Family of 4 with luggage. Can we and one carryon, plus one medium/large but not huge bag each, fit in the astra, or do I need to pay $150 more for the laguna?

I'm not familiar with the Laguna, but my wife owns a 1.8-litre Astra hatchback, admittedly a few years old. It's a great little car, solidly-built, handles very well, but four people and their luggage would be a very tight squeeze, especially if you're going to be driving any distance. Also, while its power is adequate with 1-2 people on board, I think it would be labouring in hilly country with 4. I'd go for something bigger.

My sister-in-law has a Laguna and I used to drive an Astra. The Laguna is huge compared to the Astra. The Opel (or Vauxhall) equivalent of the Laguna would be the Vectra.
The space for luggage in the Laguna is far superior to the Astra and, as Neil says, the cabin space differential depends on how far you are going to drive in the car. Should that be a fair distance then the $150 extra would be worth it, although I'm sure that by shopping around you could get a better deal than that.

Thanks, folks, these comments are very helpful. Have checked with Nova, Kemwel, and AutoEurope and done all sorts of price-beating, but there is a huge jump in the prices between a compact wagon and a midsize one. Evidently has something to do with the cost of collision insurance. Our trip to and from the airport is from Rome to the vicinity of Castellina. The rest of the time we're doing short hops; the luggage will be in the villa and the Astra hs a rear seat that slides back to make room for legs and feet.

Hadn't counted on paying more than $700 for the week! Ouch. And then there's fuel.

A Ford Focus compact wagon should do fine for you - I think it's a bit larger than the Astra. We were three with more luggage than you (I think) and I can easily imagine you fitting in it. Fuel economy and maneuverability should be reason enough!

Often we've found that the car we've requested was not available upon arrival and we then had to deal with the issue in the garage, looking at various other models. Be prepared for this.

Get the Laguna or VW Passat. The compact wagon will not be enough.

After having looked again, you will not fit 4 pieces of largeish luggage and 4 carry-ons into the boot (trunk) of an Astra. You'll also probably be a little more laden on the way back.
Go for the Laguna. Even a car like the Citroen Xsara (the same class as a Laguna) would be too small - so check carefully at what car is being offered.
I often recommend holidayautos.com on this site and have just looked at it but for some reason it refuses to deal with residents of the USA or Canada. Pity, as the Laguna is only $610 per week (fully inclusive of ALL insurances) which is only $75 more than the Astra. Oh well. At least that explains why holiday autos never gets a mention from anyone else on this site!

To the contrary, 4 adults, 4 overpacked large suitcases and a few "carryon" type pieces fit very nicely in an Opel Astra all throughout our 2 weeks of driving in Italy a few years ago. We fit very comfortably, and while the back compartment was packed to the gills, it was fine for us.

Thanks to all, but BarbaraF, you are saving me a bundle! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

$700 a week seems quite a lot for renting a mid-size wagon out of Rome--what time of the year are you traveling? Or are you pricing automatic transmission cars?

Traveling in late August. This is the best price I could find, all included, zero deductible.

Forgot to mention that 2 family members are over 6' tall and one is 5'8"...Me, I'm the short one at average height. ;-)

artsfan

Here are the stats for Laguna Sedan and the Laguna SW (Re: www.renault.fr)
:
LAGUNA Dimensions

Versions LAGUNA Evolution II Authentique
Moteurs Authentique 1.6 16v

PLAN COTE (mm)

Empattement 2748
Garde au sol en charge >120
Hauteur hors tout 1429
Hauteur seuil à vide 768
Hauteur à vide 1429
Largeur aux coudes arrière 1467
Largeur aux coudes avant 1476
Largeur d'entrée inférieure de coffre 938
Largeur d'entrée supérieure de coffre 899
Largeur hors tout avec rétros extérieurs 2060
Largeur hors tout sans rétros extérieurs 1772
Longueur Hors tout 4576
Longueur de chargement au sol banquette arrière rabattue 1555
Longueur de chargement au sol derrière banquette arrière 968
Porte à faux arrière 853
Porte à faux avant 980
Voie arrière 1480
Voie avant 1525
POIDS (kg)

Poids à vide (kg) 1270
Poids maxi autorisé 1835
Poids maxi remorquable freiné (kg) 1300
Poids maxi remorquable non freiné (kg) 650
Charge utile 565
VOLUME

volume du coffre mini (l) 430
Volume du coffre maxi (l) 1330

LAGUNA Moteurs et performances
Versions LAGUNA Evolution II Authentique
Moteurs Authentique 1.6 16v

AERODYNAMISME

S(M²)/Cx 2,1/0,31 à 0,33
ARCHITECTURE CAISSE

Nombre de portes 5
Type de carrosserie Berline
BOITE DE VITESSES

Nombre de rapports A.V. 5
Genre de boîte de vitesses BVM
CAPACITE

Réservoir à carburant (litres) 70
CONSOMMATION 80/1268/CEE

CO2 (g/km) 173
Conditions extra-urbaines (en l/100km) 5,7
Conditions urbaines (en l/100 km) 9,9
Cycle complet (en l/100km) 7,2
DIRECTION

Diamètre de braquage entre trottoirs/murs (m) 10,9/11,5
FREINAGE

Freins arrière DP 274
Freins avant DV 280
Servofrein : simple(S), double(D) - Diamètre(&quot S - 11"
MOTEUR

Cylindrée (cm3) 1598
Puissance maxi KW (ch) 79 (110)
Régime Puissance maxi. (tr/min) 5750
Couple maxi Nm (m.kg) 148 (15,4)
Régime couple maxi. (tr/min) 3750
Type d'injection Multipoint
Nombre total de soupapes 16
Nombre de cylindres 4
Alésage x Course (mm) 79,5 X 80,5
Rapport volumétrique 10:1
Carburant Essence
PERFORMANCES

