Recommended 3-Bike Trunk and Hitch Racks for 2004 Saturn Vue

Question:

We want to take my husbands bike, my ladies bike, and my sons bike smaller bike...hes in 3rd grade and is almost too big for it now with us to the beach. Its about a 7 hour drive one way. I have a 2004 Saturn VUE with no hitch. What do we need and would we need additional parts too? The fewer parts the better. Thanks!

asked by: Jennifer

Expert Reply:

The ideal way to transport 3 bikes on your 2004 Saturn Vue is to install a hitch receiver and use a hitch-mount type rack. The reason this is best is that a hitch rack avoids putting all that bike weight on the car's rear hatch, which isn't really intended to hold a lot of weight. Typical adult bikes can weight 30-35-lbs and so two of them along with a child's bike could easily weigh 85-lbs. Add to that the weight of the trunk-mount rack itself and you're getting close to 100-lbs. Also, you do not lose the use of your rear wiper AND hitch racks can be better secured to your car for theft prevention than a trunk-mount rack. A hitch also let's you use a cargo carrier like # C18145.

Since you'll be travelling a long distance a sturdy Class III hitch like # 13591 from Curt is a great choice since it requires no drilling and bolts on with hardware that is included with the hitch. The linked video shows the complete installation process on your exact model year Vue.

With a 2-inch Class III hitch installed you can use one of the compatible Class III bike racks shown on the linked page. You may care to choose a 4-bike rack just to give you some extra room between the bikes. Also, if you really want to go in style, you could choose a swing-away type rack that gives you full access to the rear cargo area (and all your beach gear) even with all the bikes loaded! An example of such a rack is the Yakima FullSwing # Y02465. Videos on both racks are included to show you their features.

If you don't want to install a hitch and prefer a trunk-mount style rack then the Thule Passage 3 rack # TH911XT is a good choice. If you do use this rack you'll want to load the heavier adult bikes first and your son's bikes last to keep most of the weight load as near to the vehicle as possible.

With either type of rack you might need an adapter bar for your bike and your son's bike if the frames do not allow them to be level on the rack. An adapter bar like # UB01 connects between the seat and handlebar posts to provide a level mounting surface to mate with the carrier's arms. This ensures safe ground clearance at the wheels.