Minivan vs. Suburban vs. Cube/Cargo Van for One-Way Move
 

As title states, kicking the tires on trying to get out of my current lease early and live at my parents' house for a while pending job prospects.
The general configuration is that my GF and I are thinking of each going back to our parents’ houses for a little bit until all this blows over and we get long-term job/financials straightened out. So, we will be emptying our current apt., which will entail getting rid of a bunch of junk, and then getting a storage unit of some kind for the big furniture and kitchen appliances and such.
So as far as this move goes, I will be doing a one-way from DC to Cincinnati (I live in Bethesda, but of course might pick up the rental anywhere around here if rates dictate). I may or may not bring my car, but given it’s mechanical state and cargo (mostly dimensional) requirements, need to rent something in the “truck/van” range, but honestly don’t need anywhere near a full 10’ cube’s worth of space.
I say “one-way” in the flights sense, where I just don’t have a timetable for moving back, so the move is going to be reasonably heavy in terms of clothes/computer stuff/misc., but I may or may not bring everything back later, so for right now, leaving that part open.
What sounds like the best overall option? (total out-the-door cost seems relatively close between the Uhaul and Suburban or minivan options, depending on specifics of each)

A few of details of where I am so far:
-Bringing the car is an open question – definitely keeping it for the time being, but agnostic about whether it stays in DC (will be at GF’s house in the driveway so it will be safe at least) or comes with me if it’s much easier to say rent a minivan that wouldn’t be as suitable to tow the car across the mountains on the way to OH. So let’s cover all options on the merits and then deal with the car issue down the road when I make that call.
-Car will be just less than 4000Lbs., for tow-rating purposes (so does that basically pit the Suburban vs. the Uhaul?), BUT aside from the towing issue, can’t possibly imagine the cargo weight inside the vehicle being a problem even for a minivan
-From my layman’s take, the standard Uhaul cube or cargo van (with or without the car trailer) probably is the most straightforward option with the car, but again, I probably don’t NEED all the space that the accompanying 10’ cube truck would bring to that (it looks like it’s only $200 or so more for the trailer if I do the Uhaul option, so I’m fine with that on a cost basis)
-Similarly, IIRC a minivan probably would not be as suitable for the towing (assuming here that the combined gross wt of trailer with car would be above the nominal towing capability of a FWD-based vehicle like a minivan)…but would probably be sufficient space and volume for what I actually need to do
-Presumably either the minivan or Suburban would be more comfortable than a Uhaul for the trip, but again not a dispositive factor for me if the cost works out and/or I don’t bring the car anyway
-Seeing at it will be a spring/summer move, I can’t envision any Wx issues that would necessitate a 4WD SUV, but again will be happy to hear any insights if that somehow matters here

I'm not sure what you are asking but I will give my thoughts.

Towing on a rental with any of the major rental car agencies will void your rental contract and possibly land you on the DNR list if you get into an accident. I would avoid this. Uhaul vehicles are set up to tow if you want to go that route, but the cost will most likely be more expensive than shipping the car.

Thanks for the response, should have stated explicitly that I would of course only be towing with approval (again I'm new to the whole towing side of things), so if that's a no-go for Hertz et al renting a Suburban or whatever, that settles that (and I suppose why Uhaul adds a couple hundred!).

My LEAN so far is probably sans car, for the above-mentioned additional expense and the safety/hassle since I don't NEED to have it for the time being.

Have you driven a van/truck towing a car trailer( with a car on board)? Or even a small trailer behind a car/pickup?
Looking on a map Washington, District of Columbia, USA to Bethesda, Ohio 43719, USA is only ~300 miles.
Would essential stuff (clothes, computer etc) fit in your car; store the rest. How big is the car? If you take a lot more stuff, will they sit in boxes in you parents garage?
Will you be going to visit the gf from time to time?

I live in Bethesda (DC metro area), but will be going to Cincinnati (not terribly longer, but 400+ odd miles).

First time driving a trailer -- if that a deal-breaker for safety reasons, I certainly 100% write that option off (and not trying to be cocky about that anyway).

Potential for some back-and-forth's, no set plans on any of that, but frankly will probably just book flights if fares continue current trend for next few months. Car would be on a permanent one-way trip, where if I took it, it would be to leave with my parents permanently and eventually dispose of back there.

Not the time to learn now. Towing a car on a trailer with a large vehicle you are not familiar, over hills, on a 500 mile trip could be a challenge. Check all insurances.
(I put Bethesda, Maryland, USA to Cincinnati, Ohio, USA in G maps)

Agreed all around, real mention was just that it was an option.

So long as you are not taking furniture & appliances you take a lot of stuff in a car. Heavy duty plastic bags can be better use of a car space than rigid cardboard boxes. Fill up the passenger seat, foot wells and every corner of the trunk.

Right, but the space issue with large dimensional items (if I decide to take them), like TV/computer screens, maybe a bookshelf, chair, that type of thing.

Take a minivan - it will eat the most items. I've moved a queen mattress with it - Grand Caravan and Pacifica both come with stow-n-go seats so they fold right into the floor.

That's what I'm leaning toward, and probably is a bit easier to drive too I'm thinking vs. a Suburban. Having not driven either, I'm just not as familiar with which is overall better for the hauling role, so I figured it would be good to get thoughts here.

Agree with the others that it's not suitable to tow with a rental (not the time to learn, and EVERY rental company that I'm aware of voids all agreements if you tow, which would also void any 3rd party insurance). And for what it's worth, the "church vans" (both the GM and Ford 12-15 pax vans that I've rented have the seats bolted in and they cannot even lay flat. They're great for moving people, but horrible for moving stuff. Uhaul/Budget/Penske van or truck is the way to go for a move with anything more than what easily fits into a minivan.

Oh yeah, the church vans of my old summer camp days! (I had written those off for precisely the reason you state, this being a one-way move especially!)

To the above points too, I probably COULD move substantially all of everything I really would NEED, but between the mechanical state of the car (fine enough, but I do know it needs brake work and a couple other similar items for a fully-laden trek across the mountains @ 400 miles or so) and the potential of wanting to have a couple items that would be too big for sedan dimensions, the van seems like a decent option.

Truth be told, based on the rough prices I'm seeing for one-way rentals from DC-Cincinnati, it actually would not be too far off to just buy a one-way flight, load up my two suitcases with everything they will hold (under 100Lbs.), and then ship a couple big boxes via UPS and that would get me to the same outcome and price, maybe even less.

A minivan with side doors BOTH sides would be a lot easier to load/unload as well...

I didn't even think about that benefit of a minivan! Definitely a trump card over an SUV for sure.