I'm trying to decide what size car rental to get from Budget. Either a compact, which is a Nissan Micra or similar, or an intermediate, which is a Toyota Auris or similar. I keep reading to get the smallest size possible for the narrow roads. However, I'd also like to be able to fit two suitcases plus small carry-ons. Also, I find that cars that are too small sometimes don't have as comfortable of a ride. (Not necessarily just the size, but the suspension, general ride/feel is a little different.) Years ago, I drove through Scotland on narrow roads and we had an intermediate car (or maybe it was bigger...) and we were fine. Though I'm not sure if the size of the roads are comparable to Ireland. But I have driven smaller roads and on the other side before.
It can be difficult, since the name doesn't always match the size!
Looking at Budget Ireland's web site, their Compact is a Ford Fiesta (or similar) and their Intermediate is a VW Golf (or similar) for manual transmission and the choices you listed, for automatics. Either model would fit the bill as, "or similar", in terms of size / capacity.
Last I knew, the Golf was also in the same category as a Ford Focus -- and MOST Car Hire companies refer to it as a Compact!
In ANY case -- the difference in size between a Golf / Focus and a Fiesta / Micra is fairly minimal and I doubt if you would ever find yourself in a situation where that marginal difference in length or width would be a serious factor. The Golf would have slightly more luggage capacity and would probably be marginally more roomy / comfortable. If there isn't a significant increase in price, I would opt for the larger vehicle.
Bear in mind that you may not even get the brand / model on the Reservation -- that's what the "or similar" means -- I have often reserved a Golf and instead, received a Ford Focus, a Renault Megane and ONCE, even, a Nissan Qashqai. Another "similar" vehicle would be the Skoda Octavia.
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Bob
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