On our trip last week, we rented an Alfa Romeo 159. At first we opted for the sedan but luckily were able to switch to the alfa romeo wagon once we arrived because we couldn't fit our luggage into the sedan (don't bank on there always being availability to do this). So here's the info I have.

The alfa romeo sedan, we could get one 22"Hx14"Wx9"D and one 26"Hx18"Wx10"D into the trunk - and that's it. According to the AE website they said, "similar to a Toyota Camry." Well we did a test run with a Camry - and that's just not true. The camry trunk was twice as big. They also indicate you can fit two large cases (the 26"H ones) and two smaller ones (the 22"H ones) and again, not true. One of each and that was it.

We were able to fit all those into the trunk of the wagon though(my brother's suitcases didn't necessarily match the dimensions but basically two large two small), and some of the carryons but there were one or two carryons piled between my brother and sister in-law in the backseat, especially on the return trip after we'd done a bit of shopping!

As far as handling though - Chris loved the alfa wagon - said it handled great, and got good milage, we only filled up the tank 1.5 times over the week and we did a decent amount of driving.

I hope this info is helpful to others who are looking into renting cars. Someone asked, so I thought I'd share it with everyone.

Do the sedans rear seats fold down? Many times when they give max carry capacity they really mean with the back seats folded down. Not much use if you need those seats.

Nick, Chris does not think they did fold down, but we never confirmed because we needed those seats for our other two passengers.

This is so funny - we had to do the same thing in September. We had reserved the 159 sedan but had to switch to the wagon because of the luggage situation. The rear seats on the wagon do fold down because we lost the keys under the luggage in the back and had to go from the back seat to get them (not realizing you could open the trunk from the control panel over our heads between the front seats). My friends had 3 28" suitcases and I had 1 22". They will find it amusing that someone else had this issue - I kept trying to tell them they REALLY needed to cut back on the luggage in the future. Although they were able to take 2 bottles of wine back to the U.S. for me.

I was so looking forward to renting an Alfa 159 this fall when we were in Italy, but, the rental agency didnt have any, so, our choice was a Passat Wagon or a Chrysler Sebring sedan.
We opted for the Chrysler and was quite happy with its small diesel engine and its handling, plus, 3 medium sized suitcases were able to fit in the trunk.

Who would have thought travelling half way around the world I would be renting an North American car!

If I remember correctly, I think the 159 has a 'sub trunk' area that you can fit a large bag in.... but it is not obvious

Michael, that trunk was really deep, so I can't imagine anything underneat, it just wasn't large in terms of the distance from the back seat to the end of the trunk. It would be interesting though if there was a compartment we missed that could have held a second large bag (remember, we did fit one large and one small in the trunk), and more interesting that the rental people didn't mention it when we went to ask for a car with a larger trunk.

With a choice of a Passat wagon or Sebring, I definitely would've gone with the Passat. I have one in the US, and it's smooth, quick, and swallows tons of luggage.

I did rent an Alfa 159 wagon last summer. A little tight with our bags, but perfect for the run to the Ipercoop outside Perugia. Couldn't beat the handling--it took a bit to get used to the quick accurate steering. The Passat tilts a little more toward luxury.

Has anyone had any experience with the Alfa Romeo 147?

Yup. I've rented a lot of cars the past two years. It's Golf-sized, sportier handling. A blast to drive, not much luggage space. Good economy with the diesel version, comes with an iPod jack. Can bottom out in the back on big bumps. Enjoyable overall, a good size without being too huge, which is important in the hill towns.

quote:

Originally posted by NuccioP:
Yup. I've rented a lot of cars the past two years. It's Golf-sized, sportier handling. A blast to drive, not much luggage space. Good economy with the diesel version, comes with an iPod jack. Can bottom out in the back on big bumps. Enjoyable overall, a good size without being too huge, which is important in the hill towns.

Thanks---
Would it be okay for 3 adults and 3 medium duffle suitcases?

Yeah, it'll be fine with 3 people/3 duffels. We've filled ours with a big haul from the hypermarket.

I rented the sedan (for just 2 days) and found it to be uncomfortably big, like driving a Yacht.

I like small cars. It is amazing what you can fit in a small car. Example the Lancia epsilon. We fit one large bag,3 medium to large bags and two carryons (using the small back area,the back seat and a little engineering). The diesel gets about 50 MPG, was fun to drive and had a good amount of room. I am 6'2" and my wife is 5" 9". (1.88 meters and 1.75 m).

On the Home front,I've never owned anything but a foreign manual transmission car. RR

Me too (foreign manual), except for two years with a Honda Civic auto sedan, which my father-in-law gave us. Hated the auto.

I like small cars, too. I really want a Fiat nuova 500. The Alfa 159 I drove last summer was nice, but really too big in Perugia, which definitely is a small--or no--car city.

quote:

Originally posted by Always Italy:
Has anyone had any experience with the Alfa Romeo 147?

We have rented a 147 three or four times. I always specify an Alfa because I am a car freak and we can't get them in the US. The 147 luggage compartment will fit two med/large suitcases plus a carry-on with no problem. I would think that three duffles would easily fit.