The compact SUV vehicles are very popular with clients for Florida car hire. They give a nice high ride with good visability, and with the cars in Florida often being so much bigger than in the UK, it can help with confidence on the road.

The Toyota RAV 4 is the illustrative car for Thrifty car hire in this category. The RAV 4 was recently ranked 4th out of 26 compact SUV’s in America by U.S. News. “The RAV4, last redesigned in 2006, is one of the most well-rounded vehicles in its class”

The Saturn Vue is the example provided by Alamo car hire for the Intermediate SUV category. U.S. News ranks the Saturn Vue 7th out of 26, “redesigned last year, the VUE offers one of the best combinations of style, a comfortable interior and impressive performance in its class.”

Dollar Rent a Car continue their strong link with the Jeep, now the ‘Liberty’ has replaced the very popular Cherokee. Edmonds.com comments on the current styling of the car “The cute styling of the first Liberty has been replaced with a more traditional, square-jawed Jeep look, and the cabin boasts more available luxury features such as rain-sensing wipers, remote starting, driver memory settings and a power-sliding sunroof made of canvas that allows a huge opening. There’s also more room for backseat passengers, thanks to a 2-inch wheelbase stretch.”

Budget car hire’s star of this class is the Ford Escape. Edmonds.com believes this has been the best selling compact SUV of all the makes and models on offer. “Ford successfully combined the styling and four-wheel-drive capability of a traditional SUV with the size, practicality and driving characteristics of a midsize car.”

Whichever supplier you choose your intermediate SUV through, there seems no doubt that they are fun to drive. Do be aware though that they don’t have the same luggage capacity as the larger standard SUV. Although technically seating 5 people they would suit 4 adults and a child better than 5 burly adults.