pieterpad

What size car will four people realistically need, each with a piece of luggage, for two weeks in Spain and Portugal? Bear in mind we want to be able to negotiate streets and parking!

janisj

>>each with a piece of luggage<<

A piece of what sized/type luggage??

carry on's - or massive 28" suitcases?

Robert2533

You'll need a standard size sedan at least, Audi A4, A6, VW Passatt, etc. Make sure it is a standard sedan and not one of the new Ford C-Max type or some other piece of junk the rental car companies like to push. They are lousey highway cars for 4 adults touring, no luggage space.

Rastaguytoday

You will need something larger than the cars mentioned by janisj, unless you get every single person to swear in blood that they will limit themselves to one piece of luggage and any carry-ons are placed on their laps.

I did this routine with my sister and her husband. My wife and I were diligent. They showed up with one piece of luggage, plus a large backpack, 2 more pieces of luggage, and other miscellany. Mind you, they are people in the 200-250 lb range.

We couldn't fit it all in the small van we rented, and they had to take a taxi to the hotel stuffed with luggage of theirs.

You probably will need a van to cover all the bases, unfortunately.

P*ssed me off to say the least.

janisj

>>You will need something larger than the cars mentioned by janisj<<

Huh? Where did I mention any cars???

downtownbrown

I'm going to disagree about the Ford C-Max. We rented the diesel version for four people, each with one suitcase and a carry-on or backpack, and it worked fine for us. Put 1100 kilometers on it in cities, highways and back roads.

One note: We are four average-size people -- guys under 180 lbs; women under 130. Had enough space and comfort for us.

dedlaw

In Provence a few years ago, we rented a smallish Volvo station wagon -- we got four people and all our luggage in, and that included two bicycles broken down into boxes (the type of bikes made to be transported and reassembled for travelers). It was tight -- but without the bikes it would have been a breeze. I like the van idea, too, but the wagon has two advantages. It will "fit" in a few places where a van might not. And it has a cover to slide over the luggage space, a nice thing when you're out for the day with valuables in back.

Robert2533

Sorry, but the C-Max is junk, designed for city use. The trunk will barely fit a 20" carry-on, forget anything larger. And yes we had one last November out of CDG. We got everything into the trunk, if you would call it such, but we had to remove the trunk cover in order to get everything in.

It's not a sedan or a wagon, it's one of those stupid crossovers that make no sense for touring. The fit an finish was terrible, road noise from the gaps in the right rear door. The ride was fine if you are sitting in the front seats, but barely enough room in the rear for two normal sized adults.

The Passatt and A4 sedans will easily handle 4 20" bags and carry ons, the A6 has can easily handle 4-24" bags with no problem. And they actually have a trunk.

Dukey1

I'm waiting for the OP to respond about the size of the PEOPLE involved.

ribeirasacra

What ever you order they can give you an equivalent make and model so does it matter what is junk or not, Even some cars in the same class will vary; for instance I know a company hires three doors cheaper than 5 doors of the same car. However both the same size in effect you end up paying a class higher just for 5 doors!
http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/f.../video/25929-7