Hi everyone!

I'm currently planning an 18-day trip through Scotland in May (thanks to all those Fodorites who have helped me with the planning on my itinerary thread!). I now have a specific question about what car to rent and I'm hoping you guys can help again...

We're travelling with our two young sons and after considering the fact that we're going to be driving on the left side of the road and right side of the car, we decided to rent an automatic car. We feel good about this decision.

And then given how long the trip is (18 days) and the fact that we're going to be moving around and hiking a lot (therefore requiring a lot of clothing and thus luggage), we reserved a rental minivan. We've always liked driving minivans on vacation - we like the amount of luggage space it provides and the comfort/viewing vantage point while on long driving trips (which is important for the kids when asking them to sit for hours a day driving). However, we're now wondering if this is the right decision.

Our research is reminding us that some of the roads in the highlands are narrow one-lane roads and we've even heard from friends that it's sometimes necessary to reverse the car to reach the passing pullover spots. which may be hard to do in a big vehicle. I'd love some insight from those with experience. Should we change our reservation to a smaller car - which will give us less room for luggage and less comfort, but may be easier to manoeuvre?

Thanks!
Jenn

First of all >>and the fact that we're going to be moving around and hiking a lot (therefore requiring a lot of clothing and thus luggage), <<

That doesn't mean one needs a boatload of luggage. Now, there are 4 of you so you'd need more than just a couple. But I never EVER take more than a 21 inch rollaboard no matter if it is a hiking trip or a city trip -- or a combo. In fact I tend to take even less when it is a mostly rural/outdoorsy trip. How old are the kids? Unless teenagers/big kids they should have maybe 18 inch rollaboards each.

A mini van wouldn't be terrible but a regular run-of-the-mill compact estate (station wagon) would be easier, cheaper, and would be more than roomy enough if you cut back on the luggage.

A point of terminology, a "van" in the UK is used for transporting goods:
http://zombdrive.com/images/2015-ford-transit-van-7.jpg

The vehicle is called an MPV in the UK, or a people mover. The single lane roads in Scotland may be narrow, but the difference in width between an estate car and an MPV is minimal. You will be sat higher up from the road, thus having a better view than from a smaller car. Stay with what you've booked, the extra internal room will make it an easier trip.

and when you say mini for what size it that? How many seats?
a people carrier/MPV can be one of these
https://www.enterprise.co.uk/en/car-...-carriers.html
This suggests that a mini MPV is going to be now wider that a normal car.
The Vauxhall is the same as an Opel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Zafira
and is made on the same platform as these GM cars.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_Delta_platform
There is no guaranteed that you will get the same model no matter who you rent via.
The point is that the MIni MPVs are normal cars and you should not have any real problems once you have got accustomed to driving on the other side of the road than normal.

You're going to need a minivan for 4 pax and luggage.

The higher seating position in the MPV will not only give you a better view, it will let you see farther ahead so you won't need to worry about overshooting a passing place on a single track road. Frankly, if you're in a position requiring you to reverse to one, you're going too fast, and so is the other guy. In terms of vehicle width, I don't think there's enough difference to matter.

Thanks all for your responses - very helpful! I had been told by a friend about the reversing thing (obviously he had been driving too fast while on his own trip - ha!).

Given that most of you think that the minivan (which I do believe it an MPV) is not too wide/big, I think we'll stick with it. While we don't want to overpack, a family of four requires a decent amount of luggage - and there's nothing worse than not having it fit in your rental car : )

And yes, the view from higher up is genuinely a big part why we always love minivans on vacation... there's a lot to see and we want to see all of it!

Thanks!
Jenn