Can I fit some big art into a car?

July 14, 2021 8:56 AM

How do I decide which SUV/car to rent in order to accommodate a large irregular item? Is there a tool that lets me visual automotive cargo space?

We are driving to a different state to pick up some artwork from a friend. This artwork is pretty large, 4 panels that are about 48x40" each. We want to rent a car (probably an SUV) to transport this artwork back home that can also accommodate my partner, me, and our child (in a car seat), while also fitting our luggage.

My partner thinks that 48x40" is not even a question to fit in most SUVs, but I'd rather be safe before ordering the rental. I've seen some cars that list available storage by volume, but I'm looking more for whether the vehicle can accommodate a specific item with specific dimensions rather than total volume.

I would also welcome recommendations for specific vehicles that I would be able to rent (in the Hudson Valley, NY) that will certainly fit these.

Thank you!

posted by taltalim to Travel & Transportation (15 answers total)

My partner thinks that 48x40" is not even a question to fit in most SUVs...

At 40" wide, the panels will just fit through the hatch opening of most mid-to-full-size SUVs. The issue is the 48" length. You really should get an idea of what vehicles have 48" of flat storage space available. In many, that would require seats that fold down flat, or can be removed entirely. There's also the issue of wheel wells and whether the panels can fit between them and ride flat, or if they would have to rest atop the wheel wells.

Honestly, I'd look into renting something like a Ford Transit.
posted by Thorzdad at 9:15 AM on July 14, 2021 [2 favorites]

I think the issue is that there's not just one of these, but 4 of them! Each successive one will reduce the capacity if they don't lay flat. I'd look at a minivan with a fold-flat back area or even a crew-cab pickup truck so the art can stack on top of each other and lay flat.
posted by hydra77 at 9:27 AM on July 14, 2021 [2 favorites]

I think the combination of 48" depth and needing to have kiddo in the back in a car seat will make this impossible in anything except a crew cab truck. 40" will be most of the width of the back of a regular vehicle, so you can't put one seat down (or take one seat out) and leave the other one with the car seat
posted by brilliantine at 9:37 AM on July 14, 2021 [2 favorites]

I drive a large crew cab pickup. With the car seat in the back, child will be kicking the artwork. Do not put the art in the bed unless it is wrapped up tight against both weather and physical damage.

I would rent a van. I would go to a Ford and Chevrolet dealer, maybe with a cardboard mockup and see if it fits in one of their vans. Try a Honda Odyssey. Take child and car seat with you. (Make it an adventure for child.)

Most vans will work. A minivan with three rows of seats, will work well. Child in row two or in a Captain's chair and artwork in row three. Plenty of room for luggage although not sure what child luggage such as pack and play is going.
posted by AugustWest at 9:38 AM on July 14, 2021 [3 favorites]

Do you have a vehicle that would be capable of towing a U-Haul cargo trailer? That honestly seems like a safer bet for what you need to do.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:45 AM on July 14, 2021 [2 favorites]

We rented a U-Haul van for a half-day to bring back some large paintings.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 9:47 AM on July 14, 2021 [2 favorites]

I own a Chrysler Town and Country, and I've rented them from Enterprise before. The rear bench and middle chairs can fold into the deck which could give you the right amount of space, I just can't find my tape measurement right now. But it's definitely longer than 48", it's the floor-roof height I'm trying to check.

You can also fold down just one of the middle chairs and leave the other up (example), which would let you put the child seat there. But you would probably need to stand the artwork on edge and not lay them flat.
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:51 AM on July 14, 2021 [1 favorite]

I don't think a minivan would work, since the cargo area, even with the 3rd row folded, is not very long. If you could fold 2nd row too, then it'd be fine, but since you have car seat and luggage, you are going to need an actual van, a trailer, or it had better be ok for it to be on its side and not laid flat.
posted by The_Vegetables at 11:13 AM on July 14, 2021

Do you have Zipcar where you live? In addition to regular cars, they have vans for rent in some places.

https://www2.zipcar.com/zipvan
posted by mccxxiii at 12:26 PM on July 14, 2021

I don't think a minivan would work, since the cargo area, even with the 3rd row folded, is not very long.

