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Usually book with Dollar (Orlando Intl.)and since taking the family (wife + 3 children) have always chosen 7 seater minivan. Usually get a Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan, which I am always happy with. Very comfortable to drive as I have an automatic ford galaxy at home.
Now toying with the idea of trying a 7 seater SUV for a change - two questions:-
Why should I?
Why shouldn't I?
Pros and cons appreciated.
Thanks
booked 7seat SUV with Alamo last year , great vehicle, model allocated was Chevy Tahoe,
plenty of room we had 4 adults and 6 cases , 2 set of clubs on the airport runs...
enjoyed the drive
This year we went for the 8st van , Toyota Sienna as we had a 5th adult , however reckon
the 7st SUV would have done...
Personal taste really - we prefer the SUV- more comfort usually, but they are getting to be in short supply in car Hire places, so I would go with the van if you are not bothered
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Ben Jorell
Usually book with Dollar (Orlando Intl.)and since taking the family (wife + 3 children) have always chosen 7 seater minivan. Usually get a Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan, which I am always happy with. Very comfortable to drive as I have an automatic ford galaxy at home.
Now toying with the idea of trying a 7 seater SUV for a change - two questions:-
Why should I?
Why shouldn't I?
Pros and cons appreciated.
Thanks
[/quote]
We use both depending on how many people we have with us, other than that the choice is hard to rationalise and is very personal.
Why should I? Just because you can, you need to use a 4x4, you like to see more (they tend to be higher), great for finding a parking space. They are big cars.
Why shouldn't I? we have only had 5 with a 7 seat SUV, the rear seats are not easy to get to. We have to put 1 of the rear seats down to get the cases in. They are big though you should be OK
Pros and cons appreciated:- these are both!
Vans like a car
SUV like a 4x4
The big plus for me ( or really the other passengers) is the comfort of the seats. You obviously spend a lot of time driving in Florida and there's nothing worse than the rear seats in the minivans, they are so uncomfortable.
We always booked the luxury car category if there was just the 2 of us as we liked the extra comfort and space. if there was a group of us we would go for a van for the extra seats. I was never a fan of the SUVs until I tried one a few years back. We are now hooked on them! We generally go for a 7 seater - even though there are only 2 of us most of the time! We love the extra space and comfort and the fact that they are so high. They also provide a feeling of safety as they are built like tanks! One minor downside. If anyone in the party has mobility problems it can be difficult getting in and out - as my elderly mother found when we brought her out to stay at the villa last year.
In the end it is all down to personal taste but from someone who never considered hiring an SUV I have been totally won over by the large 7 seater models.
Thanks for all that -I'm asking because I'm almost persuaded to give it a go, but just didn't want the unfamiliarity to 'slow me down'. Because I like to plan for as many eventualities as possible to make our trip as smooth as can be simply because travelling with 3 young children (+our oldest has special needs)necessitates plenty of planning and as few hiccups as possible. (I call it 'Equalising before fate scores')
The room can't be more of a problem than the minivan, as we travel with 4 cases out - 5 cases back + hand luggage, so we do tend to fold down seats to accommodate this. The SUV would seem to be just as roomy, with the bonus of comfort for the passengers.
OK, price permitting, I think I'll go for it!
Thank you all - I'll report back, but not for a year. Just one thing jimiansville - when you say 'large 7 seater models' - are there differing sizes of 7 seaters?
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