We are thinking of driving from Mendoza to San Martin and doing this over 2 days. There will be three or four of us driving ( in November).
What is this road like? Whilst we understand that the hire charge involves a massive drop off fee ( we shall drive on via Esquel to Trelew) is there anything else we should be aware of?
Does anyone know of somewhere comfortable and welcoming to stay overnight - roughly half-way?
Many thanks

We have travelled most of Ruta 40 from La Quica down to the Bariloche area by bus and rental car. The roads are very varied, some Tarmac, a lot of compacted gravel. For of us managed fine in a small VW Gol but in retrospect, with 4 , I would go for a bigger car.

We rented our car in San Martin and dropped off in Bariloche. The drive through the seven lakes area was spectacular but the driving on snow and gravel was a little challenging but not too bad. I think yestravel did this drive more recently than us and said that the roads had been improved. Search for her trip report above.

We too had heard a lot about the drop off fees but didn't find it too bad. I would make sure you get the best CDW you can as the car is certain to get scratched, dented from the rough roads and Argetine rental companies have reputation for screwing over their customers in this respect. We found Hertz to be the best on the several occasions we have rented there. A bit more expensive, but less hassle as they provided full CDW with zero excess.

Not trying to hijack your thread but a question for crellston-

When you rented cars in Argentina, you bought the CDW from the car rental company and did not rely upon your credit card for the insurance?

Thanks

Yes I did by it from the rental company. I am from the UK where, unlike the US, credit cards generally do not include CDW.

Now I have a stand alone CDW insurance policy which costs around £80 p.a. ($120)which I use all around the world. However, in Argentina I would still consider taking the rental company's CDW simply to save hassle upon return. The block they can put on you CC can be quite large.

We did do the 7 Lakes drive a few years ago, going roundtrip from BAriloche to San Martin and return, but it was still gravel. I read recently that at long last the road has been paved.

What a great start!
Is the road tarred all the way we plan to travel? There are several different websites but they all seem to be talking essentially about southern Patagonia and I'm not sure how much conditions vary further north. For example- take a sleeping bag in case you break down overnight- carry spare petrol and buy an Argentinian mobile?
I have also found some accomodation in Chos Malal and Malargue. Would either of these be a place to stop having done about half the journey?
Thank you for the hint about the CDW and the size of car to rent .
We're carrying on planning.
With thanks