Found out that the newest (15 - ??) Ford Edges will fit a Capcom / Bally / Williams / Stern game but it is a VERY tight fit and if the game has a back-box latch you'll need to remove it or deal with some indents in your head liner. The plastic rear trim piece also makes it a tough slide over the back so make sure you put something (thick cardboard worked well) to protect the bottom of the back of the cabinet. My old (07) Edge had a good inch or two of clearance but the sloped roof line killed that in the newest model.

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Check out the new Ford Expedition XL - surely you can fit two in there!

The new ones got 17/22 in C&D testing - pretty good considering how damn big it is. That price though.... $$$!

Wow, that's incredible. I have a '17 Sport and it's only about 30" at the highest point - definitely won't fit a pin with the head on it. Most games need about 30.5" I believe.

I kept thinking that HAD to be wrong - I don't think even the large full size SUVs have 3.5 feet of clearance at the hatch anymore.

Yep, but just barely. I moved a GOTG pro in one. The backseats do not fold flat and there is a sizable lip on the cargo area edge but it will fit with the head folded down. I'd recommend something like small PVC for rollers at the front to help get the front edge up onto the back of the backseats but you definitely can't have anything other than a blanket or something at the back or it won't fit. It's an odd realization of the current SUV / crossover market that the smaller Escape can haul one easier due to the hatch design.

My take on the Luxury, not enormous, SUV market, based on doing the research two years ago is that the X5 is probably the best choice that will still hold a pin. If you get it with the twin-turbo V8 it's very quick and handles well for what it is. We've seen good reliability out of 5 series BMWs the last 10 years or so, not the same as an X5 but the same powertrain anyway. It is due for a refresh next year but a similarly spec'd Audi will be at least $10K more and I don't think any of their current lineup in that size will haul a pin anyway because the hatches are all sloped off too much. I'm interested to see what the new mid-size models from Lincoln are like, if they are as good as the Navigator and they put the top of the line boosted V6 in them it may be worth a look. It still won't be as quick as that X5 V8 though! Biggest drawback to the X5 IMO is the absolute lack of color choices both outside and in, not a big deal if you're okay with black, grey or white but if you want anything else forget about it.

Yes, but the BMW has nearly 500 HP (it's rated at 445 but that's clearly under-rated), will smoke the same G.C. in any kind of performance test and have a much nicer interior. I guess it depends on what you care more about.

Deleted. I missed the year in question and don't know if it has been changed from the one I had. You can search this thread for postss by me to see my experiences with the one I had.

Thread search is your friend, and apparently it will fit one: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vehicles-that-a-pinball-machine-fits-in/page/19#post-4729256

I have a 2018 Escape and it has about 31.5 inches of space so it will haul one just fine. The seats fold flatter than some other SUVs but the "flap" that covers the gap when down means you need to have it rolling on something or some thick cardboard or other material to help it slide over that bump. And of course it has the plastic trim piece at the door which you need to be careful with to ensure it doesn't damage the edge of cabinet when it slides over.

Just saw the pictures of the 2020 Ford Escape and that rear hatch does not look encouraging.

I'd be very nervous about heat from the exhaust in that situation but I'm sure it depends on the placement and varies vehicle to vehicle. I had a cooler, some chairs, etc. wrapped in an old winter pool cover (heavy tarp essentially) on the back of my Range Rover sport and the exhaust melted two holes in the tarp even though it didn't seem to really be that close to the exhaust tips. Plenty of similar reports of reflective corners on the cheap carriers melting from vehicl exhaust as well.

Ha, I didn't even think of that!

The bumpers likely have a much, much higher melting temperature than decals or paint and definitely higher than a moving blanket, tarp or God forbid, shrink wrap. But the real problem is that the exhaust gas is never directed at the bumper like it could be the pin sitting on your carrier. I don't think it would take long at all at highway speeds to seriously damage decals or even paint on a pin if the gas is hitting it directly. Yours looks fine from what I can tell because the pin is not directly in front of the exhaust pipe but other vehicles with them more in the middle could be a big issue.

http://blog.stowaway2.com/2014/04/protect-your-stowaway-from-the-damage-of-exhaust/

Edit: it can even melt a carbon fiber bike wheel from 14 inches away: https://forums.mtbr.com/california-norcal/psa-dont-put-bike-rack-too-close-exhaust-934298.html

Slightly off-topic but I think that electric-powered head rest adjustment is the most pretentious, unnecessary feature I've ever encountered in a vehicle. However if you switch drivers often and they're significantly different in stature, having that saved is actually kinda nice. Heating steering wheel is definitely a must now.

My advice is to never trust the specs unless they are willing to cancel the sale if it doesn't work for you.

