I have a standard poodle and thought that her noz2noz crate would fit behind the seats. She generally rides in the back seat and the Mini's rear seats look more than adequate for her. She loves to travel and her ability to ride along in the Mini was the deciding factor for me when I looked at the Mini. Ordered mine last Friday!

 

Drive the Cooper and Cooper Clubman.

 

honestly, the MINI is not going to be the most practical choice if you are planning on driving a dog and a bike around a lot. The Mazda 3 would probably be better in the practicality department while still being fun. But if you go for a test drive you'll probably love it and just make everything work.

 

Thanks! The good news is it's usually the bike OR the dog....but if end up using the rack on the back/roof...might be fine.

As for the Mazda3....it's also on the list!

 

I think you might be happier with a Honda Fit - much more dog friendly.

 

The fit is also on the list. More as a "fall back" option. No offense to any Fit owners, but the styling is just not my thing. I DO however appreciate it as a very functional vehicle.

 

I looked at the Fit too, and styling on it looked *way* too much like my husband's CR-V. If we didn't have the CR-V, I would never have considered getting a MINI in the first place, but since we do, and I can steal it from him when the weather's bad or I need to haul things around, I bought the MINI.

As it turns out, it is better for my dog that I got the smaller car. His arthritis is bad enough that he can't jump into the back of the CR-V without help and he's too much of a prince to use a doggie ramp.

As a side note, I find it funny how the arthritis stops him from getting into cars, or jumping on furniture, but it doesn't stop him from retrieving a ball. He will still do that for hours... Gotta love Labs.

 

That's because retrieving the ball is serious business! it MUST be gotten!

 

If you are still interested in the Fit then make sure and look at the 2009 model which is available in September. It looks a bit different and has 4 wheel disc brakes and an optional 5 speed auto. It is a good econo-hatch and better with the upcoming redesign.