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Car hire 7 seater - how man people inc ski luggage

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
How many people including luggage and 3 snowboard bags can you get in a 7 seater such as a VW Sharan, Galaxy or Espace ?

Hoping the answer will be 6.

Transfer time will be in the region of 2 hours so relative comfort required !
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
We got 7 people + luggage + 4 sets of skis in a 9 seater Vito and it was a tight squeeze. That was for the 3 hour transfer from Geneva to LDA last week.
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 brian
brian
Guest
masmith, not much hope I'm afraid, the luggage room in these things tends to be disappointinly small. We had an espace in summer once with 6 pax and couldn't get all our luggage in. You might have some chance if they'd let you take a seat out and leave it at the car hire but they (Avis) wouldn't let us do that.
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masmith, The boot of the Galaxy will be quite small with 6 people in it. We have done 7 (and 7 sets of skis and boots)... GVA to Tignes.....wasn't comfortable, but it was fun snowHead

If you are arranging the trip, you'll need to drive....and the drivers space should be not compromised because that's a safety issue wink
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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brian,
Quote:

We had an espace in summer once with 6 pax and couldn't get all our luggage in.

what did you do ?
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My brother hired a Peugeot 7 seater (807?) last summer and that was a real squeeze with 4 adults and 2 young kids (4 and 2) with luggage. I don't think it would have been possible to get any ski kit in there with them. Make sure the hire place doesn't give you one of these!
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 brian
brian
Guest
masmith, 2 airport runs Sad

Luckily we were only just over an hour from the airport.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Have booked a Grand Espace equivalent for our trip to La Clusaz. There will be 6 adults but probably only one pair of skis. Had a Galaxy in Verbier one year with 7 adults, its a tight squeeze but it can be done (boot bags on floor with feet resting on them, even one or two of the smaller ski bags on the laps of those travelling in the back - zero comfort factor). In fact the only one with any room or comfort will be the driver, so everyone else can get pissed on the journey, turn the music up loud and forgeddaboudit! Cool
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halfhand, get pissed uncomfortably or drive 2 hours in comfort. Now that's a tricky one Puzzled
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So the general consensus so far is:

7 is a no no
6 is a maybe but a bit tight with alcohol inducements for the passengers
5 is the sensible way to go

thanks guys
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What airport are you flying into? Is there a possibility of upping the size to a 9 seater or is the cost to prohibitive?
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Some hire companies have a ski box as an extra.


Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Tue 7-11-06 14:23; edited 1 time in total
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
going into Zurich - appears that 7 seater is biggest available. Not sure yet exactly how many people will be going, it will be in the region of 4 to 6, so just wanted to know whether this type of vehicle would be suitable if the group size ended up being 5 or 6 (or possibly 7 if someone came in at the last minute). Maybe 2 x intermediate wagon's (as they say) might work out better ?
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
btw, Fleet Europe have some very good rates - found the link in This sticky
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
if its a new galaxy the rear seats fold flat
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
masmith, We have a 7 seater Grand Voyager which is substantially larger than the Galaxy we had before. With 6 of us in it there is still no where near enough room for luggage and skis for all. (solution is a top box but that doesn't work for a hire car). I would say 5 with luggage is your max, 4 if everyone has skis and boots. If you have two drivers in your group, best bet is get two vehicles, spread the load and have more room.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
AxsMan, thanks for that ... excellent advice.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
masmith, the Grand Espace and the Previa have the best combination of luggage and passenger space. The Grand Voyager (the last time I looked!) has more passenger space only. As you've already concluded 6 bods and 3 snowboard bags would be pushing it in any of them. The Vito is a distinct possibility but it'd still be disproportionately tight given the big increase in vehicle size.
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slikedges, Er, I think you'll find the Grand Voyager has a tad more luggage space than the Grand Espace, as well as more passenger space. (min 1200 ltr bootspace vs min 456 ltr. Previa has min 515 ltr) None of them enough for 6 plus kit though Very Happy

We hired a big Merc once, can't recall its model, but that had room for 6 plus kit and some to spare. Expensive though.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
minibus perhaps?
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Quote:

minibus perhaps?

perhaps, but a fair bit more exp. than hire car
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
The difficulty with car hire is guaranteeing what you'll get when you arrive. I reckon you'll be better off with a couple of mid-sized estates - you can fold the seats down in one and put the skis / boards into it. If that turns out to be too small then you'll have the option of adding a ski rack or two at the last moment.

I'd also suggest taking some bungee cords - before now we've knocked up an emergency "roof rack" using a couple of short snow boards across the roof rails. Cool
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
PhillipStanton, excellent suggestion.

We have a Sharan and drive down to the Alps in it - it is comfortable and full with 2 adults, 3 kids and all our luggage (plus the bags of the rest of the party who are flying and just want to take handbaggage rolling eyes )

With 6 people in, even with one smallish bag each, it would be tight - the reat set of seats are only suitable for kids. No way could you get skis in as well.

Love our VW for driving to the alps but only as big 5-seater
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masmith, When we bought our appt in the alps, my brother, sis-in-law, husband & myself hired a Sharan. We went to Albertville & filled it with Big cupboard for the kitchen, 10 duvets, 20 pillows, double that amount of bed linen, a rug, a tv, 6lamps, kitchen table (flat pack, but can seat 14!) two benches (also flat pack), 2 big pots of paint & 4 days worth of food & drink for us, & then us as well!! I think that was about the most uncomfortable trip ever....but the look of the faces of the guys in Fly when they went to call their colleageues to watch us pack it all in, had us in stitches all the way up the mountain & beyond! Laughing Laughing

So go for a Sharan, they are huge!!
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Had a fiat croma back in january ,5 of us there was room for all luggage inside just put skis on roof,
Hiring a 9 seater minibus for january for 7 of us works out cheaper than 7 seater people carrier..
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Had 6 fully (and I do mean fully) grown men in one of those Fiat Multiplas last season + skis for 3 and all luggage travelling from Grenoble to La Plagne. A roof rack would have made it acceptable but as it was, with some creative packing, we just managed it. Was bloody tight though.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
I am suprised there are no 9 seat mini bus for rent ex Zurich. This would / should work out cheaper. Look at other car hire websites.

Good luck with the trip.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Quote:

Had 6 fully (and I do mean fully) grown men in one of those Fiat Multiplas last season

We have a Multipla and it is one of the very few vehicles which has seating for 6 properly sized adults. Luggage space with 6 up is limited, though better than in something like a Grand Scenic with 6 up. We have roof bars for skis/boards (a box makes the thing too high for most covered parking). I have picked up 5 visitors, and their luggage, in Geneva but they had been warned to travel light and that anybody with too much would have to carry it on their laps. Given the price of renting big people carriers (and the impossibility of knowing exactly what you will get) I would go for 2 smaller vehicles if you have two drivers. Would give you more flexibility in-resort, too.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Quote:

So the general consensus so far is:
7 is a no no
6 is a maybe but a bit tight with alcohol inducements for the passengers
5 is the sensible way to go

IMHO, If you dont have a roof box or carrier on the rear, and I dont know what hire company would. I'd say that 4 is sensible, 5 cramped (providing reasonable amt of luggage), 6 and above is a no go.... Sad

Even if you can squeeze everything in, overloading the vehicle cannot be good, particularly if you have a problem en-route.

To be sure, use 2 vehicles or 2 trips. Good luck! snowHead
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
As an ex (old) Galaxy owner:

The back back seat can be perfectly comfortable for an adult when slid back (obviously at the expense of the luggage space)
With 5 people there will be a lot of luggage space
Skis are an awkward shape. Ideally they would go on the roof anyway. Otherwise with 5 in the car the best configuration would be 2 in the middle and 1 person at the back to leave a long luggage space down the side.
If you have only 5 in the car, you really want to dump the extra seats as they take up quite a lot of space.
With all skis on the roof, you could probably squeeze 6 people in. Leave the spare seat with the hire company.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Quote:

Leave the spare seat with the hire company.

very unlikely they will accept this. when we wanted to leave the back parcel shelf out of the car we had been given instead of the Scenic we had reserved (in order to accommodate a wheelchair) the hire firm flatly refused.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Thanks everyone, some very useful first hand experiences. Seems that the only time when a 7 seater would prove beneficial over 2 standard cars would be if the passengerr count was 5.

For 6 or 7 people then 2 cars is clearly best option and not a great deal more expensive.

Still haven't found a 9 seater to pick up from Zurich so that hasn't come into the equation ... yet.
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 brian
brian
Guest
nessy wrote:
Leave the spare seat with the hire company.


What pam w said, I've tried to do this (with an Espace) and we were turned down flat.
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http://www.holidayautos.co.uk/cgi-bin/liveweb.sh/QSearch.w?ctryref=GBR&lang=EN&aff=xOneAccount

Try on here for a larger vehicle.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Helen Beaumont, tried it, they have a 9 seater Vito or similar on some dates but not showing up when I enter my dates (2-5 March), but when search for 17-20 Nov 2006 for example then a 9 setaer does show up ! Maybe they're already booked up for my week ?
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masmith, I'd call them and ask.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Helen Beaumont, thanks. Let me know what they say wink
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
masmith, rolling eyes
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 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
If we hire a 'regular' car does anyone know how many sets of skis/snowboards the ski racks can hold, assuming they would be some magnetic type as they're a locally payable option so must be easy to fit.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
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masmith, IF you are prepared to put all the skis and board on the roof, you could probably get away with 6 people in a Galaxy.
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