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The full size van, eats a lot of gas, and is not good on mountain snow and ice. I would say a mid size SUV, would be your best bet, with the capacity you will need. One of the best is a 6 cylinder Ford Explorer. We have a 2012 bought new, and handles snow fantastically. We average 22 MPG. Of 50 largest police departments, have already reached the point of 50% of their patrol cars are now Explorers, due being dependable, room to carry equipment and passengers, their road stability when in pursuit. And as more cars are replaced more Explorers. They are great vehicles in snow.
A lot of people are suggesting an Outback, OK in town but does not really have the capacity to carry the dog crates and everything you want to take with you. Also not the best in the snow in mountains,especially when road not yet plowed. I say that as our housekeeper had one and could not get to home up a steep hill. She traded it on the new midsize Chevy pickup and .it has no problems
Dog crates take up a ton of room. Unless these dogs are very small a lot of the cargo area will be taken up with crates. You want the dogs to have some room where they are placed. Midsize SUVs don’t have a ton of cargo area. You add suitcases a cooler bag of snacks, dog food, bowls, water, leashes, your purse, three dog crates etc you’re gonna run out of sq footage really fast.
OP is going from Portland to Dallas probably through Wyoming, Colorado route. At a minimum i would get a full size 4x4 SUV if they take that route. I wouldn’t waste the time with a midsize. Ok so the mpg is gonna be worse. You’re mostly going through mountainous country so mpg is gonna suffer anyway. If they take a more southern route through Ca, NV, Az, NM they would have a easier drive they could rent a 2WD vehicle like a Van.
If you’re taking a 2,000 mile trip unless you can do it in a small car you’re gonna pay for fuel costs.
I just went to Colorado. I took my little 4 cyl car instead of my diesel. The fuel savings were around $350/400bucks. I think my costs were $200 for 1600 miles averaging 27 up and 31 down mpg.
I've probably driven in all the snowy mountains is the US; in the winter, at night , in blizzards, not by choice. I've only used sedans and minivans. I've done that trip or close to it many times and I went straight down the through California and took the southern route to sometimes Phoenix and sometimes Albuquerque. The snow in the northern route can be quite heavy this time of year.
I think you could make better time driving the southern portion in good weather. Its three days two and nights. I wouldn't want to have to drive 20 or 30 miles an hour at night in a blizzard on a mountain. I've done it before. The northern peaks are a lot higher than the southern peaks from my experience.
I’m not sure if why people are concerned about the OP needing to "tackle the terrain". I looked up the route, and it just has you go over mostly Interstate. They clear off the roads pretty quickly, and if you’re unlucky enough to be driving in an actual blizzard, they close the roads at that point. My preference would be a minivan with snow tires as opposed to a CRV, RAV4, Forester, etc. with AWD and all seasons, but of course rental agencies don’t put on snow tires.
I would try to find a Sienna with AWD, but if one can’t be found, any minivan would suffice. Really a Suburban or Expedition would be best, and you should really consider stretching your budget for one.
I’m not sure if why people are concerned about the OP needing to "tackle the terrain". I looked up the route, and it just has you go over mostly Interstate. They clear off the roads pretty quickly, and if you’re unlucky enough to be driving in an actual blizzard, they close the roads at that point.
This. I grew up in a place that gets Buffalo-like levels of snow every year. Interstates and other artery roads are either closed or plowed quickly. At most, it's probably 2 inches of snow on the road at a time on that kind of route. The Expedition or Suburban? Very large false sense of security in typical winter Interstate condition. Because people get overconfident with 4WD/AWD and don't realize that the stopping distance or general manouverability in a giant SUV in low friction conditions can be pretty gnarly. Look at the vehicles that end up in a ditch after the first snowstorm of the year in snowbelt areas- they're typically medium and large SUVs rather than Honda Civics or Chevy Malibus.
My first car was, of all things, a late model Ford Escort that was light enough to stop as well as you ever can in icy or slushy or 2" of snow on the road conditions. Never came close to putting it in a ditch and drove past probably hundreds of people with the big 'winter' cars who had gotten off road because they didn't understand the basic physics of what they were doing.
I would get the CRV, and ask if they had any hybrid model suv's that would be you best bet. Driving a hybrid makes you realize just how much gas you waste in a normal car, literally just wasting gas.
The full size van, eats a lot of gas, and is not good on mountain snow and ice. I would say a mid size SUV, would be your best bet, with the capacity you will need. One of the best is a 6 cylinder Ford Explorer. We have a 2012 bought new, and handles snow fantastically. We average 22 MPG. Of 50 largest police departments, have already reached the point of 50% of their patrol cars are now Explorers, due being dependable, room to carry equipment and passengers, their road stability when in pursuit. And as more cars are replaced more Explorers. They are great vehicles in snow.
A lot of people are suggesting an Outback, OK in town but does not really have the capacity to carry the dog crates and everything you want to take with you. Also not the best in the snow in mountains,especially when road not yet plowed. I say that as our housekeeper had one and could not get to home up a steep hill. She traded it on the new midsize Chevy pickup and .it has no problems
Forester, not Outback. There is plenty of space. We train dogs and sometimes have to pick up three large dogs and transport them in crates in the Forester. The OP is transporting two smaller dogs and one larger dog, more than enough space for the crates and luggage. Plus the average mpg is well over 30 on the highway. It's also extremely good in snow, ours makes it up and down our mountain road like there isn't any snow at all. It's like a mountain goat, just up and down like it's nothing.
I may take a road trip in mid-November from Portland, OR to Dallas, TX. I'll have my bf and 3 dogs (2 Shelties & a Weim). We'd like to rent an SUV for space and just in case for weather.
