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Try it and see. Do remember, new dogs come in a smaller package and then it slowly expands over time so you won't start with two large dogs.

I have two Hungarian Vizslas, I put them in the boot when I had my test drive and it seemed OK for fit (all shelves removed). I'll update when we actually have the car.

Most importantly, we can have some decent pics on the i4 forum 😁

One of my dogs

The two of them playing (yes, I know it looks like they are trying to kill each other - typical Vizsla play!)

 

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Was that tough to remove?

When I first read that, I thought you meant the dogs head 😲

 

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Nice pics ! What are your camera & lens ?
(please, don't tell me iphone and digital blur)

Nikon D810 with AF-S 70-200 f2.8

Didn't cost as much as the i4 but it felt like it at the time. Doesn't get as much use as it should do ATM.

 

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@PJS1986 - To post in this thread, you have to include a picture of your dog 😁

 

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Yes, ATM - at the moment

Clearly Robert Capa has never had to photograph dogs actually doing something (as opposed to sitting for a portrait). There are plenty of times I could do with something longer but lugging around the weight on 10 mile walk tends to preclude that. I also found the 'long end' of the 70-210 great for candids of the kids when they were younger (and also adults). That extra distance stops them being self conscious.

Photographs of the car? Nah. Candids are my thing, capturing those unique moments of emotion. Cars are boring. Fun to drive but really boring to look at, I have never seen my car laugh, smile, cry. The only photographs I have taken of cars is for insurance claims 😖

 

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I'm sure Capa is a much, much more accomplished photographer than me. However, he would have been in the position where there was plenty happening right up close or lots to capture with a more panoramic photograph. I also suspect his subjects were too 'busy' to be conscious of being photographed.

My dogs are a hunting breed and roam freely when we are out in woods and fields. They can be 100, 200, 300, 500 metres away from me when they do something I want to capture.

...and also apologies for going off topic but sometimes it's nice to talk about something other than the car I don't have 😌

 

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We aren't allowed to post links on this site but for anybody looking for a full padded boot liner in the UK, search for hatchbag and rhinoukbootlinersltd

The Hatchbag liners are much better fitting but they don't currently have an i4 version. They are based in Manchester and if anybody can spare their car for 4 hours, they will scan it so they can make them and whoever provides the car gets their boot liner free.

The Rhino is custom to the car but a more generic style. They also don't have an i4 version but I suspect that their 2022 4 Series Grand Coupe version should do the job.

I'm expecting my car in a couple of months (🤞) and if Hatchbag don't have an i4 version by then, I'm going to try the Rhino version.

 

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I treat my dog like I would a child, so the trunk/cargo space is out of the question.

I also treat my dogs like my kids too. That's why I put them in the boot 😉

I'm not personally convinced that they are any safer on the back seat with a harness and buckle. A harness and buckle still allows a lot of forward movement, twisting the dog about the fixing point. It is nothing like a human having a seat belt on. In the trunk, as they are very close to the dividing wall, their forward motion is a lot more constrained.

I wonder if anybody has done any testing of the alternatives.

 

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Even the smallest dog can kill you if he's not tied up and you have a full frontal accident.

You're not a dog person are you @JST1963 ? 🙂

You are quite correct but @KCWolfPck and I are also trying to minimise harm to the dog as well!

Every recommendation I have ever read says the safest place for a dog is harnessed and buckled in the back seat. If you've read different, I'm happy read that article as well.

I don't doubt what you say or that you want to do the best for your dog. My issue is that people will quite happily recommend things on the basis of what they think is best but that they have no empirical evidence for, i.e. it is just their opinion but they express it as though it is fact, sometimes quite vehemently. If you have any articles that actually test the different solutions I would love to read them.

 

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Why? What Have I said (wrong)?

LOL. It was just you focussed on the damage the dog could to to the occupants.

You are of course wise to point out the damage loose items can do in a crash (even our beloved pets, family, friends etc.) and it is good to remind everybody of that.

 

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but there’s only so much you can do

I would agree but express it differently. Risk is not an absolute thing but a balance. I looked at your footwell solution and thought that isn't a bad way to deal with the problem. In most accidents the dog and passengers are pretty well protected from a sudden deceleration. If you roll the car then you and the dog could have a problem. You have to balance the level of that risk against the disadvantages of the other solutions.

If you don't want risk associated with driving, don't drive. If you want to protect your kids, don't let them climb trees. A safer life but oh so dull. It's like the punchline to an old joke, "you don't live longer, it just feels like it" 😔

 

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I'm just wondering has anyone used this car for two dogs yet?

Unfortunately I'm still waiting for my car (currently scheduled for production first week of August).

 

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To clarify, I'm mostly thinking about our daily walk, which is a 15 minute drive (7.5 minutes in the i4 😉). I don't think this will be an issue with the i4, especially as one usually lies down and the other sits up. Longer journeys (which are rare) will probably have to be the back seats with a harness but I'll have a better idea once I know how they are on the shorter trips..

