4 Wheel drive vs. Full size car in June

I am looking for insight from those who have been to Yellowstone and the Tetons on rental car types.

We will fly into Denver on June 3rd, then make a trip to the Black Hills, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons and Rocky Mountain National Park before flying back to Tennessee on June 16.

A few months ago, I was able to book an all wheel drive Subaru Outback at Hertz (with a AAA discount) for $540 for the two week period. While I am happy with that rate, I have looked back periodically to see what other rates are available. This weekend, I found a rate for a full size car (like a Ford Taurus) from several companies, including Hertz, in a range of $300-375 over the 2 week period.

How important is a 4 wheel drive? I am still leaning on keeping the Outback (unless I can get a similiar or better rate on a mid-size SUV at a later date). I know that snow is a possibility for early June and I plan to drive on gravel roads to the top of Signal Mountain and on Blacktail Plateau Road.

The all wheel drive seems preferable to me, but the $200 or so could pay for other family activities.

Any advice?

4 Wheel drive vs. Full size car in June

Both vehicles probably get about the same gas mileage... so I would go with the cheaper car.

In June.. you probably will not be driving through feet of snow (but who knows!). I have driven front wheel drive cars all over the west in all kinds of weather.. never really had a problem. The only time I have ever needed a 4 wheel drive was to get to my house a few times during some very deep snow storms!

Save the money.....

4 Wheel drive vs. Full size car in June

To me it is not the car type- small SUV vs. full size that matters. It is the amount of trunk space for in our case 4 large suitcases. I found that some cars will not accomadate 4 med-large size suitcases while a mid-size SUV will. That is why we went with one last year and are going with one this year. The way some trunks are configured it is very difficult to get larger suitcases in the trunk!!!

On another note- make sure when booking that you see all the taxes, etc. because I got a SUV for $380 for 11 days but with all the taxes it came to $470.

Signal Mountain Road is paved. They close Blacktail Plateau Road often -- so if there is snow or the road is a problem, you aren%26#39;t going to be able to get in there anyway! Go with the cheaper vehicle.

I have seen the trunk of a Ford Taurus.. I think it will hold as much as or more than the back of a Subaru Outback, which is really not an SUV, but small station wagon!

Either way... you will have fun...

Thanks for the replies. The rates I quoted are inclusive of taxes and fees. My in-laws have a Taurus. I looked in their trunk today and it would be tight. I don%26#39;t want to end up with a suitcase in the back seat. I park next to a Subaru Outback at school everyday and I think we could comfortably get all of our luggage in it. Also, the backseat passengers could recline in the Outback.

As far as the front wheel drive goes, we had our first decent snow fall in several years last night. I drove 20 miles to my in-laws house in my wife%26#39;s front wheel drive van today with no problems. I have always felt my biggest obstacle in snow is the other drivers. In the south, some drivers go crazy when 3 inches of snow falls:)

I have thought about reserving both, checking the 15 day forcast a few days before we leave and then cancel one of them. While that might be a smart idea, I feel like it would be cheating the system and tying up a vehicle someone else needed.

I am glad to know the road to the top of Signal Mountain is paved.

CasaAzul, I was typing as you replied last. I was thinking in the Outback, we could sit suitcases on their sides and still have plenty of vision out of the rearview mirror. The Taurus trunk was bigger than I expected it to be.

I hope your husbands back is improving. Recovery from back problems can be long, painful and frustrating.

I just checked several car rental companies and found full size cars and SUVs for anywhere from $250-$333 for the 11 days (May 27-June 6) from Denver also for our trip to Mt. Rushmore, Cody, YNP and GT.

The prices were down from when I made my earlier reservations in late Jan.

CeCe,

I hope you can save some money on your rental. I want to make sure I rent from a company that doesn%26#39;t charge an additional driver fee for your spouse. Right now, we are limited to Hertz (due to AAA discount), Avis, Budget, Enterprise and EZ to avoid extra charges. The additional driver fee can be any where from $35 to $140 for the trip, based on calls I have made to companies that charge the fee.

I found a SUV at Thrifty car rental. Do you know if they charge an extra driver fee?