jonesie

OK, we are 4 adults travelling to NZ in November for 3 weeks. We have two large men (one 6'1", one 6'6&quot so we are thinking that we need at least an SUV or mini-van so that they can drive comfortably. Any recommendations? So far the best price for 3 weeks is about $1500 for an Excursion-- but we are concerned that it is going to be a gigantic gas hog. Do they even have Excursions in NZ, or is just an example??? For some reason, the "premium" SUVs seem to cheaper than a regular SUV (by $2-3K!)
TIA!

Kiwi_acct

Hi there

You could use the link below that takes you to several car hire firms to locate a price for a hire.

http://www.vroomvroomvroom.co.nz/vehicles.aspx

It covers off all the majors. There is one other sizeable hire firm here called Apex which has very competitive rates though I am not sure they hire SUV's though.

Unless you are going off road for any reason you probably don't need an SUV. Try looking for a Holden Commodore or Ford Falcon on the car lists. (Or even a Mitsubishi Diamante) These models are large and seat five adults comfortably. They have engines between 3.5 and 4.2 litres so they have a bit of grunt but do not chew the gas as much as an SUV. Also, a lot of people get in trouble when driving SUV's at too higher speed on the open road. they do not handle as well as saloons and station wagons.

Remember if you hire a station wagon to ensure that it comes with a luggage cover in the back so people cannot see whether there are bags in the boot of the car. Rentals tend to stick out a bit and attract unwanted attention at tourist sites. Best to reduce the risk.

If you are sold on the SUV route most firms seem to focus on the Japanese ones here, Toyota Prado being the main renter. You can also get Ford Explorers and its generic cousins as well.

Hope this all helps

Steve

ALF

We rented a Ford Falcon (which, by the way, bears no relation to old Falcons sold in North America), and it is a nice mid-size car that accomodated me just fine (6' 2", 280lb). As noted above, a Comodore would be a good choice too.

I also agree that an SUV is not needed. Most roads are well-sealed, albeit narrow. Between the cost of petrol and the narrow roads, a car might be the best choice. We have also hired a Toyota Hi-Ace (Nissan and Mazda have equivalents), which is a minivan not imported to North America, but also has spacious seating.

RalphR

Just returned from a great trip to Aus and NZ. We rented a Ford Falcon wagon for our 7 day stay in NZ (South Isl). It turned out to be an excellent choice - we too had toyed with the idea of a more expensive SUV rental. We were able to fit in a LOT of luggage - 7 medium to large suitcases and several carry on pieces. More importantly, all four of us people fit in quite well - I'm 6'3" and my sons are 6'6" and 6'. Though we did not make use of it, the wagon did come with a luggage cover for the back. We left a lot of our luggage in Christchurch and took the rest of it with us from there all the way to Milford Sound and back over the time of our stay.

Neil_Oz

As ALF says, the Ford Falcon is related in name only to the old American Falcon. The first made-in-Australia Falcon was a copy of the original US "compact", but for the last 40-odd years Ford Australia has hung onto the name, continually redeveloping it into its present form. The Holden Commodore is GM Australia's rival to the Falcon. A V8 variant, the Monaro, is sold into the American market as the new Pontiac GTO. To my eye the styling reflects its relationship to GM's smaller Opel products.

Both are roomy, serviceable, rear-wheel-drive cars particularly favoured by taxi fleets, cops, people who want to pull caravans, boats and horse floats and many country people who drive long distances. And people who just like a bit more room and grunt than a Camry, Magna or Accord can deliver.

I remember driving one of the original Falcons in the early '60s. By today's standards it was a dog of a car - but then, most cars were.

jonesie

Thanks for all of your help!!! We are still trying to decide, kind of leaving it up to the biggest guy in the group, since there are a lot of cars he just doesn't fit into, like my Jeep! The only other thing we have noticed is that you get one rate when your search the NZ sites, but then when you go to book and put you personal info in from the US, and you get a much higher rate!
Thanks again for all your help!

ElendilPickle

>>The only other thing we have noticed is that you get one rate when your search the NZ sites, but then when you go to book and put you personal info in from the US, and you get a much higher rate!<<

Are you taking the difference between NZ and US dollars into account?

Lee Ann

Kiwi_acct

Hi there

If you are booking accomodation or travel then yes from overseas you can end up paying a premium. If you have a New Zealand address you can use such as a hotel or friends here then use that address as then you will be regarded as New Zealand domiciled. Check the fine print on the terms and conditions though before you do this just in case there are any "outs" for the provider.

The local resident facility is very useful for instance when booking domestic travel on Air New Zealand as it is cheaper for NZ residents than for O/seas ones.

Steve