zerem

In a few weeks time I'll be going with some friends from Phoenix to Monument Valley. I figure driving there on the highway would be most comfortable in a full size/premium, while once at Monument Valley you'd want a SUV (SUVs are too bulky for highway driving IMO). I wonder;

How much of dirt road driving does a visit to Monument Valley entail? Would it be worth renting a SUV for that and live with the bulk on the highway getting there?

Which SUVs should I go for/avoid with two people in the backseat? Are there any intermediate SUVs that are comfortable enough in the backseat or would I have to go for a full size SUV?

Crandall

Nice Longggggggg road.
But very good photo ops!

IAHtraveler

All of the intermediate SUVs seem very tight in the back unless the folks in the front aren't very tall. And it also depends how long you're going to be on the road.

I would suggest booking full-size, then asking for an upgrade on-site or try the Select/Go aisle as they often have an SUV on there.

One point worth noting: Avis contract states that the vehicle cannot be driven on non-paved roads (or something to that verbiage). So if you're not on paved surface and are in an accident, the insurance you have will most likely also be void... just be cautious.

zerem

Thanks for the heads-up on the non-paved roads, I'll make sure to drive carefully.

I checked and saw that the rates for an intermediate SUV are lower than for a full size car in PHX, at least for the discount code I'm using. So I might as well book an intermediate SUV to start with and hope a bigger one will be available in the Select & Go area.

bhomburg

The dirt road loop drive around Monument Valley is 17 miles long, and yes, it's absolutely worth renting an SUV for this - more for the ground clearance than for the AWD (you will be fine in, say, a FWD Escape or Cherokee).

The 'intermediate SUV' and 'standard SUV' vehicles aren't bulky at all. Size and driving dynamics of current models are very carlike - the bestselling Ford Escape is basically an enlarged Focus on stilts. Fuel economy will be comparable to cars as well. I usually get in the mid-to high 20s with Ecoboost Escapes, 4cyl Jeep Cherokees and Toyota RAV4s, and I'm decidedly NOT driving at the speed limit on the highway. If you limit your speed to the posted limits you will see 30 mpg on the highway.

I have taken to always get that group of vehicle lately, as I usually travel with a (large) dog and need a versatile interior. Now, if wagons or hatchbacks were available on US rental lots....

IAHtraveler

On the Escape, really?? I had an MKC (basically a "Lincoln Escape") and in all highway driving at ~75 MPH with the cruise set most of the time I had very low 20's for fuel. I think it was about 21.2 and that was on flat MI interstate roads. Absurd considering I got that on a Suburban just before that.

bhomburg

Yep. 26 mpg on my last trip up and down the FL coast (MIA to beyond JAX) in a 2014 FWD model with the 1.6liter engine. Let's just say that I needed five hours and 38 minutes for the 425 miles going up and even less going back down at night, so slow I definitely wasn't (I hail from the land of the Autobahn....)
I think the MKC weighs a ton more than the Ford and they have a larger and thirstier engine.

Also, your tank may not have been full initially. I have the habit of topping off the tank whenever I take over a rental car at the first gas station I come across right after picking it up after too may nasty surprises. I'm usually able to put in more than a gallon. When I can fit more than two gallons in there I'll complain.
I also found that these turbo engines react to low-quality gas and blends with a lot of ethanol with significantly higher fuel burn. I once accidentally put premium in one of these (hit the wrong button) and was rewarded with surprisingly higher fuel economy.

zerem

Well, I just came home from the UAE, where I rented a Nissan X-Trail 2.5. The fuel economy was quite good, I got 27 mpg although I was driving either at zero in the traffic jams or 75 mph on the freeways, averaging 30 mph.

My problem with the bulkiness is not so much driving on the highway once you're up to speed, but rather actually getting up to speed since they're more heavy than cars. Anyway, for Monument Valley I'll go for a SUV!

returnoftheyeti

We drove an Audi S5 on the monument Valley 17 mile loop. You do not need an SUV at all.

Its a graded, smooth dirt road and any car can make it.

There is no opportunity for off road driving, and even if you could go off roading, you should not.

https://www.otherhand.org/home-page/...alley-germans/

trooper

Rent the Full Size... go to Monument Valley...and do a tour in a 4WD.... You'll see far more than just driving the loop road...

sdsearch

But what if you want to stop and "wait for the light" while taking pictures? Isn't that incompatible with most tours (except perhaps special photo tours)?

Or are there officially no places for (safely) pulling over on the loop road anyway?

returnoftheyeti

Audi A5

Senic Drive Road, hotel in background

Road in the middle of the sceen


From the hotel, you can see the ribbon of road.