altima a full size?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 89
altima a full size?
hi guys, i've recently got an altima when i reserved a fullsize. the trunk is awfully small and i had a hard time squeezing in my luggage.
shouldn't hertz be giving me something larger like an impala. any recourse for this?
shouldn't hertz be giving me something larger like an impala. any recourse for this?
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: LAX
Posts: 10,901
(Sentra is a midsize these days BTW)
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 27,161
The standard Altima trunk is huge. The hybrid Altima trunk is rather small.
I'm very happy when I get an Altima (I almost always reserve Full Size).
The best time to make a complaint in this situation is when you're still at the rental lot.
I'm very happy when I get an Altima (I almost always reserve Full Size).
The best time to make a complaint in this situation is when you're still at the rental lot.
#4
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 933
We just had an altima in HNL for four night. The trunk is large in my opinion. We put a suitcase, garmet bag and carryon in the trunk without an issue. As for the car itself, I found it very uncomfortable and the car only had 5,000 miles on it.
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 89
it's not like i had a choice then. it was memorial day weekend. it was either the altima or having pay a whole lot more for a sienna. hertz was telling me, take or buzzoff.
#6
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Redondo Beach, CA USA
Programs: UA 1KMM, Bonvoy LTE+A, HH D, Nat'l EE, Hertz Plat, Avis PC
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I just got an Altima last week in Phoenix on a full-size rental for six hours. It showed up on the contract as a YF, and the unhelpful agent in the gold booth insisted it was the only upgrade I could get from on my full-size rate. She was willing to double my rate to put me in a Nissan Armada, but claimed the dozens of Grand Marquis and Town Cars we could see right from the booth were all unavailable even though I was returning the car just six hours later...
#7
Join Date: May 2005
Location: DCA
Programs: Star Gold, Hertz Presidents Circle, Amex Plat
Posts: 218
The Altima is a midsize in my book. Funny though, everything has gotten smaller. The last time I rented a midsize in DTW I ended up with a Corolla. That's in no way a midsize car. On top of that, I'm too good/fast of a driver to be in a Corolla.
#8
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Altima is now a fullsize in rental car parlance. It's not Hertz alone: I see them on the Exec Aisle at National.
If yours had a small trunk, I assume it was the hybrid. (The non-hybrid has a bigger trunk.) As hybrids go, I like the Altima a lot more than I like the Prius. If I have a choice (e.g. National or Alamo) and an Altima hybrid is there, I usually take it.
In other words, I don't think Hertz was jamming you.
If yours had a small trunk, I assume it was the hybrid. (The non-hybrid has a bigger trunk.) As hybrids go, I like the Altima a lot more than I like the Prius. If I have a choice (e.g. National or Alamo) and an Altima hybrid is there, I usually take it.
In other words, I don't think Hertz was jamming you.
#9
Join Date: Oct 2008
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Unfortunately EPA/Transport Canada classifications do not translate into rental car classifications. It's another one of those "they all do it" scenarios. You leave Hertz cause their fullsize cars are midsize Altimas, and then go to National and get a Dodge Avenger (I have). It's only a question of how far the rental companies can push it before we say "Enough!" Kind of like airlines with their fees for baggage and what-not, there was a media frenzy over charging for carry-ons and some companies relented.
#10
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To be fair to the rental agencies, the automakers themselves have moved some of their models upmarket. Accord long ago was a smallish midsize car; now it's at the top of the line for a family sedan. Civic was a pure compact car - something you'd want on a college campus or in midtown Manhattan, but not to actually drive much. Now it's a nice midsize car.
Camry and Corolla have sort of done the same thing. Both companies have now inserted new compact models where Corolla and Civic once were.
I don't recall offhand what old Altimas looked like, but I suspect it's moved a bit upmarket as well. I do, however, remember when a Maxima was a normal mid-to-upscale sort of car. Now those things are nice - well into the premium category and more fun to drive than most of the luxury offerings on a rental car lot.
Camry and Corolla have sort of done the same thing. Both companies have now inserted new compact models where Corolla and Civic once were.
I don't recall offhand what old Altimas looked like, but I suspect it's moved a bit upmarket as well. I do, however, remember when a Maxima was a normal mid-to-upscale sort of car. Now those things are nice - well into the premium category and more fun to drive than most of the luxury offerings on a rental car lot.
#11
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EPA size categories, based on calculated passenger + cargo volumes, are a lot less charitable than rental agencies:
Toyota Corolla, Mazda 3, Chevy Cobalt = compact
Ford Fusion, Chevy Malibu, Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, Mazda 6, Buick LaCrosse = midsize
Chevy Impala, Ford Taurus, Hyundai Sonata, Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Honda Accord = Large
There are a few surprises: Honda Civic = subcompact, Nissan Sentra = midsize
But, unfortunately for the OP, Altimas, Camrys and Malibus are often rented as Full Size class vehicles.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm
Toyota Corolla, Mazda 3, Chevy Cobalt = compact
Ford Fusion, Chevy Malibu, Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, Mazda 6, Buick LaCrosse = midsize
Chevy Impala, Ford Taurus, Hyundai Sonata, Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Honda Accord = Large
There are a few surprises: Honda Civic = subcompact, Nissan Sentra = midsize
But, unfortunately for the OP, Altimas, Camrys and Malibus are often rented as Full Size class vehicles.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm
#12
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: GSP
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Posts: 356
EPA size categories, based on calculated passenger + cargo volumes, are a lot less charitable than rental agencies:
Toyota Corolla, Mazda 3, Chevy Cobalt = compact
Ford Fusion, Chevy Malibu, Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, Mazda 6, Buick LaCrosse = midsize
Chevy Impala, Ford Taurus, Hyundai Sonata, Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Honda Accord = Large
There are a few surprises: Honda Civic = subcompact, Nissan Sentra = midsize
But, unfortunately for the OP, Altimas, Camrys and Malibus are often rented as Full Size class vehicles.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm
Toyota Corolla, Mazda 3, Chevy Cobalt = compact
Ford Fusion, Chevy Malibu, Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, Mazda 6, Buick LaCrosse = midsize
Chevy Impala, Ford Taurus, Hyundai Sonata, Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Honda Accord = Large
There are a few surprises: Honda Civic = subcompact, Nissan Sentra = midsize
But, unfortunately for the OP, Altimas, Camrys and Malibus are often rented as Full Size class vehicles.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm
#13
Join Date: Aug 2007
Programs: National Executive Elite
Posts: 39
The accord was moved into a large category a few years ago. The dealer was explaining to me that it had to do when the widened the wheel base. Honda was not thrilled when they were moved into that category.
#14
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Camry and Altima offer 101 cubic ft of passenger space + 15 cubic ft for trunk.
Accord = 106 cubic ft passenger space and 14 cubic ft trunk, in total the same as Charger (104 cubic ft passenger + 16 cubic ft trunk).
If every bit of trunk space matters in a U.S. rental sedan, look for a Taurus (or Grand Marquis): a generous 20 (21) cubic feet.