Switzerland car rental - what size car?
 

I am in very preliminary stages of planning 8 days in Switzerland. I am comparing traveling by car to train for 2 people. Is the engine size of the vehicle an issue there? I'm thinking 4 cylinder vs. 6 cylinder - or am I worrying too much? The cost is obviously more for the bigger cars. I get by fine with my 4 cylinder here in Minnesota, but I don't think I'd want to drive it in the mountains. No definite plans but tentatively, we would be starting in Zurich and making our way to Lake Lugano via Zug and Brienz; and then back up through the Chur region to the town my ancestors were from near Liechtenstein (sp) and back to Zurich. The ancestral town is not reachable by train, but possibly by bus and that's why car rental seems to be a logical choice.

In Europe, whenever I think 6-cylinder, it usually means, to me, bigger and less tossable car than a 4-cylinder. More importantly, more expensive gas consumption. It might surprise you, but most European-spec'd small cars have more than adequate power and very good suspension system to cruise at 140 - 160 kph (about 100mph) on highways as well as ably navigate twisty mountain roads.

With the narrow small-town roads, limited parking spaces and excessive (to us Americans, at least) gas prices, 4 cylinders (or even Diesel engine cars) would be the way to go.

If it's just 2 people and you're not towing anything I wouldn't see any reason for a 6 cylinder. But I would look at the size of the 4 cylinder engine - the smallest cars they rent in Europe can have TINY engines (1.2 liters) - not really big enough for pick up onto highways never mind hills. And do look at the engine info - not just the model - since european rental cars frequently have smaller engines than the same cars do in the US (becasue gas is so much more expensive).

I just spent 2 weeks in Suisse and my friend and I rented a Smart Car for a few days. We didn't have any luggage as we were using it for day trips but it did fine in the mountains as long as there is no snow on the road. And parking was so awesome!

On another note we found that Sixt rental company had the best rates by far. They seem to be used by most of the locals.

It is beautiful there! Have fun!!

Hi

4 v 6 cylinders isn't really an issue. There are Euro 4 cylinder engines over 250 bhp, and Euro cars are light in weight / high in safety. Even the smallest European cars are designed to cruise at 100+ mph all day.

I drove an Opel today. A sticker on the dashboard said "Beware, Snow tyres with max speed 190 km/ hr (about 120 mph).

Check out 0 - 60 times for cars the size you need ...... then check consumption.

Unless there are 5 of you with huge amounts of luggage, I'd go for the cheapest rental.

Even better go small diesel. Low consumption, high torque. But they are not too plentiful renting out of Switzerland.

You can check out Euro specs in English here : http://www.whatcar.co.uk

Peter
http://tlp.netfirms.com

I had a diesel Passat last summer with 6 forward speeds. I could always find a gear! I have also had a Vectra.
The Passat was slicker.
I had a Renault Magrane (I think) It was 4 cylinders and good enough.

The most critical aspect for me is the tires. I want really good ones for those twisting roads.

Thanks for the great information! I'll check out the websites mentioned and take it from there.

All I know is we rented some little 4 cylinder deal for a couple days in Germany last year and it was like a little sports car. How can 4 cylinders give so much power? -- lots of zip!! I wouldn't worry about it, personally. The one think I'd consider is depending on luggage you may want a four door. If your suitcases or one of them won't fit in the trunk, it's pretty hard squeezing it in the back seat of a two door. A four door is a lot easier.