Davidz1

My wife and I will spend 5 days driving around Provence, France.
Can we rent the cheapest small car? Do they fit 2 suitcases and will they have enough power to tour the hill towns?
We are in our sixties and luckily in good shape but if it means spending a little more to not be crammed in like sardines what size car should we rent?
Thanks,
David Z from California

bobthenavigator

The " compact " size is best--not the sub compact.
Think Honda Civic size.

StCirq

All the car rental companies and brokers show the trunk dimensions on their websites, so you can see if your suitcases will fit in the trunk. Of course you could put them in the back seat, too. But I agree not to get the subcompact.

michele_d

We always get a compact. A Ford Focus in most cases. Plenty big enough for our luggage. I would have thought this was considered a mid size but it wasn't.

Michael

I drove a Hyundai i10 in the Provence with no problems. The luggage space held our two suitcases upright. We had to remove the lid and just place it loosely over the suitcases, at which point they were no longer obviously visible.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...57623094971409

We had no problems with the hills (driving a stick shift), and in some instances very happy that our car was that small. We usually rent the smallest car available.

Rastaguytoday

I usually book with Hertz.

Here is their rental website for CDG.

http://www.hertz.com/rentacar/reservation/vehicles

When you look at a car,click on More Details, and it will tell you what will fit in the car.

It will help reduce the guesswork.

Langcraft

I've rented a Citroen C3 hatchback with a Diesel engine and 5 speed manual shift. I am 6 foot 3 inches tall. My luggage and that of two friends fit in the back with no trouble at all.

I rented through Europe By Car: ebctravel.com

Currently, a 5 speed C3 with liability insurance is $250.00 USD for a one week rental with no additional drop charges within France.

nytraveler

In europe sub-compact cars are the size of a large sneaker.

We like to drive - and always get a midsize automatic with extra power (usually a specialty car) but if I were you I would go for something more in the range of a civic - as mentioned above. What that will be called may depend on the agency.

(I was talking to a colleague in Ireland and mentioned that my brother was in the process of buying an Accord - and she told me that was considered a large luxury car there - rather than a basic family sedan as in the US Also - the price seemed to be outrageously high versus what he paid.)

rhkkmk

what size suitcases would be my question, and how many cases total?

LSky

yes, what size are your suitcases?

The smallest car we've ever ended up with was a teenie Citreon for a trip through the AlPs. I had my doubts if it would perform and I was surprised as it climbed up and down mountains with little gas consumption.

A small car is fine, easier to drive and park in tiny spaces. I wouldn't want anything bigger than a compact.

Rastaguytoday

I've had the pleasure to mostly rent Peugeots. They're great cars for touring.

One thing that has not been said, is to make sure your car is a diesel.

We had a larger Peugeot for our last trip to France. Even with the size, our average 'gas' mileage was > than 30 mpg.

Diesel fuel is cheaper than petrol in Europe. You get the added benefit of better gas mileage and a cheaper fuel.

Michael

<i>is to make sure your car is a diesel.</i>

not guaranteed on any rental since it is not a specified option, at least not if using Autoeurope or Kemwel.

Davidz1

Thank you for your informative replies. That is why a Forum is great.Now we won't shoe horn into a small one.
I found a site where European cars can be compared - www.whatcar.com. Hopefully I have now helped someone else.

DavidZ

uhoh_busted

There is also a bit of a gamble involved...sometimes, if they don't have the car you reserved, they will bump you up a class or two. We've gotten some really nice deals that way...but make sure they don't try to give you something too big. One time we were so upset at the big car they (I think it was Avignon train station) wanted to give us, we walked out to check other options, and by the time we got back (less than half an hour later), they had something more suitable.

BTW, we had a Fiat Punto for 3 weeks last fall, and it was the perfect size for us and our luggage. I think it was "Economy class" rather than compact...but there was also a "Mini" class offered, which we didn't want to risk. We clearly didn't get the upgrade this time. (although we did get a great upgrade to a Peugeot with lots of bells and whistles @ Barcelona airiport the year before, when we spent a month in SW France. They phoned us after about a week, asking if we could stop in to exchange for another car...but when we told them we were in France, they just said not to mind!)

FairfaxCA

Yes Kemwell and Autoeurope will guarantee a diesel; that option is available for the Renault Clio. They are actually the same company on 2 different websites with slightly different prices. We got a Clio last year for a month and were very pleased with it. The trunk held both of our 24” roll-a-longs, 2 medium sized carry-ons with room to spare. With the way-back cover closed there was no bulge to show that it contained luggage.

The Clio is about the same size as Honda Fit or Toyota Yaris. It drove great – better than the Yaris diesel we got two years before in Spain. There was plenty of room inside for the two of us to be comfortable. We are in your age category, except my wife has some mobility problems, and never felt it was hard to get in or out of nor that it was cramped inside. Its’ small size will actually be an advantage in the small hill towns in Provence; think parking. The diesel engine had no problems going up any hill, or keeping up with the speed limit on the Autoroute. I would have confidence driving it up and down the hills in San Francisco. We have one booked to pick up next week.

My sister and brother-in-law were in France this past spring and were given a Fiat Punta diesel instead of the Clio. They had a Clio on a previous trip and liked the Fiat better. In fact he like driving it so much four speeding tickets followed him home. Watch for the camera/radar along the road. One last thing, over 500 miles on a tank at over 40 MPG.

MaineGG

I booked a "Renault Clio Diesel or similar" with Kemwel last fall. They told me that a diesel was guaranteed, and we got one (although not a Clio, but a Modus) from Europcar. We liked the Modus which was only slightly larger than the Clio, and was very fuel efficient.