Pet-Friendly Cars Built With Furry Friends In Mind
Traveling could be a very enjoyable experience. With a pet in tow, traveling becomes twice as fun. Of course, traveling with pets means that car owners must make sure that their vehicles are equipped with features designed to make trips as comfortable as possible for their furry friends. Here then, is a list of pet-friendly vehicles that owners can consider.
US News lists the 2017 Honda CR-V, 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, and 2018 Subaru Forester as excellent vehicles to consider for owners who often travel with their pets. All these cars have spacious trunks so pets can be comfortable while in transit.
Some features are specific to each vehicle which may sway pet-owners’ opinions on which car is the best fit for their furry friend. For instance, the 2017 Honda CR-V has a very flat cargo area which is ideal for owners who place their pets in crates while traveling. The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, on the other hand, has a flat floor at the back as well, but also a low entry-point so pets can easily climb up into it. There are also several places owners can anchor their crates in Chrysler’s pet-friendly hybrid.
Lastly, the 2018 Subaru Forester has all of the features in the Honda CR-V and Pacifica, plus an automatic reverse parking feature. The Forester’s feature may not seem tailor-fit for pets, but it could help owners park when their pet’s crate is obstructing their rear view. The reverse parking feature will automatically brake if it senses any obstacles in the way, obstacles that a pet-owner might not see if a dog crate were at the back.
Apparently it’s #NationalPetDay so we thought we'd bring back the #Nissan #XTrail 4Dogs concept for this special occasion. Pawfect! pic.twitter.com/ag43by3hZa
— Nissan Europe (@NissanEurope) April 11, 2018
For hardcore dog lovers that want the ultimate vehicle for their furry friends, there is the Nissan X-Trail 4Dogs, which is literally built with dogs in mind. According to Core77, Nissan’s pet-friendly SUV comes with a pull-out dryer so owners can dry their pets at any time. A dryer might come in handy for those days on the beach. It also comes with a ramp so dogs can enter and exit the vehicle easily. One of the best features, however, might be the dog cam which allows owners to keep an eye on their pets in the back with a live video feed streamed on the dashboard screen. Inasmuch as the X-Trail for Dogs is the perfect pet-friendly car, however, it is still a concept for now, and thus, not available for purchase (yet).
All of the vehicles listed above have pet-friendly advantages, particularly the Nissan X-Trail 4Dogs (provided it gets fully released). However, Tesla vehicles might have the most useful and pet-friendly feature of all. Tesla’s electric cars have an overheat protection feature for dogs, as well as a Keep Climate On feature. Both of these features can protect pets from overheating when left inside a vehicle by themselves.
A growing number of people are becoming more aware of their pets’ needs and safety when it comes to travel. The cars above considered these concerns when designing these vehicles.
