Hello all,

We are three adults traveling in Sicily. I am confused about what size of car we will need. We would like the freedom to sightsee with our luggage occasionally, so I understand it all needs to be out of sight in the trunk or under the back cover in a wagon. We're medium packers. We will have three rolling suitcases, approx. 23-24" (just a shade too big for carry-on). One of these is a rolling duffel, so it's squishy. The other two are standard. Probably a couple of smallish, squishable carry-ons/totes too.

I know we want as small a car as possible for tiny roads but we don't want to be miserable and we want adequate room for the baggage. We can all drive stick so that's not an issue.

Here are some of the cars (or "similar") I am considering:

Fiat Croma
Fiat Croma wagon
Fiat Stilo
Ford Focus TDI
Ford Focus wagon
Alfa Romeo 159
Alfa 159 wagon
Fiat bravo
Opel Astra wagon

I've probably seen others too. Are any of these too big or too small?

Thanks in advance for the advice and opinions.

Auto Europe does a good job with their number of passangers and luggage chart.

We usually rent an Alfa 159 and it is a larger sedan with lots of power. The ford focus is a comfortable car and would work for three and luggage

Look at the icons at the rental car site. They give you a pretty good idea how many suitcases the car can handle.

If you're still not sure, go to the sites of the auto makers, they have trunk dimensions listed.

We have driven Opel Astras and found them to be big enough for our 2 22" suitcases and tote bags. The last time we rented a car they said it was equivalent to a Focus and it was teeny Reunalt. Good thing we only had the 2 suitcases and tote bags, one of the totes had to go in the back seat.

Thank you! I have been looking at the charts on autoeurope. It's just that in my additional research I found some threads on slowtrav that suggested, for example, the 159 barely fit one 26" and one 22"--and that was it. So now I'm overthinking/over-worrying.

Analysis paralysis, I guess.

If the car is suitable for four people and 3-4 bags, you should be fine. There are vehicles larger than those that will be traversing the roads.

Considering the gas prices, size is less important than the type of fuel. [The stick/automatic issue is a question of price, the fuel efficiency difference should be nil. This is the 21st century and automatics are as efficient, if not more so, than sticks as a general rule.]

The key is DIESEL. The difference in petrol/diesel prices is smaller in Italy (about 6 or so eurocents/litre) than in other countries (France, Netherlands) but because a 15 gallon tank holds about 58 litres of fuel, that difference adds up. And a lot of the diesel vehicles are highly fuel efficient (we had an A-series Mercedes van in France that did 36+ mpg diesel). Zero in on that Ford Focus TDI and get more information on it (probably in Ford's Europe website).

FWIW, my sister drove an (older) Alfa Romeo sedan automatic in Sicily. The size was fine on the sometimes quite narrow, winding streets through towns. More importantly, as mentioned up-thread, it had plenty of power - which is important on those hills! (For that reason, the automatic also had its benefits: easier for hill starts...)

We have gotten a Ford Focus wagon in the past. Last time there were 5 of us. each with a legal carry on size and a couple of small messenger type bags. It all fit under the cover in the back. So you should be fine.

The car was set up with two bucket seats in the front and a bench seat in the back. Had a roll up cover for the cargo area.

Just remember that you will not necessarily get the exact car model that you want but one that's in the same class.

Everyone is talking about power but that will be dependant on engine size and fuel.
look at the links in WIKI and from there have a look at the reviews (links at the bottom). But there is still no guarantee you will get the exact car listed on the companies website.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Croma
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Stilo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Fo...ternational%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfa_Romeo_159
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Bravo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Astra

We had a Fiat Bravo for four adults. The car was a turbo diesel and had plenty of power and enough room for our luggage.

You're right ribeirasacra. It says on the websites, A ______ or something similiar. The teeny renault made a Focus look like a limo.

Thanks for all the comments. It sounds as if any of the above models will accommodate our luggage. I know I'll get what they give us when we get to the local agency, but I don't want to reserve a class of car that's just unrealistically small. Seems we won't necessarily <i>need</i> a wagon either.

Hi Leely,
In the past we have opted for a Ford Focus but on arrival one was never available & we were given a Fiat Bravo, Mercedes & VW Golf!! All were suitable for 3, (even 4 adults on occasion) with suitcases & day packs.