Question:
We will be spending LOTS of time in our rental car from June 22-Jul 11
(UK from Devon in the south to Inverness in the north) so we want a
nice, roomy, comfortable car. We're from Florida and are accustomed to
having Air Conditioning. Is A/C worth the added expense. Can we expect
temperatures above 75-80 degrees (F)? Our choice so far seems to be a
Merc/BMW/Audi estate wagon w/AC & auto -- though it's pricey.
Answer:
You should find that many less exotic cars than this now have
air-conditioning in practice, even if the rental companies don't
advertise it. Medium-size cars such as the Ford Mondeo (the same
shape as the Contour sold in the states) tend to offer it on all
except the most basic models. This seems to have more to do with
marketing than climate, as many new cars in this sort of price range
are bought by companies, who tend to like gadgets.
If you haven't already done so, and are to be driving a lot in
Britain, have a look at the web page that I've put together on the
topic at http://www.city.ac.uk/martin/ukdrive.html
Normally the only air conditioning you need in Scotland is just to open the
window of the car, if the temperature goes above 75 degrees F we get banner
headlines in the newspapers. It did about 4 years ago and that was the
warmest summer for 400 years, you are more likely to need the heater in the
evenings.
