Hertz - Hertz PFAR Germany

Hi,

Any hints on what to expect? Mercedes M-class, BMW X5, Audi Q7 ...?
I took a look at some german forums and noticed they prefer a MB E-class / BMW 5-Series instead of a SUV. Anyone know why?

The Hertz had the M280CDI which was not too bad.

And people prefer cars because gasoline is $10 per gallon. If I had an S500, that'd cost me $1 per mile or $200 after 200 miles.

The gas price is part of it.

There are two other reasons, both of which have to do with the roads here in Germany:

An SUV isn't much fun on the Autobahn. With an M-Class, Q7 or X5 it's not as bad as it could be (like with a Land Cruiser or Surburban or something), but an E-Class offers better handling, better acceleration and a much quieter ride at high speed.

At the other end of the spectrum, think about driving an SUV through the city center of any place that has an Old Town. And if driving it through isnt bad enough, try parking the sucker. You're unlikely to find a space big enough along the streets, and I've even seen parking garages which were too small for an SUV to fit into.

So there's the reasons why I wouldn't want an SUV. Just out of curiosity, what are your reasons why you do?

Alex,

I wanna try a different car type. I've had experiences in autobahns with an Audi A6, a BMW 118 and a MB 220T. The BMW was my favourite because of the sporty handling. If i give up on the SUV idea, i think i'll try to take a 3-Series.

Another reason is the comfort of the SUV. My wife always complains of long trips (i'm planning to make one day trips from Munich to Luzern, Passau, Augsburg ... going back and forth).

Europcar offers an Audi A5 and a MB R 320 for almost the same rate of the SUVs. Maybe a better choice.

And people prefer cars because gasoline is $10 per gallon.
By my calculation it dropped to $10,90/gallon in Baden-Württemberg this weekend (but my maths may be faulty) ;)

I agree about the parking - I have often posted about the post in the garage which I try and unsuccessfully avoid. In one garage where I park quite often I have to drive down the ramp, stop, and back up a bit before entering. This in an A class; I cannot imagine trying to park anything larger.

There are some XXL spots at MUC but those are still quite rare; most stalls are quite narrow compared to American parking garages.

That's so true about the parking. There have been times I could not use the hotel's private parking areas simply because my S-class could not fit through the entrance!

That's so true about the parking. There have been times I could not use the hotel's private parking areas simply because my S-class could not fit through the entrance!

Btw, an S-class is 502 euros at Europcar (LDW incl) for one week. It's 115 euros more expensive than the M-class. Is it worth it?

Greetings

I had the 730d for $820 thru www.sixt.de (Sixt). I stopped renting from Europcar about two years ago when I noticed they were using Audi A8 with regular engines, not diesel. I have not checked for the past two years and they might have changed back to diesels. I do not know.

You see... for the S-Klasse or BMW 7'er, I strongly suggest you get the TDi. The VW Phaeton V10 TDI and Audi A8 V8 TDI both were excellent cars and I got about 18 mpg. Diesel is 30% cheaper. The BMW 740i and S350 would cost about twice as much to run with poor gas mileage and more expensive petrol.

If you're planning on barrelling at 250 km/h from Frankfurt to Berlin, try to get the TDi. Hertz had horrible rates for Oberluxus (Over Luxury) class cars. I'd definitely get the S Class over ML Class for that amount of money.