My family will be vacationing in Germany for three weeks this summer and I need to rent a vehicle for 3 adults and 2 kids and about 3 large suitcases. Will a "full size" wagon do the job? It looks like the European wagons have a lot less storage room, but the rental sites advertise 5 passenger and 4 large suitcases for some, i.e. the BMW 320 Touring.
Can anyone who’s actually driven some of these cars give me some advice? The adults are all tall, and the kids are 8 and 10 years old.
A BMW 320 is a smallish wagon, not much boot space.
If you want to get around comfortably, look at 9 seater minivans like this:
http://www.starcar.de/autoflotte.php?gruppe=13&kategorie=1
or a 7 seater:
http://www.starcar.de/autoflotte.php?gruppe=12&kategorie=1
In practically all 7 seater models you can fold down the last two seats to get a big boot.
With two kids that young? No, I really wouldn’t recommend it. Rent a camper or something like that, or a 9-seater (the SUV style). The kids will be thankful, because inevitably, in a German summer, you’ll end up in a traffic jam somewhere on some Autobahn, and you don’t really want the kids to get naggy when after five hours, the car has moved just two inches. And you don’t have enough storage room in a 5-seater for drinks for all, and you’ll get nervous, too, with 5 people crammed so closely together.
I admit that the BMW 320 Touring is a fine car, but with kids on board and all the luggage, you couldn’t use it to its limits anyway. So I’d really suggest you rent a camping vehicle, which will also give you the opportunity to stay a night spontaneously at a place the kids like; and if YOU like, you rent a real fast car for a day and try your driving skills on the Autobahn.
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You could rent that BMW but it wouldn’t be that comfortable with 5 persons. With that many persons even a US car would be crowded, wouldn’t it? Why don’t you rent a van? We have big ones here too
Something like the Volkswagen Sharan or Mercedes Viano? If you can spare the money try the Audi Q7. If you like BMW you could choose a bigger one like the BMW 520 Touring. Would be much more suitable with 5 persons.
But my recommendation is the MErcedes Viano.
References :
A BMW 320 is a smallish wagon, not much boot space.
If you want to get around comfortably, look at 9 seater minivans like this:
http://www.starcar.de/autoflotte.php?gruppe=13&kategorie=1
or a 7 seater:
http://www.starcar.de/autoflotte.php?gruppe=12&kategorie=1
In practically all 7 seater models you can fold down the last two seats to get a big boot.
References :
For three adults and 5 person at all, almost every station wagon would be too small for long and comfortable traveling
So I would recommend a VW Transporter, for example a VW T5 Multivan.
Picture: http://static.pagenstecher.de/uploads/4/40/404/4044/153808-27068.jpg
References :