Is Bigger Better?

Old Jun 1st, 2005, 03:31 AM
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Is Bigger Better?

The aged old question is bigger better;well when it comes to renting a car in Italy I will be renting a car fortwo weeks I know the pitfalls and some area don't rent a car .but no one has talked about trhs size, People who have rented have you rented a car that was to small when driving it it didn't handle well or it was dangerous. please help and is eurocar the right site thank s
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Old Jun 1st, 2005, 03:48 AM
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ira
 
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Hi Pap,

>..is eurocar the right site ...

Also check www.novarentacar.com, www.autoeurope.com, www.gemut.com and www.kemwel.com

If you will be driving in hill country, I suggest something larger than 1.2L.

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Old Jun 1st, 2005, 04:00 AM
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Our experience with many rentals is as follows:

1. We only once had a car that was inadequate to the challenge -- and we drive a lot. That instance was in 1984 when we rented a "2 CV" and drove from Paris across mountains to Antibes!

2. Generally European (manual transmission) cars are so well tuned that they seem a lot more powerful and peppy than their NA size equivalent.

And further, 3. we have very, very frequently been upgraded to a better, generally larger, model.
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Old Jun 1st, 2005, 04:01 AM
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If there's less than 3 occupants with a couple of small lugagges, 1.2L is sufficient and more manageable in hill country.
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Old Jun 1st, 2005, 04:03 AM
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I spent most of my early adulthood hiring the smallest and cheapest possible cars in Italy. Some observations:

- there's not a shred of evidence that smaller cars are more dangerous than bigger. There are some claims around the stability of the Mercedes minicar, but the others are just as safe as their bigger brothers. Whether you feel safe is a different matter.
- BUT, on autostradas, I really wouldn't want to be stuck behind a truck (all EU trucks have tachometers, and are therefore limited to the official speed limit that the rest of us spectacularly disregard). I'd want enough acceleration to get up to the prevailing speed in the outside lane - and the cheapest hire cars can rarely do that comfortably
- I wouldn't hire a car in Italy any more without air conditioning (though they used to be useful for sweating off the weight you'd gain from decent food).
- Personally, these days, I enjoy driving manual transmission cars in southern Europe, since the gears are now pretty slick. But if I weren't used to manual, I wouldn't start in Italy, where rapid driving reaction is essential (the official, UN-agreed, definition of a nanosecond is the period it takes in Italy, after lights turn green, for the driver behind you to start beeping his horn in frustration at your slow takeoff)
- Parking almost everywhere in Italy requires fast reflexes (to grab the spot before the other person) and good hand-eye coordination. If your steering isn't power-assisted, reversing into the inevitable tight spots can be physically trying.
- and automatic, power-assist and a/c are virtually impossible in the cheapest cars

So after several decades of losing weight, improving upper arm muscles and learning grace under pressure with cheap Italian hires, my philosophy these days is to hire the biggest car I can afford (or, if feeling poor, take my own). I've not encountered an Italian hire car that doesn't handle well for at least 20 years: unless you're collectively very heavy, or have tons of luggage, virtually everything will get up most normal roads in Tuscany or Umbria reasonably nippily. However, if you're hiring a villa, there's often a 20 yard bit of the villa owner's own road that's steeper, and far worse maintained, than public roads. Some smaller cars may struggle there when they're quite happy everywhere else.

Don't worry about cars being too big. They'll always squeeze through the streets somehow.
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Old Jun 1st, 2005, 05:18 AM
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If there are two of us we always rent a mid size with the biggest engine possible (trying to enter a highway with one of those two-squirrel engines is too scary for me). For three or more we take the biggest car they have - n
not nec for the car - but for the trunk space - which always seems minute.

Also - be aware that engines are not always the same as in the same model car in the US. We rented a C class in Belgium and I think it had about 100 horsepower - it was so sluggish you could barely get it into the flow of traffic.

Size for driving is not really an issue (I never have a problem - and drive a sub-compact at home). Parking can be a little dicey - so just brush up on your parallel parking skills.
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Old Jun 1st, 2005, 05:35 AM
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To answer the question directly - no, bigger not better. I just came back from SW England, and I was upgraded to an intermediate - the Renault Scenic, which is about the size of a Toyota Matrix. It's already too big for the narrow roads there, both in towns and in rural areas.

