budget full size car vs Intermediate SUV?

[ktate82]

We will have two adults and two tweens. Which would offer the most room luggage wise? The full size car example is a Malibu and the intermediate SUV example is a ford escape. There is a difference of about $100 between the two, but if the escape is larger, then it would be worth it.

 

[NJ Goofy]

The Escape is going to give you more cargo capacity because you can pile up the suitcases to the ceiling. I think numbers wise the Escape has 34 cu ft vs 16 cu ft for the Malibu's trunk. Now if you only place suitcases to seat height they're probably about the same, give or take.

 

[monorailsilver]

I would think the escape with the cargo space.

We have had 6 of us traveling and 3 of our rental car years, wait no, 2 we had a 7 seater van and one a traverse and this past April a yukonxl. Let's just say I have blown the car rental budget and reserved a XL for next April for under $1000 (I check rates daily thru the Bjs website).

But with the van the 6 of us fit all our carryons in the back plus a few back packs (kids and my mom kept theirs). And we were able to squeeze 7 beach chairs, umbrella, cooler, etc...

But the Yukon XL....there was no puzzle in trying to fit everything in so I told my DH screw the van!

 

[barbliny]

If you are going to be parking your 'car' at any time with the luggage still in it - be aware that rental SUVs do not always have the privacy cover for the cargo area, your luggage may be in plain sight.

We always go to a park or Disney Springs on our last day with the luggage in the car before we go to the airport. So, we tend to stay away from SUVs.

 

[ktate82]

If you are going to be parking your 'car' at any time with the luggage still in it - be aware that rental SUVs do not always have the privacy cover for the cargo area, your luggage may be in plain sight.

We always go to a park or Disney Springs on our last day with the luggage in the car before we go to the airport. So, we tend to stay away from SUVs.

The only day we will have our luggage in our car is on the very last day when we come from the port. We plan to spend the morning at MK, have lunch, and then head to the airport. I don't like the idea of our luggage being out there, but it's substantially cheaper to rent the SUV than a minvan (which just has the tinted windows).

I would think the escape with the cargo space.

We have had 6 of us traveling and 3 of our rental car years, wait no, 2 we had a 7 seater van and one a traverse and this past April a yukonxl. Let's just say I have blown the car rental budget and reserved a XL for next April for under $1000 (I check rates daily thru the Bjs website).

But with the van the 6 of us fit all our carryons in the back plus a few back packs (kids and my mom kept theirs). And we were able to squeeze 7 beach chairs, umbrella, cooler, etc...

But the Yukon XL....there was no puzzle in trying to fit everything in so I told my DH screw the van!

I have had a Yukon XL once and it was amazing! I can't justify the expense for two weeks or I would!

 

[monorailsilver]

I have had a Yukon XL once and it was amazing! I can't justify the expense for two weeks or I would!

It was pure luck for us this past April. We rented a 7 seater van, there were 6 of us, DH, myself, our 3 kids and my mom. Plus my sister and occasionally her husband since we were visiting them (we all wouldn't fit in it).

My DH forgot to check the skip the counter so we went to the counter, they asked for $100 more if we wanted an 8 seater van. We were happy, in FL and on vacation so we said yes!

They couldn't find an 8 seater when we went back outside so they "upgraded" us to a "large SUV". My question to the lady was: is it the one with a lot of room in the back. Because our last upgrade 2 yrs prior was a traverse and that had no truck I space for beach chairs (it was not fun). The lady said yes. They came out with an explorer hat seated 8 (I think it was an explore, it was Ford and an 8 seater). Ok. So I opened the back to out in our 6 pieces of luggage (all carry on size for the plane) and there was as much space if not less then the traverse. I said no. The lady said "put the seat down" so we would have room. Um...no we are going to the beach every day with at least 7 chairs, 1-2 umbrellas, 7 people a cooler and a few bags for towels, the seat down will not work.

Then they came out with the Yukon....we fit ever so comfortably! We drove it to the keys and were so comfortable. We took all 8 of us in one car to the beach a few days and to dinner. So freakin nice! We paid $700 for 12 days.

We came home and got in our crappy 7 seater van...sigh..

I was all set to get a Costco membership when my DH said to look at BJs so I did and we rented a XL for 12 days for just over $900 from Alamo. That is with no other codes, just logging in thru BJs.

 

[Funfire240]

You might get a better deal on a full size SUV. We rented from Alamo in Fort Lauderdale last month and it was cheaper to rent the full size Ford Expedition that it was to rent a midsize car for the same time period! Worked perfect for us with the extra room and then with the family we were meeting up with we were all able to ride to dinner in one vehicle.

