I used to rent the cheapest compact or subcompact I could get when we took vacations. Mrs. Triedaq then started making the travel reservations. On one trip to California, we rented an SUV–a Chevrolet Traverse and were quite happy. Enjoy your trip and rent a Fusion or equivalent. My wife, before we both retired, did a lot of traveling for our institution recruiting graduate students. For road trips, she preferred a larger car like the Ford Taurus or Chevrolet Impala and didn’t have much good to say about the Honda Civic Hybrids in the fleet when she was assigned one of these. My last trip to a conference before I retired was in a Ford Fusion and I found it very enjoyable to drive. That was back in 2011 and the Fusion has changed, but I am sure the latest version is just as good.
I agree. I would rent a Fusion in a heartbeat…even over a Camry as it probably rides, handles. And goes better with the normally found more powerful motor. Would I buy one over a Camry ? Heck no; that’s a different question with different reasoning.
@dagosa;
Interesting; as I was reading your 1st sentence I was wondering if you would pay almost the same price for a Fusion over a Camry as a keeper then your next sentence made me grin.
Ford Fusion and the Focus both are very well handling cars. Not sure if they would be as trouble-free as other brands if you want to take them to 200K miles. They are being tested I guess.
@gallant The latest issue of Consumer Reports puts the Camry head and shoulders over any Ford with respect to reliability.
That, of course is not an issue when renting for a couple of weeks. I’ve even rented a Neon on a vacation trip.
The C-Max is not a small car. It is bigger than a Prius and slightly smaller than the bigger Prius V. In any case, it’s plenty big enough to serve as a family car for many families. I haven’t rented one but found them comfortable at the auto show. If it weren’t for Ford’s reliability issues I’d find the C-Max very attractive.
The Fusion is a comfortable car, but so are the Optima, C-Max, and Prius for many. All of are big enough for most adults, though tall ones may find the Optima and Prius back seats tight. The C-Max has tons of headroom, but very wide folks may not like it or the Prius. Comfort depends very much on your size.
When driving the southwest in december…
If you like hot air balloons…
Try to plan your trip to be in Gallup New Mexico December 4,5, and 6.
The Red Rock Balloon rally is then. Early AM each day , 200 balloons in the skies . ( much smaller that Albuquerque’s intl balloon fiesta but much more up close and personal )
Get the biggest and most comfy you can afford. And remember if its rental, drive it mental.