Before I sold my Honda Pilot a few months before the pandemic started, it had served me well for hauling rough lumber (8 - 9 feet long) and sheet goods. But I never tried any 4x8 sheet, which I always get it broken down smaller (4x4 or 3x8, etc.) at the lumber yard first. These days, most stores do the cuts for free.

Now, I still have another full-size SUV, just a little smaller than the Pilot. It works well for my lumber needs, as I use ply or MDF mostly for jigs or shop builds, which don't require anything close to even half a sheet size.

For 1/8" ply, it's thin and flexible so my SUV can take the whole sheet.

I'm pleasantly surprised that my 2006 Nissan Maxima can haul 10' long 2x4s between the front seats with the trunk closed, just not very many of them.

I drove a Transit Connect as an occasional shop truck at my old job and I think the front passenger seat folded down, which made hauling longer, wider items a lot easier.  No way it would have gotten sheet goods in it very easily.

I miss my parents' old Ford Aerostar Extended.  The seats weighed a ton and were cumbersome to take out, but it held 4x8 sheets between the wheels without any problems.

Easily accommodates several 4x8 sheets with the tailgate up.

I use a '14 Honda Pilot - the older generation "box" style rather than the newer curvy one.  It has >48" between the wheel wells.  Unfortunately, it's not possible to do more than about 76-80" in length of a 48" wide sheet without figuring out a way to tie the tailgate open (which I haven't done).  Still, it's been awesome for plywood (usually have the store cross-cut into rough dimension), foam insulation, drywall (small amounts - obviously full sheets would just have delivered).

I'm also able to fit 10' lumber and pipe with the tailgate closed.

Another nice feature is the window hatch in the tailgate - great for grabbing tools without opening the entire liftgate.

Ah, the station wagon. An El Camino with a built in bed cap and four doors. :-)

Done in by the SUV. Chrysler tried to bring the wagon back with the Dodge Magnum,
didn't really catch on though which I thought was unfortunate.

Quote from: tjbnwi on November 05, 2021, 04:23 PM

2000 Excursion 7.3 PSD w/400K on it.

Pretty much handles whatever I need.

Tom

Seems it's designed for the Southern Hemisphere. 

Very sticky tires.

(Happens when I post from the iPad. I’ll fix it when I get to a computer.)

Tom

I had a 2011 Pilot.  Sheet goods would go on the roof rack, and 2-3 sheets is just around the 200 lb limit.  Lumber stuff would go through the tailgate glass and rest on the seats.  I now have a 2021 pilot and the glass does not open anymore, which makes it strictly worse for utility than the boxier version.

I have an extended cab F-150 with a 6.5' bed.  Very easy to get ~15 sheets of plywood or drywall in it - as a DIYer I haven't needed more.  With the gate down, you have a full 8' supported.  For longer trim and lumber, I have a backrack cab guard and a goal post tailgate extender that will let me get 16'+ easily extended over the cab, bed and a foot out.  The same extender can be put horizontally for longer than 8' sheets of drywall.

The extended cab isn't super comfortable in the back for 2 teenagers and a 100lb dog, but it works in a pinch and I use the medium bed for stuff more than the backseat of cab for people.

I bought my 2018 (2019 model year) Ford Ranger Wildtrak super cab shown in my avatar specifically for hauling lumber, sheet goods, and anything else I don't want in the seat next to or behind me.  It is my daily driver and is as comfortable at Autobahn speeds as any car I've owned.  The new ranger replaced a 2003 Ford Ranger Edge that had a stiff suspension and was brutal to drive.  Although the Wildtrak is larger in every dimension than the Edge, it just fits in my garage after I got rid of my workbenches and storage shelves.  The Edge fit with the workbenches and shelves.

With the rack I built for the bed, I can easily carry 15 full sheets of 18 or 19mm plywood in the Wildtrak with the tailgate down.

I have been trying to find out if one can carry 4x8 sheet goods in a Kia Telluride. Haven't gone to a dealer yet.
We currently have a Honda Odyssey (2006); you have to take the very heavy middle seats out to carry sheet goods, and I've decided our next large vehicle will NOT be one where the seats need to be removed for that purpose.

Clearly a minivan/SUV or pickup works best for hauling.

But if you are looking for a sedan, make sure the rear seats fold down.   That helps a great deal.   
I can put 10 foot dimensional lumber into my Q50 and close the trunk.
I am limited to 32" boards for width, but in the 5 years I have had this car, that has been enough.

A few times during the pandemic lockdowns, you had to do curb-side pickup and their panel saw was not available.    So brought by circular saw, etc to the store and ripped down 4x8 sheets in the parking lot.

Chevy Avalanche!!  I bought one new in 2002, and traded it for this one in 2005.  I don't think I'll ever get rid of it, as no other trucks have the functionality.  5' of bed with tailgate up, covered or not, and 8' with the seats and midgate (and rear window if you want) down.  I've had 12' stock under cover passing through the front seats and resting on a towel on the dash.  Plus it rides and drives great, even with the Z71 offroad package, has 4wd, Bose, heated leather, DVD in rear, etc etc.  Newer ones have center display.  I love it and they are becoming more valuable as people rediscover what they can do.
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Man @fignewton I'm with you on this one...they haul lumber, they haul large dogs, they haul groceries and the wife and all at the same time while keeping everything dry. 

2016 Dodge Caravan with Stow and Go. Last (or possibly next to last) year for the Caravan and mine is one without all the electronic dashboard stuff. Don't know what I'll do when it dies. And, no, the Pacifica is not the same. I don't need a light show on the dash board, nor surroundings quite as plush as the Pacifica.

For those with cars a small 4x8' folding trailer can haul most everything you need. They store taking up a reasonable foot print. The good thing about a trailer is no weight, other than tongue weight is on the vehicle, and there is nothing getting the interior dirty. The small trailers weigh like 160#'s or something so very light. No problem towing with a Honda or Toyota for reasonable sized loads.

Suburban, like Tom's Excursion they have a 10ft bed with the ability to lay 4' wide material flat inside. A 3/4 ton allows one to rent trailers, like a concrete U-cart, wood chipper, rent an HD drop deck trailer for moving old iron, etc.

2014 Suburban.   I've removed the third row of seats, but I wish the second row folded down all the way flush with the level of the rear deck the way it does in my Dad's 2004 Suburban

I recently sold my last pickup, and after having a pickup for almost 35 years, I thought I would not be able to get by without a truck. I finally made a deal with myself that if I can't move whatever it is that I want in the Suburban, then I won't do the project.   That put an end to things like concrete work, landscaping, and demo.

I should have figured this out a long time ago  .

Jeff mentioned the new vehicles and the 747 dashboards.  That's my worry, as well. I looked at my friend's new Tahoe and like the truck but good grief, the electronics are waaay more than what I want in a vehicle.

I have a Telluride.  A sheet of plywood does not fit inside.