Category Archives: Fleet vehicles

Toyota Sienna 8 Seat People Carrier for Car Hire

People Carrier with 8 Seats

The 8 Seat people carrier offered by Alamo is the only remaining people carrier for this number of people. Alamo has the Toyota Sienna exclusively (certainly at Orlando), and on our trip to the Alamo garage at Orlando this year, we took a few photos of the interior of this lovely car.  We have had one ourselves previously and we found it both cavernous and a joy to drive, but then there are only 4 in our party!  It is a great vehicle for swallowing up suitcases, shopping or even pieces of furniture for visiting home-owners undertaking a little refurbishment. Continue reading →

US Car Hire 7 Seat People Carrier

In this article we examine the Minivan 7 Seat People carrier as a hire car, so that you can see if this car will suit you and your party best for your holiday in the USA.  The people carriers are extremely popular in holiday destinations, most particularly Orlando – where sometimes every car that you can see at a traffic light is a people carrier of one description or another! This is of course, due to their versatility and capacious luggage space. Continue reading →

Do I need a Full Size hire car in the USA?

For a family with large teenagers, or party of 5 adults, the Full size category of cars is probably the smallest category that you would want to consider. Luggage room is reasonable, but not necessarily generous so if everyone is planning on taking a suitcase then Premium or even Luxury will be more appropriate! In April 2013 we visited Orlando International Airport to have a look at the Alamo fleet in the B-side garage.  The fleet is the same for both the A and B terminal of course, but makes and models vary through the day as cars are returned, cleaned and hired again.  As before, we noted the makes and models available whilst we were there, and took a photo to illustrate the available boot space. Continue reading →

Compact Car Hire in the USA

Compact Car Hire

Compact cars are one size up from the smallest category – the economy car. The compact category can seat 5, although it would be a bit of a squeeze if you were intending to do much touring around.  Whilst in Florida in April 2013 we went to see the Alamo fleet at Orlando International Airport to see what makes and models are included within this category and to take a snapshot or two of the boot space, which we hope will help you visualise the room available for your luggage.

Continue reading →

SUV Car Hire in the USA

Hiring an SUV in America.

Sport Utility Vehicles or SUV’s are exceptionally popular as hire cars in the USA.  The variety of the SUV’s available is much wider than a few years ago where the standard offering was a Jeep Cherokee.  We can now offer as many as five different SUV categories for hire in the US and the differences can be both subtle and confusing, so here we try to clarify what is available – and where they may be available. Continue reading →

Economy Car Hire

Economy Car Hire in the USA.

The Economy car is the smallest category of the fleet for car hire in the USA.  Often, for European car hire there is a smaller category still, called the Mini category, but for the US and Canada, Economy is as small as they go.

There is a view held by some renters that the suppliers do not, in fact, have many economy cars, and that if you book one, you are likely to actually receive a larger car. This approach is only worth trying if there is only a couple of you anyway, and you will not mind if you actually receive an economy car!  If you really are depending on receiving a Compact or something larger, then you must book that category, because otherwise, the desk clerks will be rubbing their hands together in glee at the prospect of the commission on your locally paid upgrade.  Seasoned travellers will be well aware that the cost for an upgrade appears to be completely dependent on your need for it.  The more you need it, the more it will cost! Continue reading →

Intermediate Car Hire

Intermediate Car Hire

When you are planning a holiday that involves any amount of driving it is very important to get the size of car right for the size of your party, and the various members within that party. In the US car hire world, the Intermediate category is also known as a Mid-size, and it is probably the second most popular of the various car categories. I would say that the Economy car is the one we see most bookings for when talking in terms of cars rather than people carriers or Sports Utility Vehicles – SUV’s. Continue reading →

Should I hire an Intermediate SUV?

The Intermediate Sports Utility Vehicle, known as the Intermediate SUV is a reasonably recent addition to car hire fleets (within the last 7 years) and has fast become really popular.  The category name may seem a little confusing because this SUV is in fact the smallest SUV category available for hire – but the Intermediate refers to its approximate capacity rather than where it sits in a ranking scale.  The room within an Intermediate SUV is about comparable to the room available within an Intermediate category car.  There is also a Standard SUV, the original Jeep Grand Cherokee is a good example of this group, and a Premium/luxury SUV which will seat either 7 or 8 depending on the model. Continue reading →

Minivan 7 Seater versus 7 Seat SUV’s

Comparison of People Carrier versus 7 seat SUV.

The minivan 7-seater, or people carrier, is one of our most versatile vehicles for car hire in the USA.  These cars are usually quite low to the ground, whilst offering an upright driving position and the most space for luggage inside.  There is really no comparison with the 7-seat SUV’s which have much higher ground clearance, and therefore less luggage space in the boot.  All of the seats in the people carriers are full seats, suitable for adults.  In most cases the rear seats of the SUV’s are suitable only for children due to a lack of head clearance and leg room.  These seats are also situated in the luggage area, therefore reducing the available space again. Continue reading →

Cool Convertibles

A red hot Ford Mustang convertible, driving down the Pacific Coast Highway in California, or Ocean Drive in Miami, Florida, and the wind through the hair is an iconic image that many renters have in mind when considering a convertible for their holiday car hire.

All of our suppliers have the Ford Mustang convertible within their fleets – prominently – this dream can become a reality. We can’t guarantee which model of any category you will receive, but as these car hire companies have invested in the Ford Mustang as the main car for the convertible, drivers with a dream have never had a better chance.

To increase the chances, you might like to consider selecting either Alamo, Dollar or Thrifty as the supplier. Until very recently Dollar and Thrifty had a 100% Mustang convertible fleet. Whilst this is no longer the case, they probably still have more Ford Mustangs than other suppliers.

Convertibles are not available from the northern states in the US, which is something to bear in mind when planning your trip. To drive a convertible along historical Route 66, you will need to start from the south-west.

Both Dollar and Alamo offer you the chance to choose your own car from those available at Choice locations such as:

  • Atlanta
  • Las Vegas
  • Orlando
  • Miami
  • Los Angeles
  • West Palm Beach
  • Fort Myers
  • Houston
  • Denver

Convertibles are not held in any numbers at hotel/downtown locations. To have a choice of vehicle, we would recommend using the airport for collection. These cars are not designed for 4 people to be equally comfortable. Likewise, there is not much room for luggage, so pack light!