my second-gen Prius, and with the seats down it has more space than the Matrix hatchback. My friend’s Newfoundland can get in the back of mine with the seats up, although she feels a bit cramped.

[JanM]

From the brochure, the Prius V back seat folds all the way flat.

The Honda Fit also has a lot of room with the second seat flat too. The Honda HR-V is roomy inside, and has the same ‘magic’ seat (bottom of second seat folds up for tall items, and back folds flat for longer items), as the Fit. The HR-V also has a bigger engine than the Fit, and is more like a smaller version of the CR-V.

[cnvh]

I have a Honda Fit, and I love love LOVE it for the back seat versatility… Flip the back seats up, and you have floor-to-ceiling space for the dogs or whatever you need to haul. I regularly have my 2 dogs in there (70-lb lab mix and 40-lb shepherd mix)… It’s also nice to haul my recycling to the drop-off center, as I can fit my entire HUGE flip-top upright recycling can back there-- and that thing has to be at least as tall as a great dane.

I know all hatchbacks have seats that flip down, but I don’t know of any other than the Fit which flip UP… For a tall dog line a Dane, it would be your best bet for maximum headroom.

Oh, and I average 39mpg in the summer.

[Pep_n_Ann]

The back seats on a Toyota Prius fold completely flat. Even with the seats up, the larger dog should fit. We average 38mpg town driving, 50mpg on the freeway.

[costco_muffins]

The Honda Fit was amazing for fitting dogs. We also have a Honda Element and love its space with the seats out or folded up.

That said, I will never own a subcompact car like the Fit again after seeing it in a high speed accident.

[Sobriska]

OMG!
I have a golden doodle that weighs 85 pounds and a Great Pyrenese.

They both ride comfortably in the back seat of my Subaru Forrester and my husband’s Subaru Outback. We prefer back seat as we use sleepy pod click it restraint system to keep them and us safe in a crash.

Both SUV’s also have plenty of room in the far back. The safety features are awesome and the gas mileage is about 30 mpg. Both are sporty and comfortable rides.

Cant say enough good things about Subaru.

#subaruambassador

[MontanaDun]

Agree with Sobriska on the Forrester. My 2009 easily fits my 75 lb setter and 25 lb corgi. I have an Orvis hammock type seat cover that gives them a more or less level area to walk on and helps keep dirt off the back seats. The far back of my car is generally filled with other stuff like saddles, blankets, etc. It does not unfold completely flat, but I used to show the corgis and could still fit two crates in the back.

[Foxtrot_s]

If you are using the back seats of the Forester, then, like seating two people, you would have room. I was thinking of the very back where the groceries would go - not nearly ig enough, and our dog is not allowed where the people sit. So I guess I beg to difffer.

[Ceylon_Star]

I have schlepped around big dogs (two greyhounds and a whippet, an overweight/XL aussie shepherd, a great pyr cross, and a newf, at different points in time) and a trio of goats in the back of my Honda Fit. I’ve also transported 40+ reptiles and their rack enclosures in it on more than one occasion. I know people who were so impressed with the versatility of my Fit that they ended up getting their own. Fuel efficiency is great, I get over 600kms to a $40 tank of gas.

[JanM]

cnvh-The Honda HR-V has the fold up second seat also, just like the Fit.

[clint]

We can fit two big dogs, a German Shorthair Pointer and a Golden Retriever, very nicely in the back of our VW Golf. We can lay the seats down flat for a big area, have one back seat and a not quite so big area, and have a full back seat and still enough room behind that for them. For a small car it is amazingly roomy.

[sisu27]

I have a 2500 Suburban with the 8.1 L (496) and it is the best for hauling dogs and horses. Very comfy and nice to drive. BUT IT IS A PIG! The worst fuel consumption EVER! I also have a lifted Jeep Wrangler which is miserly in comparison. That’s just how bad the 'Burb is.

We have an F-250 diesel truck that is going to get a cap and we have a VW Jetta Wagon. Seats fold flat in the VW but the biggest of our dogs is also tall and his crate doesn’t fit. So the truck will need to be used if all 3 dogs are coming with us.

I had a diesel Golf and it was cool but not big enough for more than 1 big dog unless you are ok with the lack of safety of big dogs loose in your car.

So in total we have 6 cars (also a 2 door coupe and a small SUV - useless) and non of them actually work perfectly. We either have to cram ourselves in or pay insane amounts for fuel (I would love cheap US gas you guys are lucky).

We like reliable cars with inexpensive readily available parts (eliminates Subaru and Volvo) and we do not like anything too small (we are in moose country a lot). I thought the answer was a van (Ford Transit Connect?) but I drove one and it was pretty awful in the snow (good tires would improve that part) and also very low (not safe).

If anybody makes the perfect combination I don’t know what it is.

[bdj]

Hey OP, are you planning on crating the dogs in the smaller car, or are you OK with them traveling loose? No judgment - just different needs.
For what it’s worth, I have a Toyota Matrix that I think is the best dog car ever. With the back seats flat, I can fit 4 30" crates in it (but they have to be the three door kind), or 2 30s and a 36" (also a three door model). With no crates, I used to be able to fit 3 60# + dogs in the back (provided they were all friends) - my big black English Shepherd-y guy, a Lab/Dane X and a big ShepherdX. The ginormous Lab that belonged to a friend thought it was a little cramped (but he was about 120# and was used to riding solo in the back of a full sized SUV). Sadly, the Matrix is out of production now, though.

[Dramapony_misty]

My Aunt recently replaced her Subaru Outback with a Toyota Rav-4 because the Rav would fit her large dog kennels in the back without having to take them apart the get them in and out…not for dogs, but for goat transport!

[cnvh]

@JanM

cnvh-The Honda HR-V has the fold up second seat also, just like the Fit.

Good to know! Those flip-up seats are AWESOME. I’ve used backseat hammocks in previous vehicles, which worked OK, but hair still managed to get all over the seats themselves… The flip-up seats stay nice and clean, so when I need to have humans in my backseat, it takes literally a second to flip 'em down (one-handed, even) and they’re ready to go.

[jazz8899]

I actually had the same situation recently. Went from a 2010 mazda 3 and now I’m in a 2015 Kia soul. I have an 80 lb Plott hound and poor guy did not fit in the back seat. I wanted good gas mileage though so SUV/ hybrids were not cutting it.
The soul you can get for around the same price as the smaller cars and there is honeslty alot of room in the car. I worked in the rental car field a while ago and I can say that it has as much room, if not more, than alot of the 5 passenger suvs. The reviews are what finally swung me and I do actually think its perfect size for what I need. Dog will be in the back seat and the trunk drops down like a van so you can fit alot in the trunk area. I often have bags of grain, and piles of tack with room to spare.
Seats fold down as well if you need it. Biggest complaint is the fuel tank is tiny in comparison and I have to fill it up quite a bit. But they cut back on that to get better mileage. I average around 29/30 while in the mazda I was getting 30/31.
My dog fits with room to spare and I’m happy

[fizzyfuzzybuzzy]

Wow, thanks guys! We are going to test drive the Honda Fit, as well as the Nissan Versa Note. My fiance REALLY hates the way the Kia Soul looks…he’s an artist, so whatever. He might test drive the HR-V as well when we go to the Honda dealership. Unfortunately Volvo, Subaru and VW are out of our budget.

I don’t currently have a crate for the big greyhound, we use a harness and a seatbelt for him in the car. The little Border Collie gets crated when in the car. Depending on what we end up with, we may get one of those cargo area barriers for the back for the greyhound and put the puppy’s crate in the back seat… In one way or another they are restrained while in the car.