Budget Rental, what car to expect for Standard Elite SUV (non airport location)?
Jun 26, 2017, 1:42 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 53
Budget Rental, what car to expect for Standard Elite SUV (non airport location)?
I need to travel from Indianapolis to Chicago ORD to pickup my In Laws. The journey is 200+ miles one way. I would be taking the rental car from Indianapolis and returning next day same time (about 11 AM). They would have 4 full size bags (50 Lbs) and a carry on and a backpack. It will be 4 adults in the car and a child in car seat.
I checked enterprise and initially thought about getting a minivan but that is coming to $100 or more per day rental.
In budget, I see an option of Standard Elite SUV which comes to under $80 ($71 with costco coupon, I do have costco card).
Can anyone tell me currently, what kind of car to expect if I pick a standard Elite SUV ? I asked budget customer care and they told Ford Explorer or Chevy Traverse, the person at other end did not know of any other car. He did tell me that they are 7 seater though (so middle row will have 3 seats right?). I have never seen any of these cars from inside so no clue how well the room is.
Can anyone suggest me if it is safe to take the Standard Elite SUV from Budget as against a Mini Van from Enterprise for my requirement ?
I checked enterprise and initially thought about getting a minivan but that is coming to $100 or more per day rental.
In budget, I see an option of Standard Elite SUV which comes to under $80 ($71 with costco coupon, I do have costco card).
Can anyone tell me currently, what kind of car to expect if I pick a standard Elite SUV ? I asked budget customer care and they told Ford Explorer or Chevy Traverse, the person at other end did not know of any other car. He did tell me that they are 7 seater though (so middle row will have 3 seats right?). I have never seen any of these cars from inside so no clue how well the room is.
Can anyone suggest me if it is safe to take the Standard Elite SUV from Budget as against a Mini Van from Enterprise for my requirement ?
Jun 26, 2017, 1:56 pm
#2
Company Representative - AutoSlash and HotelSlash
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: autoslash.com | hotelslash.com
Posts: 5,666
A Minivan has far more room for both passengers and luggage than a Standard Elite SUV. The important thing to keep in mind is that while a vehicle like a Ford Exploer can accommodate 7 people:
a) The 3rd seating row comes at the expense of luggage space in back since the rear seats fold up/down to accommodate the extra seats
b) The 3rd row would be quite uncomfortable for an adult over say 5'2" tall. Those two back seats are really meant more for children than for adults. It's fine for short trips, but after a few hours, an adult sitting back there is going to be very uncomfortable.
A Fullsize SUV (FFAR) like a Chevy Tahoe or a Ford Expedition is much closer in size/capacity to a Minivan, but even then, the Minivan is the better choice purely from a capacity standpoint.
In short, based on your needs, the Standard Elite SUV is just not gonna cut it for you. Spend the extra money and upgrade to the MVAR or FFAR.
a) The 3rd seating row comes at the expense of luggage space in back since the rear seats fold up/down to accommodate the extra seats
b) The 3rd row would be quite uncomfortable for an adult over say 5'2" tall. Those two back seats are really meant more for children than for adults. It's fine for short trips, but after a few hours, an adult sitting back there is going to be very uncomfortable.
A Fullsize SUV (FFAR) like a Chevy Tahoe or a Ford Expedition is much closer in size/capacity to a Minivan, but even then, the Minivan is the better choice purely from a capacity standpoint.
In short, based on your needs, the Standard Elite SUV is just not gonna cut it for you. Spend the extra money and upgrade to the MVAR or FFAR.
Jun 27, 2017, 7:20 am
#5
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Paradise
Posts: 144
Wow, Budget gives you a Ford or Chevy for an elite reservation? With National, "standard" refers to the size (e.g. something as big as a Ford Edge) and "elite" gets you something like an Audi or BMW. In this case, a standard elite SUV would be an Audi Q3 or something similar. I never knew classes were so different among the various car rental companies. How would non-loyal renters know what they're getting if each rental car company defines their car classes differently?
Jun 27, 2017, 7:27 am
#6
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: London, United Kingdom
Programs: British Airways Gold
Posts: 2,636
Jun 28, 2017, 10:44 am
#7
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 880
A Minivan has far more room for both passengers and luggage than a Standard Elite SUV. The important thing to keep in mind is that while a vehicle like a Ford Exploer can accommodate 7 people:
a) The 3rd seating row comes at the expense of luggage space in back since the rear seats fold up/down to accommodate the extra seats
b) The 3rd row would be quite uncomfortable for an adult over say 5'2" tall. Those two back seats are really meant more for children than for adults. It's fine for short trips, but after a few hours, an adult sitting back there is going to be very uncomfortable.
A Fullsize SUV (FFAR) like a Chevy Tahoe or a Ford Expedition is much closer in size/capacity to a Minivan, but even then, the Minivan is the better choice purely from a capacity standpoint.
In short, based on your needs, the Standard Elite SUV is just not gonna cut it for you. Spend the extra money and upgrade to the MVAR or FFAR.
a) The 3rd seating row comes at the expense of luggage space in back since the rear seats fold up/down to accommodate the extra seats
b) The 3rd row would be quite uncomfortable for an adult over say 5'2" tall. Those two back seats are really meant more for children than for adults. It's fine for short trips, but after a few hours, an adult sitting back there is going to be very uncomfortable.
A Fullsize SUV (FFAR) like a Chevy Tahoe or a Ford Expedition is much closer in size/capacity to a Minivan, but even then, the Minivan is the better choice purely from a capacity standpoint.
In short, based on your needs, the Standard Elite SUV is just not gonna cut it for you. Spend the extra money and upgrade to the MVAR or FFAR.
I'm 5"11 and sat in the back of the Durango and Ford explorer and I was OK in the back. Totally livable IMHO
Jun 28, 2017, 10:46 am
#8
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 880
Yes but still. Enterprise and their brands the Nissan Maxima and the Buick LaCrosse as premium cars but Avis has them as luxury cars.
Jun 28, 2017, 11:45 am
#9
Moderator: Avis and Rental Cars
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 8,032
Jun 28, 2017, 4:23 pm
#10
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 880