 

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One of my concerns about getting this car was how the dogs would be in the boot. No problem at all! Been out with them a few times and they have been very settled. They are actually much better than in the back of my Mercedes estate. They never particularly liked being in that car, despite it having more head room (not being a sloping hatchback). They are much better in the i4, even the wife has commented on it so it isn't just my imagination. We tend to forget that they aren't human beings sometimes and for dogs, being in a more confined space can be comforting (a bit like hiding under the kitchen table when there are fireworks).

At the moment I have a Rhino boot liner. It isn't the one I wanted to order but when I researched this, the Hatchbag Company didn't have one available. Their boot liners are much better fitted but they needed an i4 to do all the laser measurements to make the liner (it takes about 6 hours to measure!) When I was told my i4 would be with me in June, I had to go with the second choice option as I had to have something ready for the dogs. Of course the car never came in June but the end of November, by which time my preferred option was in production 🤬

I decided not to order the Hatchbag but try out the Rhino as I already had it and it may have been fine. Also I wanted to find out if the dogs were OK in the boot before I considered spending more money on a different liner.

It's definitely better than nothing but the bumper flap isn't wide enough and the dogs will sometimes stand on the exposed bumper when they are jumping in. Also the carpeted bit just inside the bumper isn't covered so will get dog hairs embedded in it. Finally, some of the sticky backed Velcro is supposed to be stuck to carpeted bits and that is never going to work, so it comes away at the sides (I've pushed it back for the photo). I've now ordered the Hatchbag one 😞

 

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It wasn't my 'dog day' today (I alternate with my better half) but I did plan to follow up with a photo. I know what you lot a like, so demanding 😉

I'll also do a photo of the other boot liner when I get it.

 

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Here you go - Lyra and Ruta

Ruta is on the right and giving the world her best imperious look. Lyra looks a bit disgusted by it.

Inside

Arrival

And clean up later after a muddy, wet walk

 

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They fit! ❤ There’s hope for my two GSDs yet. I’ve just got to get over the ‘but they’ll make my shiny car all dirty’ reservation first.

The other liner should arrive tomorrow and I will post pics once I've fitted it. The newer one has even better coverage but the current one just about covers everything and I can't see any way they can get anything dirty. I ordered both the current and the new liner with the optional cover for the back seat. The blurb talked about drooling but I was more concerned with them putting their paws on the back seat and scratching the leather.

In the old car, there was a cargo net separating the the boot from the back seats. On occasion, one of the dogs would decide they wanted out and would climb over the back seats, slipping down the side of the net. Little buggers. With the i4 I did originally leave the centre headrest in place in case they tried to climb over but there has been no sign of them wanting to do that so I have removed it (for better rear visibility and I never use the middle seat).

Finally @Squirrel1974 , you don't get any more pics until you follow this threads rules - dog pics!

 

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OK, pics of the other (Hatchbag) boot liner as promised!

This is the initial fit. As you can see, the liner covers the entire boot, all the way up to the rubber seals. It also goes right into the pockets at the sides (you can just make out my charging cable in the left hand pocket and first aid kit in the right). The bumper cover is folded up on the floor of the boot in this picture. The sticky back velcro is nearly all stuck to plastic, there are a few small bits stuck to carpet at the sides but they seem to be holding for now.

Here is another photo with the boot cover extended and the optional flap over the back seats fitted. This is the one bit I'm not 100% happy with. The other boot liner fitted around the headrest posts so was nice and flat over the back seats (with seperate covers for the headrests). This one goes over the headrests so doesn't hang very well and obstructs the already limited rear view even more. The hang is made worse by the fact I have removed the middle head rest (it obstructs the view and I'm never going to have a middle back seat passenger). What I will probably do is make holes in the this cover, fit it directly over the back seats and mount the headrests through the holes. I will also have to trim the length so it doesn't hang all the way down over the back seats. This will leave the headrests uncovered but this isn't an issue with my dogs and I could always use the headrest covers from the other boot liner if needed. You will also see I have put the padded foam bottom from the other boot liner in the bottom. Hatchbag do make their own mats but I already had this one and theirs are quite expensive.

Apart from the issue with the back seat cover, I'm really happy with this boot liner. I much prefer it over the Rhino liner but, like for like, it works out at about twice the cost. There is a lot of attention to detail, including clear bits where the boot lights are, so they aren't obstructed and vents in the liner where the vents in the car are.

Finally, the also make an optional lining for the inside of the tailgate but as that is all hard plastic on the i4 (so easy to clean) I decided not to get it.

 

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Does this mean you have to stick Velcro holders around the inside of the car which are visible when the boot cover isn't there?

Yes, but that isn't an issue for me as it will always be fitted. I can't see a reason to remove it really. It isn't unsightly, it gives the boot a waterproof lining and I don't intend to smuggle people in the boot ATM. You can't even see it with the boot closed as the back half of the car is all tinted and you can still re-fit the shelf with the liner in position if you want. The bit that goes over the headrests is a seperate bit and can just be removed if you want.

One thing I did forget to say though, because it is so closely fitted, you have to remove the all-weather boot mat if you bought it. Wish I hadn't now as it will probably sit in storage for the rest of its existence.

 

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Does this mean you have to stick Velcro holders around the inside of the car

When I started reading that I thought you were referring to @onetribeyoyo 's picture, suggesting he attached his fluffy dog to the back seat with velcro!