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I'll be driving this weekend from the desert to our high country - about 5500 foot elevation and planned to rent a car. Weather forecast calls for rain (possible freezing rain).
Can anyone recommend what class of car would be best to rent?
Was thinking intermediate SUV, or full size car would be better instead of a compact or economy car.
Intermediate SUV- likely to have shorter stopping distance and be more manouverable than a larger vehicle. (And stability control on modern SUVs has largely eliminated the rolling concerns of 10-15 years back) The Tahoe seems like it would be nasty to steer in slick conditions if you weren't used to driving it.
I would just get a midsize front wheel drive car that you will be comfortable in...nothing drastically different from what you normally drive.
5500 ft I assume isn't high enough to have a chain or 4wd with snow rated tire requirement in inclement weather conditions in the area you mentioned...correct? The first thing I would do is look into is that. Icey mountains or even hills can extremely challenging.
Check your insurance, since a Tahoe is classified as a truck, and credit card LDW policies may not cover it, so you may need to purchase the rental company's LDW/CDW product at the counter with a truck or a vehicle over a certain amount. An AWD sedan or a RAV4 should be a decent vehicle for the potential conditions, but much depends upon local weather. Remember that the tires used by rental companies are not snow/ice tires, rather all-season radials, so that can mitigate performance. If it's rain, I'd look for a stable FWD vehicle, but a larger size, since some of the sub-compact and compacts can have handling affected more than a heavier car.
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