Wanted to say thanks and say this worked perfectly in my 18 Escape which has a pretty big bump where the seats fold down and a large lip at the hatch trim. I took it a step farther and used the remaining piece of the board to extend out the back edge and the game which was wrapped in blankets and shrink wrap just slid right in sight the smaller piece on top of the larger one. Much easier than PVC pipe or anything else I've used, slid back out all by myself just as easily.

They actually fold down I believe but maybe not on an '07. They definitely do on my '18.

I doubt any Escape goes completely flat (my '18 doesn't) but removing the headrests should make it a lot flatter than they are in your picture. If you do that and put down a piece of masonite the game will slide in and out much easier. The seats certainly CAN be removed, all seats can be but just how much work is involved in that is probably beyond the scope of this thread and you may want to find a Ford Escape owners thread on some car forum for that.

The backbox width and the overall height of the game when folded are the same as a standard body game so it should fit, just get some help moving that heavy SOB!

Thread search is your friend: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vehicles-that-a-pinball-machine-fits-in?tq=suburban&tu=

We need someone to measure the hatch opening on the new 2020 Escape, the rear hatch sure looks smaller than the out-going model.

Yeah, there's a lot smaller list of vehicles that will haul a game in the box, even most pickup trucks won't hold it with a cover (not a cap) on it. Most minivans would as long as you can fold or remove the seats.

Do you have the actual measurement of the 2020 Escape? This is what my next company car will likely be and if it won't fit Stern and B/W games with the head folded I may opt out of the program this time around. My 2018 fits most games pretty easily.

Agreed, those are pretty clever. They would take a little time to put on / take off but could easily be worth that depending on your situation.

It folds just like all (?) system 11s (I put the question mark because there may be some early Sys 11 that doesn't fold but certainly the vast majority do) which means you'll need to have more clearance at the hatch. If BK was a tight fit I'd suggest you either carefully measure the hatch opening and / or be prepared to take the head off the game and remember that not all connections from the back-box to the playfield may be connectors. When I had to pull the head off an F14 to get it through a door there were one or two things that made it take longer than I expected but I don't remember exactly what they were.

Did she prohibit you from bringing a tape measure?

The '17 HRV fit one, don't know if they've been changed for the '19 M.Y.

2020 Ford Escape, might fit a B/W but it's gonna be really tight on the sides, and may no longer have room for the piece of smooth material I like to put down first to make it slide in and out easier. Pretty big lip on the bottom at the edge too.

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That is incredibly surprising and disappointing but it follows the general form over function trend in the segment.

A new Ford Edge will not hold one without sliding the head down or removing it.

A quick forum search will lead you to my post on the '20 Escape which is the same as the '21 - the short answer is they made the damn hatch opening too small! https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vehicles-that-a-pinball-machine-fits-in/page/31#post-5961322

+1 on this suggestion, I've tried pool noodles and PVC but I found the pool noodles will fall apart after not very long and both solutions add height to the machine which is a problem if you're dealing with a tight fit to begin with. The biggest negative to the masonite is that the game can really slide around easily so on long trips I make sure I bring additional moving blankets to stuff in the sides and back to keep it stationary.

Where did you rent it from? I have a long move coming up in a few months for probably eight games but also a LOT of fine wine that's been cellar kept so I don't want to ship it uncooled. Something like this may make a good solution for both (in seperate trips).

Only if you completely remove the head, a folded one won't even fit in a Sport and the rear hatch opening is quite a bit taller on the Sport.

If you use the search this thread feature for the words "santa fe" you'll see a multitude of entries covering different years and different sized pins.

How would a Camry ever fit a pinball machine????

That's impressive!

Searching this thread indicates a post from two years ago that doesn't specify the year but shows a Stern fitting easily but a GTB will not without removing the head. Thread search is your friend.

I posted it here some months ago but the hatch on the 2020+ Escape is too low to fit games without removing the head and sliding it down: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vehicles-that-a-pinball-machine-fits-in/page/31#post-5961322

It means unbolting the head from the lower cabinet and sliding the head down the cabinet (obviously with something in between to protect it). Since the lower is slanted this makes the game shorter in height so it will fit.

For long hauls I always put a ratchet strap around the front of the game and anchored to the rear cargo hooks. I didn't ratchet it down tight, just enough to keep the strap in place, this prevents the game from sliding forward on sudden stops.

Yeah, it's too bad Ford changed the design to shrink the rear hatch opening so much, games don't fit without disconnecting the head in the current Escapes.

If it's been asked before but not answered, and since it's not a super-popular model here in the States I'd suggest you are most likely going to have to go measure one yourself (and report back your findings of course).