Car Lease: Renault Eurodrive or Peugeot?

I may have mentioned Renault in this forum, but the car that I did lease years ago was a Peugeot 205, and everything about that program went fine, including pick up in London.

I liked the Peugeot Megane, but then I'm not quite NFL or NBA sized.

Oops. The Megane is a Renault.

We've leased both and the truth is the cars come from the same company: TT. We found it easier to work with Renault USA than AutoEurope for leasing the Peugeot. We've driven several models of both, and Citroen, too. My all time favorite was the Megane Scenic, but I see they've spun the Scenic off into its own line this year. The Megane sedan is the same class as the VW Golf. The Scenic, on the other hand, sits higher and is larger. It's not quite as large as a Prius V, but you may want to measure them to compare. A second model I really like and have both rented and leased is the Clio Estate--which means station wagon. Although "just" a Clio, a smaller economy car, it seemed more spacious due to its open station wagon design. It's like the old Corolla Wagon. We leased that two years ago over the Megane or Scenic because it was 5-speed, but the Megane is a 6-speed which we had had previously. It's a story of old dogs not being able to adapt to new tricks.

For size, you may want to look at the Kangoo because it has a higher cabin space. It is akin to the small utility vehicles used by workmen to move themselves and their material around.

I was looking at the Duster two years ago, due to the low price, but Nigel let me know that it had been very low rated by a consumer organization. It's a eastern European product from Renault.

The Megane was on my radar, but I was looking at the Clio4. But not the Kangaroo, no need for anything that big. I still want to get into parking spaces. Basically, I would like the smallest car I can comfortably fit in. In the Peugeot line it is the 208/308/508 series, with 308 perhaps being the right "fit".

And I am an old dog too... I was driving a friend's new Subaru on a road trip. Hit the freeway and settled down in 5th gear.... we were going along for awhile and he said "You know I have six gears, don't you?" :-)

You've got the dimensions for both the 308 and Clio4 on the websites, even if you have to convert the 308 to feet from mm. The 208 is very small. We had a 308 for the summer a couple of years ago. I found the shifting tight, but it didn't bother my husband at all. It's a peppy car, which is always appreciated.

The French cars like the Peugeot 308 are not good for tall drivers as the seats do not go back far enough on the runner = driving with bent legs!

You might wish to consider a Ford C-Max though even these could do with a smidge more run on the runner for tall drivers.

If you wish to see the European cars, just Google the manufacturer name & then UK or whatever.

Many thanks to all for your input. I assumed that European cars would be on the small side, but hoped that maybe one had good driver room (even if the car itself was small). I will dig out dimensions... If I need an SUV to fit me, then that is what I will get. I do want to be comfortable.
thanks. j2

I have leased from both companies a total of five times in the in the past and had excellent results with both with no plans to ever rent again. Based on driving a Prius, you are probably looking at a Renault Megane or a Peugeot 308 for size. My choice was driven by an absolute need for an automatic transmission if my wife was to drive it, otherwise I never felt any need to change from one source to another.

You will be driving the car long enough to make the extra cost of a diesel pay off. They have good performance and my mostly highway total trip fuel economy has been in the 44-47 mpg range. Although diesel in the UK is more expensive than gasoline the diesel still pays off.

You really don't want to err on the side of too small since the car is yours for the duration of the lease and you are going to have to live with what you reserve, there are no exchanges. Both operations can be contacted by telephone and I have found their people to be quite helpful. As I remember, the Peugeot web site goes deeper into the dimensions of the cars but again you can call their offices and ask for more guidance.

One last thought, depending on when in Feb. you are starting out, time is starting to get short for doing a lease. Have a great trip.

Thanks Irv. Yes, I must indeed decide very soon. It is amazing how difficult it is to get comparable interior dimensions on line, so a couple phone calls are in order tomorrow. Neither the 308 or the Megane are big on rear seat space and opinions seem divided on driver position and comfort. Too bad the Germans don't have a similar program. j2

Renault and Nissan are merged, so Renault USA should be able to give you some help. The Versa is about the size of the Clio sedan.