Skip to main content

Video: Advice: Top 10 Tailgating Features

03:42 min
By Cars.com Editors
May 13, 2009

About the video

The Cars.com staff walks you through their Top 10 Tailgating Features.

Transcript

(upbeat rock music) Hi. I'm Patrick Olson, managing editor for cars.com. And this is our top 10 tailgating features. First up on our list is a Honda Ridgeline. To tell you about that is our own Kelsey Maze, Kelsey. Thanks Patrick.
We like the Ridgelines composite in bed trunk. Which can be filled with 8.5 cubic feet of cargo. It also comes with a composite floor and a drain plug, which we've used to fill with 60 pounds of ice, and three cases of soda. With something like this, you can pretty much leave your cooler at home. Next up is Dave Thomas was the Dodge Nitro. Thanks Kelsey. We're here with a new feature this year. It's in the Dodge Nitro, it's called a load and go floor. It's the only model that has it. It's basically a sliding cargo floor and you just grab the handle here, put it, push in the button, and it slides right out. So you can get to things like coolers much more easily. Especially if you don't have a Honda Ridgeline. And it can also double as a picnic table and it just slides, very easily right back in. Now to Phil Jackson with the Dodge Caliber. Nice throw Dave. Here with the Dodge Caliber, what we really like about it are these fold down speakers. You can use them to listen to music through your iPod in the auxiliary jack or the pregame show. Now over to Renee with the Jeep Compass. Thanks Bill. The Jeep Compass comes with a removable cargo floor. It's made of durable vinyl. So when you get home from the game, you just take a hose and wash it off. Next up is Patrick with the Honda Odyssey. Oh nice throw Renee. So the Honda obviously is a great tailgating vehicle for a number of reasons. One, you've got to get people to the game. So minivan, carry seven people, you'd get them there. What's also great though, is when you're carrying those seven people, with the third row in the seating position, there's plenty of space in the back. Whether it's for the beanbag game, whether it's for extra coolers, whatever you need it to carry, including the football. Next on our list are some Chrysler minivans, and they've got some cool features as well for tailgating. A lot of minivans have offered tailgate seats for some time. The concept is pretty simple. The third row seat pivots onto its backside. So party goers can unwind facing out the cargo area. We like the power tailgate seat in 2008 Chrysler Town and Country because it can motor back upright into its stowed position with the push of a button. I'm Lindsay Beauregard, and I'm talking about the GMC Acadia. It's great for tailgating because it's got controls for the stereo in the back as well as in the front. So if you're tailgating and you want to change a radio station, you don't have to go all the way around in front and get in the car to change it. You can just do it from the back controls. <v Male Speaker>The Honda Element is a great tailgating car for lots of reasons. One is the washable floor, but one of the things we like best about it are the stain resistant seats. Spill a little mustard, a little ketchup, perhaps your kids, and it just wipes right off, and you don't have to have a permanent memory of every game that you go to. [Different Male Announcer] The 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan offers some pretty innovative swivel and go seats, Swivel and go, include second row captain's chairs, which rotate 180 degrees to face the third row. There's a removable table that sits right in between them, so up to five people can sit inside the minivans climate controlled interior. <v Male Announcer>When you're tailgating and you have the need for an outlet for a small appliance, whether it's a TV or some other small appliances, the Touareg is great. It offers a two-prong outlet in the back of it so that you can plug in. Also, it has four, 12 volt outlets so you can use an inverter or plug in a anything that has a car adapter. So if you're a tailgater and you're looking for a new car, keep these 10 in mind. For cars.com, this is Vanessa Hand. Thanks for watching. <v Announcer>For more car related news, go to cars.com or our blog KickingTires.