Best mountain biking and skiing car for the Alps
Discussion
I live in Switzerland and go biking and skiing a lot in the mountains, and get to drive some great roads getting there and back. I currently do it in a lardy A6 estate though, which is perfect for lugging bikes and skis, but doesn't make the most out of the drive. What cars would do a better job?
Budget - £20k
Fun on twisty roads, and not massively wide
Must be 4 wheel drive for winter
Enough power to overtake uphill
Can fit a big 35-40lb bike on or in it without too much dismantling
I could go for more of the same with an S6 or RS6, but don't find the idea that inspiring. At the other end of the scale I could go for a 4wd 911 with a roof rack but will a rack take the load from a heavy bike in the corners?
Thanks for any ideas!
Budget - £20k
Fun on twisty roads, and not massively wide
Must be 4 wheel drive for winter
Enough power to overtake uphill
Can fit a big 35-40lb bike on or in it without too much dismantling
I could go for more of the same with an S6 or RS6, but don't find the idea that inspiring. At the other end of the scale I could go for a 4wd 911 with a roof rack but will a rack take the load from a heavy bike in the corners?
Thanks for any ideas!
I use a Mercedes GL420 - great for transporting my DH bikes, ski equipment, mile-munching the motorways, dealing with mud/deep snow/rocky terrain, overtaking uphill even fully loaded.....but I'd never pretend it's a driver's car. It's incredibly solid through the bends but handly inspiring.
Realistically, you could do it all with an Impreza, which is probably what I'd do if I didn't have a family. I've never seen a DH bike on a 911, and you'd never have enough space for all the kit. Less of a problem for skiing, obviously. You're not keen on the Audi alternatives, and a Golf R is way out of budget.
Regarding carrying bikes, if you're not putting them in the car, you could go for a roofrack where you remove the front wheel and clamp the through-axle to the rack or (much better) go for the towbar-mount option. I've carried two Orange 322s on my towbar through the twistiest of Alpine roads without the slightest bother; ultimately, it depends on how fast you're planning on going!
Realistically, you could do it all with an Impreza, which is probably what I'd do if I didn't have a family. I've never seen a DH bike on a 911, and you'd never have enough space for all the kit. Less of a problem for skiing, obviously. You're not keen on the Audi alternatives, and a Golf R is way out of budget.
Regarding carrying bikes, if you're not putting them in the car, you could go for a roofrack where you remove the front wheel and clamp the through-axle to the rack or (much better) go for the towbar-mount option. I've carried two Orange 322s on my towbar through the twistiest of Alpine roads without the slightest bother; ultimately, it depends on how fast you're planning on going!
You need such a massive car to put bikes actually in it without taking wheels off I'd go for the roof rack option every time, and I do - even with an estate.
Personally I'd say A4 3.0Tdi Avant Quattro, mostly because I'd love for it to be my next car for exactly the same reason - moving bikes (and kids) about safely and with a bit of fun thrown in - the boot isn't huge, but it's easily big enough for the front wheel and all the biking kit and you can get great boot liners so you don't have to worry about muddy kit.
Personally I'd say A4 3.0Tdi Avant Quattro, mostly because I'd love for it to be my next car for exactly the same reason - moving bikes (and kids) about safely and with a bit of fun thrown in - the boot isn't huge, but it's easily big enough for the front wheel and all the biking kit and you can get great boot liners so you don't have to worry about muddy kit.
longblackcoat said:
I've never seen a DH bike on a 911, and you'd never have enough space for all the kit.
I used to transport my freeride bike (c.35lb) on the roof of my 996... and there's plenty of luggage space in a 996/997.4WD ones are hilariously good fun in the snow... 2WD not so much.
Max_Torque said:
Just have your fun on your Ski's and on your bike, buy this for getting around:
The crew cab transporter seems to be the weapon of choice from my unscientific surveys of the ski resort car parks followed by anything else on winter tyres as that will work just as well as anything else.Chris Stott said:
longblackcoat said:
I've never seen a DH bike on a 911, and you'd never have enough space for all the kit.
I used to transport my freeride bike (c.35lb) on the roof of my 996... and there's plenty of luggage space in a 996/997.4WD ones are hilariously good fun in the snow... 2WD not so much.
I'm in a similar boat, only in Scotland. I used a 3 litre manual x type jag for the skis and the bike (bought for 2 grand, won't depreciate) and used the rest of my budget on a chimaera for the summer. Jag does 0-60 in 6 and a wee bit secs, nice V6 engine, mid 20s mpg, permanent 4wd, nice and smooth, very comfy, plenty room.
If it was just for the summer the Caterham would definitely tick the fun box. More realistically can you actually damage roof mounts with just the weight of the bike and rack in a corner? Could 50lbs (bike + rack) in a 1g corner just peel off the roof? It would be very expensive if you found out the hard way.
Steve7777 said:
If it was just for the summer the Caterham would definitely tick the fun box. More realistically can you actually damage roof mounts with just the weight of the bike and rack in a corner? Could 50lbs (bike + rack) in a 1g corner just peel off the roof? It would be very expensive if you found out the hard way.
Hence why I recommended a tow-bar mount!Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff