What rental car?

Hello!

Last year my girlfriend and I drove the PCH from SF down to LA. We booked an economy car but were upgraded to a Chevrolet Malibu which I guess is a compact or midsize.

Next year we are planning on driving the Utah/Arizona loop from and to Las Vegas. On the basis that the drives between stops will be quite long and I don't know what the roads are like - does anyone have any suggestions as to the type of car to hire?

I think we would want something reliable and comfortable for the longer drives. Will a compact/midszie do it or is it worth going for the smaller SUV?

I have driven many of these roads in a VW New Beetle. In my experience, the roads have been paved and in good condition. My car is fairly low, with little clearance, and I don't recall it ever being a problem.

I don't rent cars enough to have experience with this myself but, according to others here, you can't take a rental vehicle off-road so this would really limit your need for an SUV. So I really think you should rent whatever vehicle fits your budget, is roomy enough to be comfortable for you, and that you would enjoy driving the most.

I'd agree with Judy here. There's really no reason you'd need an SUV for this trip. Unless you really want to drive an SUV or have a really large amount of cargo, I'd say you'll be much better off going with a car, where you'll spend much less and have a more comfortable ride.

As far as what size of car to get, you'll have to decide what comforts you'd like. The Malibu would be at least a mid-sized car, and many rental companies probably consider it a full-sized car (one of the great tricks of the rental industry is classifying cars larger than the rest of the automotive world - for example most "mid-sized" rental cars are just compacts with a couple of extra options, like Cruise Control). If you liked the Malibu, I'd go with a mid-sized or larger, but if you think you can get by without cruise or other options, then a compact will be just fine.

As far as reliable, your rental car is most likely going to be less than a year old, so you shouldn't have any concerns there.