To carry a double bass, which is about 6 feet tall, 3 feet across and 1.5 feet deep. Japanese preferred, American OK.
It looks like you’ll be shopping in the small wagon/hatchback/minivan segment that includes the Scion xB, Mazda5, Honda Element and Chevrolet HHR. We’ve actually heard accounts of people using the xB to carry an upright bass, so it would be a good starting point.
Mileage isn’t stellar on these small cars: the xB is rated at 22/28 mpg city/highway; the HHR gets 21/30 mpg with a manual transmission and 2.2-liter engine; and the Mazda5 is 22/28 mpg with a manual transmission. The Element is the biggest offender at 20/25 for an automatic with front-wheel drive.
If you want better fuel economy, a Ford Escape hybrid may be worth a look although its base price is around $8,000 more than the other models we mentioned. The small hybrid SUV has fuel economy ratings of 34/30 mpg and like the aforementioned, has a folding second row.
Take note: These cars may fit the bill, but stuffing a double bass into test cars isn’t always on our check list — actually, it never is — so be sure to take your tape measure when you go car shopping or bring the piece along for the ride. And please take a picture of the salesman’s face when you’re stuffing a vintage Bohemian double bass into the back of an xB.
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Expert Reviews:
I managed to carry an upright bass, a 300W bass amplifier a keyboard, keyboard stand, two PA speakers and a keyboard player in my 1997 Honda Accord station wagon.
And that car once drove me 40 miles through the desert on a single gallon of gas. Granted in standard city driving the mileage was more like 30mpg but I never once had a complaint with the fuel consumption or instrument carrying capacity of that car.
it works
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Joe:
Please let me know when you need to test "stuffing" (ahem) a double bass into one of the Cars.com fleet. I'll bring mine in. It's Scottish, not Bohemian, but I think for the purposes of the test, it will work.
Now, do you want me to tell the story about getting a double bass into a Datsun 280Z ?
Jacque Harper
Senior User Experience Manager
Cars.com