However, at some locations, you may not get A/C with the smaller cars. And in my opinion, anything larger than those in the "mini" category - i.e. the Smart - is safe enough to be on the motorway/freeway/whatever.

And basically all cars handle better than the ones manufacturer "tune" for the US market.
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Old Jun 1st, 2005, 05:43 AM
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Hi, can I ask for some advice on boot size? (Sorry, that's trunk size for you Northern hemisphere people!)We will be a party of four and trying to travel lightly but I am worried about luggage space. We have requested something called a Renault Espace(?) because our travel agent here said that luggage racks are very difficult to come by and that autos are hard to get in France. We will be picking up in Avignon and driving in Provence area. Can you avoid motorways totally or at least until we have reaccustomed to driving on the right side of the road? Also, how difficult is parking in small towns in this area.
Sorry to hijack this discussion but you guys seem to have the experience!
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Old Jun 1st, 2005, 05:47 AM
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Where exactly are you going ? We always hire a small car & I'm convinced we've squeezed through some very narrow streets which wouldn't have been passable in a large car. We've never had a problem with lack or power or, with only 2 of us, lack of luggage space. We hire the smallest car available with AC which I think is usually the second smallest - somdething like a Punto.
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Old Jun 1st, 2005, 05:53 AM
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Hi Caroline, spending a week based in Merindol (near Avignon) and touring around that area. Basically we don't need a big car for the touring, just for transporting the luggage to and from the train station! Couldn't seem to work out how to get around that?
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Old Jun 1st, 2005, 05:56 AM
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My wife and I have driven a Renault Espace 7-seater 5-Speed minivan within and around Paris, Alsace and Burgundy.

There were 6 of us (all adults) and we had to left our main lugagges in our hotel in Paris and travelled with about four 21" roll away suitcases, plus some small daybags, that we had to find creative ways to configure at the minimal compartment at the back of the van an on one empty seat.

If there are less than 6 of you, you can fold away some of the back seats for more storage.

It's a good sturdy and sufficiently-powered diesel-engine minivan that's easily maneuverable around and within small and big towns (drove it within Paris for a couple of days in daytime rush hour). It made travelling fun as everybody were in the same vehicle.

It will fit any small town street that a car would fit. Parking was a little more challenging due to the size (not so challenging in the little towns that we went to), but I was able to park a couple of overnights along the streets of Paris (near our hotel in the 7th).
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Old Jun 1st, 2005, 07:03 AM
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Hi ozgirl : sorry, we must have been posting at the same time - I was wondering where exactly the OP was going. Yes, for 4 adults + luggage I guess you need something like an Espace (which is what we Brits call a people carrier). But if you're arriving by train, presumably you won't have a long drive to where you're staying ? Couldn't you taxi it, then pick up a smaller car for touring ? Or 2 of you take the hire car & 2 go by taxi ? It's seems a shame to get an enormous car just for going to & from the station.

BTW it's "boot" in this part of the northern hemisphere !
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Old Jun 1st, 2005, 01:40 PM
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Many thanks Billy, the espace doesn't sound too daunting and we won't be driving in Paris! With only four of us do you think we will have plenty of room for the luggage?
Caroline, I would have loved to have hired a smaller (cheaper) car but was very unsure about transport to our destination -perhaps someone here would know? We are arriving in Avignon by TGV and Merindol is apparently about 40kms away - I have no idea of availability or cost of a taxi (or two.)
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Old Jun 1st, 2005, 01:58 PM
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Hi oz,

If there are 4 of you, and you need a 7 seat van, you have waaaaaaay too much luggage.
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Old Jun 1st, 2005, 03:36 PM
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Darn. I was hoping the question was about gelato servings. Yes!
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Old Jun 1st, 2005, 05:51 PM
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Don;t worry about a car being too big - we have never had that problem. And the roads are usually only really narrow in the center of old towns - so you're doing about 10miles an hour anyway.

And it you fold in the mirros you should have no problem getting through a space 6/8" or more wider than the car - do it all the time here in NYC - once you try yo usee how esay it is.
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Old Jun 1st, 2005, 09:00 PM
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Ira,that group of four includes three females and we are away for a month - I am struggling already with going down from my normal coffin size to a 65cms suitcase!
Thanks for the tip about the mirrors nytraveler, we drive a large vehicle in Australia so not too worried about that although we did experience roads in the UK last year that would be classed as goat tracks here!
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