Does a vehicle that checks these boxes even exist?

Hey gang. I'm looking for something that can do the following: 

- Manual Transmission

- AWD or 4WD (I live in a snowy mountain town)

- Can fit a full size bike inside. Front tire off is OK. I use a bike rack most of the time, but I also ride a couple days a week after work and need to be able to keep my bike locked up while I'm in the office. 

So far I'm concluding that there are no new cars available that can do this. So what's available used from the last half decade? Subaru Crosstrek? Is there anything else? A GTI / Golf R was the front runner right up until I tried to fit a bike in my friends. It doesn't fit. 

That's a Honda Element. My XL Santa Cruz 5010 will fit inside one standing up with the tire off. I used mine specifically for the same purpose you have.  With the front tire on, I could ft it laying down but didn't lke how it laid.

New Jetta with the seat folded?

In reply to glueguy (Forum Supporter) :

I'll see you one better - VW Sportwagen.

A VW Sportwagen or Alltrack might be the answer. Honda Element would work too but it might be hard to find one. 

last half decade is tough, stretching a little further there was both a 3 and 5 series wagon that would tick those boxes. Otherwise a Tacoma or Frontier w/ a shell would work and one of those can even be bought new (but not cheap), although that's a very different driving experience (good or bad, depending on what you're looking for). I think they made outback wagons with a stick through the mid 2010s or so, but again, that's a bit older.

and the mk7 golf (sportback mentioned above) drives well above its pay grade, just avoid the panoramic roof. They're a bit rare and holding their value extremely well, which is unsurprising given there's not much else out there in the category.

Wiki seems to indicate that the last Elements were 2011 models, hardly made in the last half decade.  

A new Bronco is available with a stick shift, and I have to imagine you could put a bike in the back of one with the rear seat down.   

2004-2005 Subaru Forester XT ... with modifications.

I brought my dad along when I was cross-shopping the Evo VIII and STI in 2003. He bought himself a Forester XT. They were available with manual transmissions and had the same block as an STI of that era. Lots of folks upgraded them with OEM turbos, intercoolers, exhausts, brakes, and seats from the STI. As far as I know, the chassis is fundamentally a WRX, so there should be a million suspension options as well.

SEADave said:

Wiki seems to indicate that the last Elements were 2011 models, hardly made in the last half decade.  

A new Bronco is available with a stick shift, and I have to imagine you could put a bike in the back of one with the rear seat down.   

Yeah bronco, or a wrangler if you hate yourself enough, are the obvious answers.

My sister in law somehow managed to special order a Forester with a stick shift a few years ago. I was very surprised such a thing existed.

No, hers is not for sale.

In reply to Chris Tropea :

My Sportswagen is too short for my bike. I can't fit it in where I feel comfy. New MTBs are really long. Now my gravel bike...Not a problem. It only gets you another foot over the Golf R

I actually feel other than that, It's the perfect DD. AWD, 6 speed, and no options so no leaks, etc. 

One of my friends bought a final gen Focus based in part on his ability to keep his road bike in the trunk so he could go on bike rides before or after work.

My friends and I used to use an '84 Cavalier 2-door to go to and from distant trails.

Bikes are easy.  The hard part is manual trans and all wheel drive, which will be hard to find from the last half decade.  And most of those options suck.  I wouldn't wish a Fiat!Jeep on my worst enemy, for instance.  And the Wranglers are basically half ton pickups nowadays.

Jeep JL fits your specs. Just buy a slightly used one like me and spend the savings on an ACT clutch upgrade immediately.

Focus RS has been known to fit some bikes with the front wheel off.

In reply to bmw88rider :

Yeah, modern mountain bikes are long, my Stumpjumper wont fit in the bed of my Frontier with both wheels on. I ended up getting a tailgate pad to carry my bikes around. 

I could actually get my 29" Stumpy into a '14 Clubman by removing the front wheel, but it was tight. 

E91 wagons can be had with manual and AWD, and the AWD versions are typically cheaper than the RWD due to rarity. Lots on BaT/C&B, too. Personally, I went RWD because it is far easier to maintain on those cars and I didn't go beyond gravel. 

Edit: missed the "half decade part", but you can still find some pretty good post-LCI E91s just past a decade

I shopped around for a while and ended up with a Honda Element. Then, I ultimately sold it because it was just too old and I wanted a more modern daily. 

FWIW, my F-150 is the best bike hauler I've ever had, but it's not what you're looking for.

I was going to recommend the Audi A6, S6, RS6 Avant, but it appears they lost the manual shift at some point.

A number of my cycling friends have owned Elements . Some can fit their bikes inside with the front wheel on, but it depends on the bike.  The overall length of my "gravel" road bike is about 69" whereas my latest mtn bike is over 80" long from tread-to-tread.  Rear tread to fork axle length is about the same as the overall length of my road bikes. 

Also not what you’re looking for, but I can fit my 22-inch BMX in my E46 M3 with the front wheel removed. 

1988RedT2 said:

I was going to recommend the Audi A6, S6, RS6 Avant, but it appears they lost the manual shift at some point.

That point was a long time ago.  I think the last A6/S6 manual sold in the US were the "C4" cars during the Clinton administration.  You could get a C5 allroad with a manual and the 2.7T, but the newest of those is about 20 years old.

codrus (Forum Supporter) said:

1988RedT2 said:

I was going to recommend the Audi A6, S6, RS6 Avant, but it appears they lost the manual shift at some point.

That point was a long time ago.  I think the last A6/S6 manual sold in the US were the "C4" cars during the Clinton administration.  You could get a C5 allroad with a manual and the 2.7T, but the newest of those is about 20 years old.

 

Everything produced in the 2000s is five years old in my mind, haha

Did they make an AWD Transit Connect with a stick?

In reply to Keith Tanner :

In Europe - probably - or at least definitely with a stick.

In the US?  No to either...