For one of the off season things TRx 145 did was a 4th of July thing and I got stuck with picking up 2 small robots and 2 IOs with my mom’s small Pontiac G6. A fellow team member went with me and questioned if we could make them fit. After a couple tries we got them in there. It was tight, but worked.
I wouldn’t call a G6 small–just try the G5 or Vibe! (Ah, the joys of working at a Pontiac dealer…)
At the same time, I’ve wondered just how small a vehicle one could fit an FRC robot into. My first-gen Honda CR-V fits one 60"-tall robot on its side without bumpers, and it’s no Hummer; can anyone vouch for fitting one into something smaller?
I loved it when Laurie Vertz told me that one of the biggest factors she was looking at when purchasing her new car (she eventually purchased a Ford Escape I believe) was making sure it could fit a robot in it. She would bring a measuring tape to the dealerships.
Compared to the old Jeep we had it’s small, but we also had a small table and like 3 or 4 camping chairs.
You may laugh, but it’s definitely one of the criteria on my list of contenders for The Car To Replace The CR-V When It Croaks. It’s not the only criterion (and not a non-negotiable), but it is on the radar.
I might have to break out the tape measure at lunch tomorrow, as this thread makes me wonder…
I had our 2004 robot in my 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder. Of course, the top was down.
With a little love I was able to fit our Rack and Roll bot and our Aim High bot in my mom’s '05 Honda Odyssey. But we had to put down the rear seats and take out the captains chairs and it still just barely fit.
we managed to fit 4 sheets of 4’x5’ (aprx) aluminum plate in the back of my friends bug, which also drove the robot down to seattle and back 4 times. That car has soo much space in it.
It’s possible to fit one robot and OI board (and 2 people) in a Ford Escort or Focus wagon, as long as you fold the rear seats down.
As you can see i had to do the same.
It was longer than tomorrow, but I’ve had a chance to take a tape measure to some plausible models around the lot. I’m making the brash assumption that the full-size vans, SUVs, and crossovers (which, for us, would entail the GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave, GMC Savana, and GMC Yukon/Yukon XL) will fit a robot without incident. I’m also assuming that robots won’t be tripped up by a few bumps in the back cargo area; robots that took every milimeter of space might not fit even where I say it would. Long story short, your mileage may vary.
The Pontiac Torrent (and its sibling, the Chevy Equinox) will fit a robot on its side with inches to spare.
Both generations (2003-2008, and 2009-up) of the Pontiac Vibe will fit a 28"x38" base. All else equal, go for the first generation for two reasons. First, the original can fit a 60" robot with just the back seats down; the 2009 model doesn’t go that deep. (2009 models with the 2.4L engine get a fold-flat front passenger seat, which might help those with arm towers.) Second, the 2009 models have rather grippy strips along the cargo area that help keep things from sliding around–good if you’re moving smaller things around, potentially frustrating if you try to slide a robot in. First-gen models can take advantage of GM’s interior design of earlier this decade and slide it on in without any such hindrances. (Ignoring the robot-hauling aspect, though, I think the new models are a nice improvement in refinement.)
Still on my To-Measure list are the Saab 9-3 SportCombi (the wagon variant of their entry-level model) and the GMC Envoy (or its siblings, the Chevy Trailblazer and Saab 9-7X). The former is a toss-up, in my estimation; I am mostly confident that the Envoy will be able to fit one.
Anyone else make some discoveries in the meantime?