I rent frequently with Hertz in Europe but am not familiar with cars available in North America. I am going on vacation to Canada and according to the Hertz site a Ford Taurus can accomodate 5 adults, 3 large suitcases and 3 small suitcases.

My wife and I have three kids 10, 13 and 15 yrs old and we will all be travelling in one car. We are planning to take 5 suitcases (3 large / 2 smaller but not quite sure of Hertz definitions of large and small) with us. We are planning to be there for 3 weeks and will do some touring about.

Can anyone advise if they think this will be ok or should I book something else?

Thanks in advance.

PS Got what I think is a good rate for this using CDP 565835 for 20% discount on three week rental. ($1180CAD)

The Taurus has been the standard work horse of the Hertz fleet for years, and it is a decent car. You will probably fit OK, but it might be a little close quarters for 3 weeks unless your 3 kids are A.) Not big for their age, and B.) Don't squabble too much. I would not have any worries if it were only a few days, but for 3 weeks, you may want something a little larger if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, there are few sedans larger than the Taurus now - if you can snag a Mercury Grand Marquis, that would be perfect - plenty of elbow room (and trunk space). If that is not available, try for a Ford Freestar van or something like that.

I'd stick with either a

Grand Marquis/Crown Vic
Deville/Town Car
Minivan

for our English friend's benefit, that is

Mercury Grand Marquis/Ford Crown Victoria (same basic car under different badges)

Cadillac Deville/Lincoln Town Car

all roomy choices if they are available at your rental location

Also useful would be the booking classes.

Grand Marquis = "Premium"
Lincoln Town Car = "Luxury"
Ford Freestar = "Minivan"

These are generally used as the examples of the car classes on the Hertz web site, but it helps to confirm it, I suspect. The Taurus would be "Full size".

Do you drive a car at home with all five of you, that you feel is comfortable? The typical cars are generally larger here, which may be good for seating comfort in the back seat but maybe not so good for unfamiliar driving. The Grand Marquis and Town Car are not things I'd really want to drive around; I'd rather just get the minivan which I find easier to drive.

I would say if you're going to spend a lot of time at a stretch driving, you might want something larger than the Taurus. If it's going to be shorter drives at a time with lengthy stops/stayovers in between, maybe the Taurus is okay. If you give us a car or two that you know from Europe and how you feel about the size for this kind of trip, we could give a rough comparison of it vs the North American models.

I think that the Taurus would, but you have been given alternatives that could work better. It might be worth asking if the mini-van has a DVD player option available. I've never seen that option in a Hertz car, but it would make sense if you're traveling with kids.

I picked up a Chevrolet Uplander last week in PHX that originally came from DFW that included the factory DVD player.

Hi, thanks for all the useful feedback.

RDU MAN 'for our English friend's benefit, that is'

I am actually from Scotland, a bit like calling someone from the US a Mexican or a Canadian (or vice versa maybe), but hey an easy assumption to make. We are heavily outnumbered by those southerners on this Island. Very useful comments though, very much appreciated, thanks.

Crazyone I checked out the different car categories you gave me for price, using the CDP codes I have they were all significantly more expensive

Grand Marquis = "Premium"
Lincoln Town Car = "Luxury"
Ford Freestar = "Minivan"

I currently have 2 cars, a Renault Espace and a Vauxhall Omega (also known as an Opel Omega in Europe). Generally I take the espace for longer journeys with the family for space reasons, but we can easily fit all 5 of us in the Omega (the kids are all very fit and slim, unlike me) and I would be happy to have a car similar in size to this. Only concern would be trunk space, I could not get 5 suitcases in the trunk of the Omega.

Re the comments about DVD players, this would be a nice to have, but the kids have game boys / psp's etc and are generally not too difficult in the car.


Again, thanks for all the feedback, it really is much appreciated. ^

My apologies! I should have looked more closely at the "bairn" part of your name!

No apology necessary

Not too surprising that Premium, Luxury, etc. are notably more expensive. I think, though, given your comments about the Omega, that you'll be fine with the Taurus. The Taurus is somewhat larger than your Omega overall, and some of that will show in the passenger compartment. And while I can't speak exactly to the luggage space in comparison, you may just be able to manage. When you pick up the car, just go ahead and try to fit the luggage. If it doesn't fit, then you can talk to the agent to maneuver into an upgrade of some kind. As long as you are picking up and dropping off at the same place, an on the spot upgrade may work out. If you're taking the car one-way and dropping it at the other end of the country, they may be less inclined to give you anything different, but still you never know.

Good luck and have a great trip!

I agree with CrazyOne, this seems like the best idea... ^

Plus, since you're PC, they should actually upgrade from your Taurus booking into a Grand Marquis-type car anyway.

If you reserve an F car, as a PC I would expect an upgrade -- perhaps to an SUV, perhaps to a minivan, perhaps to a Luxury or premium. Worst case scenario and you don't get an upgrade, an F car should fit your needs adequately. You may have seen the general dislike of Tauruses on this board, so if they *do* happen to assign you a Taurus, I recommend asking for something else. Even an Impala would be an improvement IMHO..

FWIW as a parent of three who toured Europe with them when they were young, I think you'll do just fine in a Taurus.

A Taurus is about the same size as a Vauxhall Omeaga or Ford Scorpio. Round here, the Mondeo didn't sell well because it was too small!