I disagree. My Toyota Sienna with the 3rd row folded and the 2nd row at a comfortable distance from the front seats has flat space of 56” deep by 48” wide. The hatch opening is 40” tall (I just measured these with a tape measure). With the 2nd row out the depth increases to 96". Minivans have far more usable cargo space than SUVs!
posted by zsazsa at 2:09 PM on July 14, 2021 [2 favorites]

If you're hoping for a specific "this vehicle will certainly work" you need to add a third dimension to these pieces. There are four of them, so it's going to matter if they're 3" thick vs 6".

But if the art can be laid on top of each other, then the simplest solution is to rent a pickup truck with two rows of seats. For reasons that defeat me, these are literally the top-selling vehicles in the United States, so it should not be hard to find one, but you'll want to make sure you're getting two rows of seats, not one. The F-150 has a bed 50 inches wide, and at least 60 inches long (there are longer versions). The art goes in the bed, and your luggage goes next to your kid in the back.

You can rent these kinds of passenger pickups from regular rental places (Hertz, etc.) but you may find a better deal (or be able to ask for exact measurements/weatherproofing details, etc.) more easily from a peer-to-peer rental place like Turo. The places that rent pick-ups for real work (Home Depot, U-haul, etc. generally rent single row trucks.

Another option (perhaps a better if you own your own car that you'd prefer to use, or you're worried about weather) is to rent a biggish trailer. This one would work.

A minivan or a large SUV would probably work but unless someone chimes in with specifics about dimensions, you'll be stuck playing Tetris with your imagination if you want to be absolutely certain your cargo will fit.
posted by caek at 2:20 PM on July 14, 2021

As a point of reference, a standard sheet of plywood or drywall is 4'x8' (48"x96"). This is a very common size of sheet good to purchase at the big box store, so it's definitely on the minds of vehicle designers (note the flat space in zsazsa's Toyota Sienna is exactly 48"x96"). Most people don't care if the plywood bumps against the side of the vehicle a bit, so I've seen a few minivans that are just a hair over 48" wide, and curve inward less than 1' off the floor, so you can fit several sheets, but not a huge number. If I recall correctly, the old family station wagon growing up could just barely fit a sheet of plywood, but it rested awkwardly on the wheel wells. Lots of people haul sheet goods once in a while, so you might find better info (or online discussion) about whether a vehicle will fit several sheets of plywood, and then you can work out the depth of the cargo area with the seats installed to see if there is 40".

caek makes a good point about the thickness. Note, also, that if you need side padding that takes it above the 48" dimension, you're likely going to be too wide, and will have to rotate the art 90 degrees, or tilt it.
posted by yuwtze at 3:38 PM on July 14, 2021

100% a minivan will work fine. Different vans have different configurations of folding or storable seats etc. But this wipp be fine. I brought plywood home in our old one. That's 48x96... (a dodge caravan).

A mega suv (escalade type thing) will work too but cost tons more. My suggestion is to make a blank from foam core or cardboard and go to the nearest enterprise or hertz that rents caravans and if you explain that you want to try they'll oblige. Just don't go to an airport or airport adjacent or deeply urban location (busy and challenging parking usually) and you should get normal levels of customer service and vehicles parked right nearby. Then you cN try, and make your reservation right while you're standing there.

Or take my word for it. It will fit a minivan.
posted by chasles at 4:51 PM on July 14, 2021

I rented a minivan to move some stuff in a sort of similar fashion. I think it was a Chrysler Town and Country. The back seats folded down flush into the floor. It was amazing. Tons of space. I would definitely check out that one.
posted by Slinga at 6:42 PM on July 14, 2021

You will need to go and test for sure, but I think that people might be underestimating the spaciousness of vehicles. I happen to have just got back from an Ikea trip with an unfamiliar vehicle, and the cargo area as I measured it could handle at least 40" wide and 48" long with the entire rear seat folded down. (54" long to my wife's seat, but I'm 6'3" and need the driver's seat back a ways.) The vehicle was a Kia Rio, a subcompact hatchback -- literally one of the smallest things on the road. Obviously your sticking point is the need for a back seat to place the car seat -- another option might be making the trip a solo journey to get the art.
posted by Superilla at 9:36 PM on July 14, 2021