[handsofsteel]

Dear friends, I have a large sized dog. To be precise, a Great Dane(think scooby doo). My present car is a hatch. I am thinking of upgrading/getting a second car so as to accommodate him on our trips.
To put things In perspective, he's 1m+ tall on all fours and a body length of 1m. (Image courtesy-Wikipedia) I am specifically looking for cars with three rows and a split second row so that some of the second row and the third row can be folded (flat?).
Would be grateful for any suggestions.
Note-I have considered the V cross and rejected it as I do not want to expose the pet to weather.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the What Car forum!

[Shreyans_Jain]

You haven’t mentioned a budget but you seem to be open to spending 20-30L. Off the top of my head, go for the biggest and most practical car there is in the market - Kia Carnival. Huge size, big opening doors and hatch, massive space and all sorts or permutations and combinations possible with the seats. The mid variant has bench seat option for the middle row which can fold, slide, split and tumble. Will be suitable for your specific requirement.

[gautamkhadse]

A used Hexa should be good. Or else do what these guys did. Get a tata winger and remove the rear seats.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXqf...BuddiesandMore

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by gautamkhadse

A used Hexa should be good. Or else do what these guys did. Get a tata winger and remove the rear seats.

Hexa third row doesn’t fold fully flat. It stays at a little angle. Doesn’t really matter when you are hauling luggage but might not be acceptable for the very specific purpose here.

[Prowler]

Any real SUV can do the job. I have a big GSD which traveled in full comfort in my Safari for over 1000 km. The width should be sufficient enough for the dog to turn around comfortably and the roof should be tall enough so that he doesn't hit the roof if he stretches. The cabin should be airy and the AC should be chilling. This reduces the stress factor.
Get a thin cotton mattress and a rubber sheet to pad the inside.

[Rajeevraj]

I think the Kia Carnival is the best option. Its huge, lot of adjustments in the seating and works for you as a premium car/van also. Just folding the 3rd row would be sufficient I guess and you still have large 5 seater at your disposal. A pre-owned buy can also be looked at keeping budget in mind, although options maybe limited

[handsofsteel]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

You haven’t mentioned a budget but you seem to be open to spending 20-30L. Off the top of my head, go for the biggest and most practical car there is in the market - Kia Carnival. Huge size, big opening doors and hatch, massive space and all sorts or permutations and combinations possible with the seats. The mid variant has bench seat option for the middle row which can fold, slide, split and tumble. Will be suitable for your specific requirement.

If only I had that kind of budget. I am open to sub 20 lakh.

Originally Posted by gautamkhadse

A used Hexa should be good. Or else do what these guys did. Get a tata winger and remove the rear seats.

https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=rXqf...BuddiesandMore

Great suggestion, thanks. Will explore.

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

Hexa third row doesn’t fold fully flat. It stays at a little angle. Doesn’t really matter when you are hauling luggage but might not be acceptable for the very specific purpose here.

Noted. Thanks. Will keep this in mind while exploring.

Originally Posted by Prowler

Any real SUV can do the job. I have a big GSD which traveled in full comfort in my Safari for over 1000 km. The width should be sufficient enough for the dog to turn around comfortably and the roof should be tall enough so that he doesn't hit the roof if he stretches. The cabin should be airy and the AC should be chilling. This reduces the stress factor.
Get a thin cotton mattress and a rubber sheet to pad the inside.

Thanks for the very pertinent points regarding the air conditioning (preferably roof mounted)and mattresses/rubber sheets. But I have tried a storme with a full grown Dane and it didn't cut it. To illustrate, my dog is barely 5 months old but is taller than a full blown GSD. Further, his growth spurt lasts till the age of 2

[gautamkhadse]

Originally Posted by handsofsteel

If only I had that kind of budget. I am open to sub 20 lakh.

Great suggestion, thanks. Will explore.

Noted. Thanks. Will keep this in mind while exploring.

Thanks for the very pertinent points regarding the air conditioning (preferably roof mounted)and mattresses/rubber sheets. But I have tried a storme with a full grown Dane and it didn't cut it. To illustrate, my dog is barely 5 months old but is taller than a full blown GSD. Further, his growth spurt lasts till the age of 2

We have a huge Doberman in our housing society . The owner uses a Renault Lodgy with the third row removed completely . YOu should look at that aswell . The triver is another great car , with easily removable seats at the third row and enough head room for a dane .

[hridaygandhi]

Try looking at MG Hector Plus.

This thread will give you more insights: TeamBHP MG Hector Plus Petrol Auto for City + Highway & Family of 2 + 4 Dogs (Is the MG Hector Plus (Petrol Auto) a good city & highway car for a family of two and four dogs?)

[akshay4587]

You haven't mentioned your budget; I would recommend a Scorpio with side facing rear seats, with seats folded your Great Dane, will have enough space to sit comfortably, and since Scorpio is quite tall at the back, he might be able to easily stand as well.

Off all the cars we have, Our Scorpio is the Pooch Mobile, which is why, we are never going to sell it off.

[digitalnirvana]

I suggest MG Hector Plus (see @RT13 thread) or a pre-owned Lodgy or BRV (moderator @Smartcat has one).

Wish you and your pup a very long and happy life together.

[gkveda]

I assume you are looking for a car exclusively for dog and for family drives, you have good car already. Secondly I am also assuming you will not combine dog and family trips together.

Third assumption is you are looking for a car that is in the same budget bracket as your current hatch.

With these assumptions, I suggest you to go with Maruti Omni or eeco where you have ample space for dog behind drivers row. 2-3 people can also be accomodated in the back row if you remove 2nd row seat(the one which faces backwards).

So, you can have 2 people in front, 2 at back and a big dog as well.

Ofcourse, limitations are there in this option but your space problem is solved.

[VKumar]

Originally Posted by handsofsteel

If only I had that kind of budget. I am open to sub 20 lakh.


Thanks for the very pertinent points regarding the air conditioning (preferably roof mounted)and mattresses/rubber sheets. But I have tried a storme with a full grown Dane and it didn't cut it. To illustrate, my dog is barely 5 months old but is taller than a full blown GSD.

Budget Based Suggestion

At times I feel like Innova Crysta is actually built for this job. Fold the third row and tie it sideways (like we have the arrangement in Crysta, and the available cabin height is enough for a Great Dane.

Need length too, simply tumble fold the second row too, and you are done.

Cars like XUV and Hexa also offer flat folding third row, but their third row only folds forward and hence with the seatback placed on the seatbase - the height available in the cabin is much compromised. Still, XUV5OO is my second recommendation.

In Innova Crysta, simply fold the row, and tie it sideways, it will work, same with XUV5OO, although flat folding seats, but height is still okay.

Pictures for your reference:

In case length is also needed, try to get a good used XUV5OO, I am 5'11" and I perfectly fit in the XUV 5OO with folded seats when I lay down there on long trips (we carry the mattress and always make a bed there), just fold the seats, put a mattress; and you have a perfect bed boot - additionally, the bigger glass area will probably we loved by your Dane too.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by handsofsteel

Thanks for the very pertinent points regarding the air conditioning (preferably roof mounted)and mattresses/rubber sheets. But I have tried a storme with a full grown Dane and it didn't cut it. To illustrate, my dog is barely 5 months old but is taller than a full blown GSD. Further, his growth spurt lasts till the age of 2

The backside of Safari has a height of 44 inches. A fully grown male Great Dane will reach a height of around 34 inches - leaving sufficient head room. Width is about 64 inches inside which leaves enough space to turn.
Being a huge dog, Danes have high metabolic rates. You will need to carry a lot of water to quench his thirst when he is traveling during the day time.