Where to rent XC in Canada?

[Ron3KL]

There is a (very slim) chance that my wife and I will be coming to Vancouver in May 2006 for a conference. Rather than just come for a few days we'd probably make it a vacation. I've heard that you can rent an XC in the US but what about Canada?

So far I've only tried Avis, without success. (Actually I was surprised to find that very few of the Avis vehicles to choose from seemed to have ABS brakes and air bags. Apart from the very small vehicles, that gear is pretty standard with Avis in Australia now.)

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

[Art]

Ron,

Hertz canada carries the XC70 in their prestige line of vehicles. You can even get one equipped with GPS.

[Ron3KL]

Thanks Art, that's great. Pricing is not cheap but not as much as I was expecting.

Having looked at their Prestige Collection I noticed a few strange things:
1) The fine print states that the vehicles must not be used off road;
2) The V70 (not the XC) is not equipped with ABS and air bags, but the XC is.
3) The XC holds 3 large suitcases and 2 small ones while the V70 only holds 2 large suitcases and 2 small ones. Perhaps Hertz has noticed something about the XC that we've all missed...

[John@CdnRockies]

I can confirm that Hertz in Canada does offer Volvos as I rented them before actually buying one.

I'm pretty sure that the major car rental companies (Avis, Budget, Hertz, Enterprise) have both ABS and air bags in virtually all of their vehicles. I travel a lot, renting cars nearly every week and all of the full-size cars have both items. Perhaps the web sites have not been updated, but this is pretty standard stuff in the North American context.

One challenge you will have is ensuring they hold the vehicle for your arrival. The big firms generally agree to provide a class of car, not the specific car itself. After making the reservation, I suggest you get the telephone number for the specific renting location (ie Vancouver airport) and them speak with the local manager to have them set aside your ride for you.

John

[Ron3KL]

The big firms generally agree to provide a class of car, not the specific car itself.

Thanks John, I'll bear that in mind.

Situation is same here. Last month I booked 1) a Toyota Camry, 2) Toyota Corolla Sedan and 2) Hyundai Santa Fe 4WD. What I got was 1) Holden Commodore, 2) Toyota Corolla Hatch (smaller class car) and 3) Nissan X-Trail 4WD.