Yeah, that's right folks: Plural. After all, it doesn't take a genius to realize that one bike should fit pretty easily into the Outlander GT's plentiful cargo area.
But what about two bikes? And would I still be able to conform to my desire of never lowering a seat post or removing a rear wheel? And would the bikes be able to stand up, or would I have to stack them?
So when The Wife hit me up (side the head) yesterday to take her mountain biking, I was happy to comply.
For the shocking bike loading discovery, follow the jump.
At first I was a little thrown off by the Outlander's second row of seats, which, when folded, stick up way above the load floor. But after unlocking them into their full-forward position I realized I could squeeze the rear wheel of each bike just to the outside of each respective seat. And a couple bungee cords later, hooked to clips on the Outlander's side walls to keep the bikes from moving (a real hook system would be better), we were loaded and ready to go.
And, surprisingly, my home-spun rigging proved exceptionally sturdy, even for taking turns in proper GT fashion.
Mike Monticello, Road Test Editor @ 18,970 miles.
tifighter says:
03:29 PM, 06/20/11
I like the 'Will Bikes Fit?" segment. These look like 29er's?
Looking forward to see how the TSX wagon fares...
bostonjoe says:
03:42 PM, 06/20/11
Great to see! My wife and I took our 2011 Outlander Sport SE, and since the back seats fold flat, we were able to fit our TWO bikes as well; WITHOUT having to take the wheels off!
We put the first one in with the tire running vertically against the back of the driver's seat, and the second one back wheel first, with the front tire at an angle so the hatch would clear (and it did, easily!) We even brought along a four man tent, cooler, overnight duffel bag.
So with a loaded cargo bay and backseat, two passengers up front, we drove out to camp doing 75-80 mph and still got 27mpg in awd mode!
I think Mitsubishi really engineered their Outlander series well, and it is a hit with us!
ampim says:
04:51 PM, 06/20/11
Like TiFi said, are those 29'ers? If so, well done sir.
dayz says:
08:30 PM, 06/20/11
doh!!! don't lean the bike against the car, you'll scratch the paint.
powell_jr says:
09:12 PM, 06/20/11
Those have to be 29'ers. How does the wife handle spinning the big tires. I think I'll make the switch on my next bike.
fundango says:
06:02 AM, 06/21/11
Back when I had my RSX, I used to regularly take two mountain bikes in the hatch without lowering the seat posts or removing the rear wheels. Just had to lay one down, put a blanket over it, and put the other bike on top. Very stable, pretty simple to do actually, and great for taking a buddy along for the ride. It's a pain cleaning up after muddy trails though...
0ffroader says:
02:01 PM, 06/24/11
@bostonjoe:
Thanks for the write-up about the Outlander Sport! I have one and was wondering how that would fare with a bike or two. Good to know that it can hold two, I never thought they'd fit by just looking at it.