Compact Car Rental & Carry on luggage
 

Hello everyone,

Would like comments on car rental and their luggage capacity. There's four in our party and we're HOPING to bring with us one carry on luggage each.

First of all can 4 carry on luggages fit in the back of a compact car? I believe our car is a ford fiesta four door.
Secondly is it possible to pack all your required clothing that you require for three weeks & cameras...etc. in a carry on luggage?
Has anybody done this before? Please share your experience!

Regards

tcmazz

IMO you can taken enough clothing to lat thousands of years in a carry-on bag..the real key to this is probably the carrier's willingness to <b>do laundry</b>.

Hi
A Ford Fiesta is a small compact car. Have you seen pictures of it. They used to sell it in the US. I think it may be tight for luggage for 4 people. A Fiesta is a Hatchback if i remember correctly. Check out Autoeurope, they usually have pictures along with capacity for cars.

Intrepid makes a good point!

Also, everyone has a different idea as to what constitutes a &quot;carry-on bag&quot;.
(18&quot;--20&quot;--22&quot;-- or upward, without even considering the width or depth of each piece.)

To be safe, I would recommend you get the cu.ft. capacity of the vehicle you are renting (ford fiesta), and have the rental agency give you the cubic feet luggage capacity of an intermediate (and) compact station wagon.

I personally believe you will need a larger boot capacity than that offered by a 4-door compact.

If everything doesn't fit in the trunk, then what ?? Will the &quot;rear seat&quot; passengers be comfortable with a '&quot;roll-aboard&quot; on the seat between them?

A few extra dollars now may save a lot of aggravation later.

We leased a Peugot 206 which I believe is considered a compact. There were only 2 of us but we were able to fit 3 22&quot; suitcases and 2 carry ons in the hatchback trunk.
As for packing for 3 weeks in carryons I hope you're willing to do laundry especially if you're going in the summer. Otherwise, I think 4 in the car may get a little aromatic!@-)

Hi tc,

Highly unlikely that you will fit 4 adults and 4 21&quot; suitcases into a compact car.

Autoeurope shows compact cars as being able to accomodate 4 adults with 1 large and 1 small suitcase.

I think something like the VW Passat wagon, midsize, is what you want.

www.autoeurope.com is offering the VW Golf with a free upgrade for $529/week all inclusive.

((I))

As a follow-on..I had a Ford midsize when I rented in the UK in April and there were two of us with a couple of carry-on size bags...they took up a good deal of the trunk space....with four people and luggage I think it might be a tight fit in a compact car.

You are looking at a 9 cu foot trunk for a Fiesta. Each carry-on will be about 2 cu ft.

If you have hard sided luggage then forget it. But you may be able to cram soft luggage like a gym bag into the trunk. If anyone cares, your clothes will be wrinkled beyond belief.

Most compact's have 12 or 13 cubic feet.
Most economy cars have 9 cu ft.

You can usually do an upgrade when you check-in, if there is a problem.
fwiw, request a large compact and see what happens.

G

First of all - car categories in europe and the US are NOT the same - since many european cars are smaller than any you see in the US.

I would go to the web site of the rental company and it will show you how many people and bags it will carry. I very much doubt that luggage for 4 (esp since you don;t seem to have figured out how much luggage you will really have) will fit in the smallest categories of car.

Also - the hard side vs soft die matters a lot - even if the cu ft match the shapes might not.

Look at the various car categories at your rental agency; there should be a section showing how much luggage of what size will fit

You might consider renting a Renault Scenic--it's more or less a cross between a small SUV and a sedan. It would hold four people and their luggage comfortably, and the seats are high for good visibility.

Ok I looked into the Renault Scenic, nice car but its going cost me $1800
Compare to what I currently have is (Ford Fiesta) which is similar to a Toyota Yaris for $718.00
Would it make any sense to move up to a Alfa Romeo 147 which would cost $805.00. And I think you get another 2cu ft. I kind of like the name - Alfa Romeo. Is 2cu ft going make a difference and is the Alfa Romeo more reliable than a Ford Fiesta.

Any opinions thanks again

tc