I am planning a trip to Italy and trying to figure out the smallest possible car to fit 5 adults with luggage (probably 5 medium suitcases, maybe 2 or 3 small bags) for a few shorter drives. The 5 of us will only be in the car together for a maximum of a 3 hour drive. For most of the trip at least 2 people will be traveling by train. We are fine with having a couple bags on our laps if necessary for the shorter drives. I am considering a Ford Mondeo Wagon, an Alfa Romeo 159 Wagon, and an Alfa Romeo 159 sedan. Space is definitely the primary concern, but after that I think fuel economy is next on my list. Any thoughts or advice would be very helpful. Thank you in advance for your time!
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33784 posts
Please don't, "having a couple bags on our laps if necessary for the shorter drives". If your car has an accident you all will be held in by the seatbelts (you do wear seatbelts?) and the cases in your laps will fly forward and kill the people in the front. Surely you don't want that. No kids on laps either. Same result + dead kids. Sorry, I've been witness to enough of these. Your problem won't be finding enough seats once you are out of the sub-compact class, it will be finding sufficient space in the trunk for all that luggage. Usually rental places have diagrams of the cars on line and give number suitcases carryable and sometimes cubic feet. When you rent you get a class of vehicle. Specific brands and models are interchanged and usually not specifically reservable.
Posted by
Calgary
2297 posts
As mentioned, the issue is luggage space. I think if you are going with mostly carry-on sized luggage or maybe one or two up to 24" you should be fine with the space provided in a wagon. Do not rent a sedan! We travelled with 4 adults in a wagon but had quite a bit of luggage, mostly 22-24" sized, plus a 30" suitcase which all fit.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12313 posts
Yes, luggage space. We leased a Renault Grand Scenic II for our family. It's a seven passenger car. At the time we were self, spouse, and kids (16,12 and 8). We each had one carry on bag (my youngest took only a school size daypack). The car worked perfectly. If we were bigger or carrying more luggage, however, we would have been cramped. Most cars that seat five will handle four adults relatively comfortably - the fifth won't be comfortable. A station wagon type back will hold the luggage but it leaves you with a security problem - parking the car with luggage in full view.
Posted by
Chicago
2876 posts
We rented a Renault Scenic 2 months ago in France and had plenty of room for 4 adults plus luggage. The back had 3 bucket seats across and could easily have accomodated 3 adults. I think it's a redesign this year. We really liked it. You can see what it looks like here: http://www.renault.co.uk/cars/model/newscenic/
Posted by
Fontainebleau, France
893 posts
I'd recommend looking for one of the convertible 7 seaters (but not minivan) like the Ford S-max, Puegeot 5007 or Toyota corolla versa. This type of vehicle usually has 3 individual seats in the middle row and an option of 2 other seats in the rear that fold down when not in use. This would provide you with enough room for 5 adults and their luggage. Another option would be to see if you can rent or buy a roof top luggage carrier. Just a heads up if you haven't driven an Alfa Romeo: some of the new ones have a strange "feature" where the engine cuts off when put in neutral, but comes back on when put into first gear. My husband was taken aback by this when on a business trip recently.
Posted by
Lake Country, Canada
120 posts
I would suggest you stick with a wagon or hatchback style vehicle. We rented an Audi mid-sized sedan for 4 adults and even though we had small suitcases, we could not fit everthing in the trunk. The next trip we took we rented a Mitsubishi hatchback for 5 adults and could fit everything and more. It was great on gas, easy to park and fun to drive!