Vitesse maxi(km:h) 195
1000 m D.A. (s) 32,80
400 m D.A (s) 17,90
0 - 100 km/h (s) 11,5
ROUES ET PNEUMATIQUES

Pneumatiques de référence AV/AR 195/65 R 15
TRAINS

Train avant Type MAC PHERSON
Train arrière Train "H" à effet autodirectionnel
TRANSMISSION

Type de transmission Traction
TYPE MINES

Nombre de places 5
Puissance administrative 7

LAGUNA ESTATE

Versions LAGUNA Estate Evolution II Authentique
Moteurs Authentique 1.9dCi 100

PLAN COTE (mm)

Empattement 2748
Garde au sol en charge >120
Hauteur hors tout 1443
Hauteur ouverture arrière 1990
Hauteur seuil à vide 541
Hauteur à vide 1443
Largeur aux coudes arrière 1467
Largeur aux coudes avant 1476
Largeur d'entrée inférieure de coffre 1061
Largeur d'entrée supérieure de coffre 948
Largeur hors tout avec rétros extérieurs 2060
Largeur hors tout sans rétros extérieurs 1772
Longueur Hors tout 4695
Longueur de chargement au sol banquette arrière rabattue 1693
Longueur de chargement au sol derrière banquette arrière 1076
Porte à faux arrière 970
Porte à faux avant 980
Voie arrière 1480
Voie avant 1525
POIDS (kg)

Poids à vide (kg) 1350
Poids maxi autorisé 1915
Poids maxi remorquable freiné (kg) 1500
Poids maxi remorquable non freiné (kg) 650
Charge utile 565
VOLUME

volume du coffre mini (l) 475
Volume du coffre maxi (l) 1515

LAGUNA Estate Moteurs et performances
Versions LAGUNA Estate Evolution II Authentique
Moteurs Authentique 1.9dCi 100

AERODYNAMISME

S(M²)/Cx 2,12/ 0,33 à 0,346
ARCHITECTURE CAISSE

Nombre de portes 5
Type de carrosserie Break
BOITE DE VITESSES

Nombre de rapports A.V. 5
Genre de boîte de vitesses BVM
CAPACITE

Réservoir à carburant (litres) 70
CONSOMMATION 80/1268/CEE

CO2 (g/km) 150
Conditions extra-urbaines (en l/100km) 4,7
Conditions urbaines (en l/100 km) 7,2
Cycle complet (en l/100km) 5,6
DIRECTION

Diamètre de braquage entre trottoirs/murs (m) 10,9 / 11,5
FREINAGE

Freins arrière DP 274
Freins avant DV 300
Servofrein : simple(S), double(D) - Diamètre(&quot S - 11"
MOTEUR

Cylindrée (cm3) 1870
Puissance maxi KW (ch) 74 (100)
Régime Puissance maxi. (tr/min) 4000
Couple maxi Nm (m.kg) 200 (20,7)
Régime couple maxi. (tr/min) 2000
Type d'injection Directe + Common Rail
Nombre total de soupapes 8
Nombre de cylindres 4
Alésage x Course (mm) 80 X 90
Carburant Diesel
PERFORMANCES

Vitesse maxi(km:h) 182
1000 m D.A. (s) 35,1
400 m D.A (s) 19,7
0 - 100 km/h (s) 13,2
ROUES ET PNEUMATIQUES

Pneumatiques de référence AV/AR 205/55 R 16
TRAINS

Train avant Type MAC PHERSON
Train arrière Train "H" à effet autodirectionnel
TRANSMISSION

Type de transmission Traction
TYPE MINES

Nombre de places 5
Puissance administrative 6

Did you considered the Renault Scenic or Grand scenic?

Have a good trip

Thanks, Jet. So...if I am reading correctly, volume du coffre mini (l) 475 means 475 liters fit in the trunk's actual luggage space. The Astra claims to fit 530 liters into that same space! This excludes stuffing the back of the wagon up to the roof, which we will be doing, of course. I gather the newish Astra wagon is the biggest compact wagon around. Is it possible its trunk space is actually bigger?

Going nuts at this point...

We have a Laguna hatchback. The estate will give you enough room, but you're right, the car will be crammed to the roof. Which means you had better be driving straight from one lodging to the next and then immediately emptying the car. Any visible luggage will be a sure invitation to a break in.
FWIW, you get fairly good fuel economy with the diesel Laguna. It's comfortable enough but not luxurious...we've driven from Brussels to central Austria and back with ours.
My only concern is that your rental agency will not guarantee the Laguna. Most agencies will reserve the the car you request "or similar." You might be given an Opel Zafira, for example (which has room, but we think it handles like a truck).

BTilke, your point re "or similar" is well taken, and really it more affects our choice of the Astra, because it would only work because it has the most storage of any car in its class. If we got a smaller compact, well, two family members would drive to Tuscany and the other two would need to take the train!

artsfan,

Yes you did. According to the Renault site the Laguna SW trunk has a minimum volume of 475(dm3) and a maximum of 1515 (dm3), where as the Laguna Sedan is 430 and 1330.

We have a similar dilemma for our trip to France next June. We are looking for a car that will have a trunk large enough for two suitcases (70x47x28. We think that the Scenic II will be sufficient for our purpose without encountering the security problem mentionned by BTilke.

Furthermore we will be leasing the car unstead of renting to avoid a switch of models by the rental company, as also mentioned by BTilke.

Car sites frequently supply the trunk capacity only in volume, rather than the exact dimension i.e. height, width and depth, which would be much more practical (We haul luggage and not liquid!)

BTW did you considered the Renault Scenic or Grand scenic?