Cargo question

[THirt]

Hi all. Noob here, first post. I am seriously considering a Prius purchase in the near future (although I am still considering holding out for the new-and-improved 2010 model).

Planning to start a family soon, and was wanting some feedback on cargo space.

Here's my "worst-case" cargo scenario (some might say best-case): I'd like to be able to fit myself, my wife, a baby seat in the back seat, and possibly two golden retrievers in the back, with a bicycle on the roof.

Does that sound at all feasible? It's not a make-or-break deal, but if I can fit all that in a Prius, it would cinch a purchase for sure. (A no-go would make me think hard about a Highlander Hybrid, or waiting for the supposedly larger 2010). Any thoughts?

I know an option is to test drive one and see what the heck I can fit in there, but problem is, there are no dealers near me with Prii to test drive.

Thanks for any feedback.

[psikot]

not a problem, one of the rear seats can fold down, while keeping the other up. bike racks are seperate and still have room for groceries (sharing room with the dogs).

[F8L]

No problem with the exception of 2 dogs. 1 dog would be doable but I think 2 large dogs may be pushing it for everyones safety. The dogs should be sperated from the passanger areas by a dog barrier and with two large dogs in the hatch area things may be too cramped unless they are two small females.

With one of the seats flipped down they would have plenty of room but I'm not a fan of having loose pets wandering around and distracting the driver or flying forward in the event of an accident or having to slam on the brakes. That is not safe for anyone in the car nor the dogs.

Try to find a Prius at the dealer and see if it would work for you. If not you may want to check out the Ford Escape hybrid. Great milage and it may have a bit more room for the dogs in the rear (height is the main issue here).

[Genoz World]

I AGREE with F8L, you dont want to flip one of the rear seats down. if the baby will be in the backseat, even as nice as GOLDIES are, they might unknowingly step on, or hurt your baby. You might, "MIGHT" be able to leash them, but that's something that you have to check out on your own.

however, your answer is...........................YES. everything and everyone will fit.

maybe you can put one of the dogs in the rear, one in the front seat, and your wife and baby in the back seats. just thinking out loud............................just trying to help.

good luck

[cycledrum]

Call some Toyota dealers to see if they rent one. I've rented a Prius twice from Toyota101 in Redwood City, CA. $43 w/tax for a day ... cheap compared to purchasing.

As for the 2010, it is speculated to be only slightly larger ( maybe 3 or 4 in longer?)

[Jack66]

We have a harness that we bought for our Greyhound that is connected to a seatbelt. The harness keeps the dog and other passengers safe froma large canine body flying around in an accident. You could hook two of those harnesses to your golden retrievers then attach them to the cargo points in the back. That would be one way to put the babyseat in the skinny seat, put the wider seat laying down, and still keep the dogs from getting on the baby. Laying the wider seat flat would also make a good baby changing station. I would put the bike in a rear-mounted bike-rack instead of the roof mount.

[Godiva]

My dog seats in the passenger seat in a padded harness that is belted to the seat belt. He even sits there if he's not belted in, because he's been trained to.

I wouldn't just put one of the back seats down. You could train them to lay down in the cargo area with a divider or even a harness attached to the rings.

[THirt]

Thanks for the excellent, well-thought-out responses. I'd really prefer to keep the dogs in the wayback behind a divider, and I think you folks are correct that the height might be an issue... I'll probably go the rental route and see.

Good call on the rear bike rack. That's probably a much better way to conserve fuel efficiency than having a roof rack that would increase drag all the time (not just with a bike on it) as opposed to a removable rear rack. (as an aside, not that anyone cares, I have not been able to find a rear bike carrier that fit my last couple cars).

Thanks again, all!

[Jack66]

My Greyhound is pretty tall and her head touches the roof of the car but she has learned to lay down quickly after getting into the Prius. It only bothers her when she stands up and I would rather she lay down anyway.

I bought a tubular steel barrier that is adjustable in size for our minivan. It is to keep cargo from hitting passengers in an accident but it works for dogs too. You could buy something like that if you put the seat down next to the baby but you would probably be better off leaving the seat up -- there should be just enough room for two dogs if they lay down.

[Emma Lea]

My two 50-60 pound dogs have no trouble fitting in the cargo area with the seats up. They like to lay down and look out the back window.