 

[ktate82]

You might get a better deal on a full size SUV. We rented from Alamo in Fort Lauderdale last month and it was cheaper to rent the full size Ford Expedition that it was to rent a midsize car for the same time period! Worked perfect for us with the extra room and then with the family we were meeting up with we were all able to ride to dinner in one vehicle.

I have found deals like that before too. The standard SUV was cheaper by several hundred dollars. I'll be stalking the site to see if it drops any more.

 

[Shinydoc]

I am interested from the perspective of room in the back, particularly width for 3 passenger comfort?

Any experience gratefully received

 

[maxiesmom]

I am interested from the perspective of room in the back, particularly width for 3 passenger comfort?

Any experience gratefully received

I would definitely go with the suv. I have rented an intermediate from Alamo my last 2 trips, and I think it would work better than a car.

 

[Shinydoc]

We had a full size car last year, but am concerned that the intermediate SUV will be narrower for the 3 adults in the back?

 

[Mikey15]

We had a full size car last year, but am concerned that the intermediate SUV will be narrower for the 3 adults in the back?

That's the trade-off. An Escape (CR-V, Rav4, Rogue, Equinox) will be narrower and less comfortable for passengers, but potentially have more cargo stacking room. Sedans in the Malibu (Fusion, Accord, Camry, Altima) class are usually wider and have more legroom in the back.

Of course, your Budget experience could be like ours a few weeks back. Saturday night. Half-hour+ line at the counter to get your car. Out of our "full size car" reservation. Being told "you can get this for $8 more per day" over and over, held firm on paying no more than we booked at. Ended up with a Jeep Grand Cherokee for "full size car" price. Used a little more gas for the week (still only spend $40), but lucked into a much more comfortable vehicle.

Don't make the mistake that other people in line with us made. One of the "alternatives" we were offered was a Mazda CX-3 "SUV." Hah. We knew enough to say no, as it's a small, glorified hatchback. When we were loading our Jeep, a group of 3 people (all adults) walked up to the CX-3 parked next to it, and they bursted out laughing. They had no idea how small it was. ...This is probably mainly a Saturday night, low inventory problem with Budget, but the long lines have happened to me twice now. What takes time is the staff at the counter having to look up cars to assign to people; despite us all having made reservations, no one's car seems to be preassigned to them. It's a free-for-all on anything available.

Also (semi-off-topic) both of my Budget rentals have had tire trouble. The first one had a slow leak that needed air top-off, on top of a bulge in the sidewall. The Jeep had bald rear tires, and was rental-spec rear-wheel-drive so if you didn't check you might get a bit of a surprise driving in the rain. On top of that, the Jeep was overdue for an oil change. Basically, Budget doesn't maintain their fleet, so be careful when picking up your vehicle to look for any potential safety issues.

 

[Shinydoc]

That's the trade-off. An Escape (CR-V, Rav4, Rogue, Equinox) will be narrower and less comfortable for passengers, but potentially have more cargo stacking room. Sedans in the Malibu (Fusion, Accord, Camry, Altima) class are usually wider and have more legroom in the back.

Of course, your Budget experience could be like ours a few weeks back. Saturday night. Half-hour+ line at the counter to get your car. Out of our "full size car" reservation. Being told "you can get this for $8 more per day" over and over, held firm on paying no more than we booked at. Ended up with a Jeep Grand Cherokee for "full size car" price. Used a little more gas for the week (still only spend $40), but lucked into a much more comfortable vehicle.

Don't make the mistake that other people in line with us made. One of the "alternatives" we were offered was a Mazda CX-3 "SUV." Hah. We knew enough to say no, as it's a small, glorified hatchback. When we were loading our Jeep, a group of 3 people (all adults) walked up to the CX-3 parked next to it, and they bursted out laughing. They had no idea how small it was. ...This is probably mainly a Saturday night, low inventory problem with Budget, but the long lines have happened to me twice now. What takes time is the staff at the counter having to look up cars to assign to people; despite us all having made reservations, no one's car seems to be preassigned to them. It's a free-for-all on anything available.

Also (semi-off-topic) both of my Budget rentals have had tire trouble. The first one had a slow leak that needed air top-off, on top of a bulge in the sidewall. The Jeep had bald rear tires, and was rental-spec rear-wheel-drive so if you didn't check you might get a bit of a surprise driving in the rain. On top of that, the Jeep was overdue for an oil change. Basically, Budget doesn't maintain their fleet, so be careful when picking up your vehicle to look for any potential safety issues.

Thanks, That's really helpful, thank you.