We're trying to find the most fuel efficient, that can handle the terrain (I have no idea what the drive is like and how many mountains we have to go over), bad weather decently, and that is comfortable.
From doing a general rental car search, it looks like the following are our main choices, priced lowest to highest:
Jeep Patriot
Jeep Compass
Nissan Rogue
Toyota RAV4
Ford Escape
Ford EcoSport
Hyundai Santa Fe
Subaru XV Crosstrek
Subaru Forester
Thoughts on which one of these will work the best? I haven't looked at all the mileage, but I'm also thinking comfort; it's a friggen 30 hour drive (give or take)!
Quote:
Originally Posted by AlaskaErik
Check to see what the pet requirements are. I've showed up at the ticket counter with my dog and was told that she had to be crated while in the vehicle. I didn't ask why, but I assume it's because of the difficulty in getting dog hair out of the seats and carpeting.
Quote:
Originally Posted by psichick
Good point and thank you for the reminder. I was already planning on crating my dogs and strapping them down. I used to do agility with one of them and I have heard the horror stories of people traveling with their pets and getting into accidents when they're not crated and tied down. Safety first.
I was going to mention the pet disclosures. Every rental car I have had, explicitly stated in the rental agreement that no pets were allowed in the vehicle. I remember some of them having a cleaning fee if it was discovered you had pets in the car or pet hair was found in the car upon return. Part of the reason for that is a lot of people or their kids have pet allergies so they do not want pet dander in the cars. I would ask the rental company about their policy on pets.
As for the list of cars, the jeep patriot and jeep compass are some of the most unreliable vehicles on the road. I wouldn't trust one for a 30 minute drive much less 3000 miles. The Nissan Rogue does not have good vision out the back or sides. I am talking terrible vision. Also it has that annoying CVT transmission that does not shift gears. It just revs at a high level until you even out your speed. It is so annoying, I will not drive any Nissan that has that type transmission. Also, a lot of Nissans have super cheap uncomfortable interior. The Hyundai Santa Fe, that we sat in had terrible seats so we passed on it. I don't have any experience with the others. I wouldn't do either Subaru just because they are so damn dorky. If it was me, I would check out the Toyota first and see how it works for you. We have rented numerous Camrys and Avalons and they have been great.
To go from Portland to Dallas, only someone that did not know the areas the west, would take the route through Colorado to get to Dallas in the winter time with something like a van. You will probably hit Chain Law in effect areas, where you have to install and drive with chains. The only exception is if you have snow tires with good studs AND the vehicle is a 4X4 or AWD. NO EXCEPTIONS. Putting on chains on 4 wheels in a blizzard at night is an experience you will never forget.
And those Interstate will not be plowed as some are saying, and is often much deeper than 2 inches, as they cannot plow fast to keep it down, and with the high winds you get in those areas, plow road again has 6 or more inches of snow 10 minutes later and getting deeper and 1 reason for chain laws,
I know, as I lived on the Colorado font range for years, and often traveled to Dallas where my mother lived, and to Portland where some of my kids lived. At the time we drove Chevy Suburbans. Not only trips to family, but even more often for business.
Take I-5 to where you connect the southern Interstates to Dallas unless properly equipped, Much less chances of high mountain driving with lots of snow, for hours at a time.
Most of the advice you are getting, is from people with no experience driving in the areas they are suggesting in the winter. They are thinking about areas they live with no knowledge of winter driving in the HIGH MOUNTAIN ROCKIES. I drove roads in that area for decades. I have seen overnight winds coming down the street that ended where it met our street and, I had to a 8 ft. drift to get my Suburban out. You can only imagine what those winds cause out in open mountain. No they cannot even imagine potential problemsof driving the route they are suggesting in the winter.
To go from Portland to Dallas, only someone that did not know the areas the west, would take the route through Colorado to get to Dallas in the winter time with something like a van. You will probably hit Chain Law in effect areas, where you have to install and drive with chains. The only exception is if you have snow tires with good studs AND the vehicle is a 4X4 or AWD. NO EXCEPTIONS. Putting on chains on 4 wheels in a blizzard at night is an experience you will never forget.
And those Interstate will not be plowed as some are saying, and is often much deeper than 2 inches, as they cannot plow fast to keep it down, and with the high winds you get in those areas, plow road again has 6 or more inches of snow 10 minutes later and getting deeper and 1 reason for chain laws,
I know, as I lived on the Colorado font range for years, and often traveled to Dallas where my mother lived, and to Portland where some of my kids lived. At the time we drove Chevy Suburbans. Not only trips to family, but even more often for business.
Take I-5 to where you connect the southern Interstates to Dallas unless properly equipped, Much less chances of high mountain driving with lots of snow, for hours at a time.
Most of the advice you are getting, is from people with no experience driving in the areas they are suggesting in the winter. They are thinking about areas they live with no knowledge of winter driving in the HIGH MOUNTAIN ROCKIES. I drove roads in that area for decades. I have seen overnight winds coming down the street that ended where it met our street and, I had to a 8 ft. drift to get my Suburban out. You can only imagine what those winds cause out in open mountain. No they cannot even imagine potential problemsof driving the route they are suggesting in the winter.
Thank you!
Finally a response from someone else with real life experience with the realities of driving in mountainous areas.
One of the worst pileups that I came close to being in was in Wyoming. There was no snow, just ice patches during the early morning hours. The sun hardly ever shines in the canyons so there is sometimes always ice . I stopped for breakfast and the cafe staff was getting the bad news on their cell phones. It was mostly due to fog and early morning canyon driving. Had I left before sunrise I would have been in the pile up. The aftermath was ugly.
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