Rental Car thread

Started by Laconian, February 27, 2017, 08:50:47 PM

FoMoJo

Quote from: Eye of the Tiger on February 22, 2020, 08:28:40 AM
Did they? I remember that the first Escape hybrid had a very similar eCVT
I believe they had to pay for fees a number of Toyota's patents when developing their Escape hybrid system, but also filed a number of patents.  Now, it seems, they do license the Toyota system for their Fusion.
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

dazzleman

Quote from: veeman on February 18, 2020, 09:00:39 AM
Yes!  That's my go to rental car.  Very underrated car probably because of it's Chrysler branding.  Looks good, plenty of power even in rental spec V6 form, quiet, great ride, handles well for a big car.  Other than the sport seats being a bit too hard for my taste, I love that car.

Next time I rent a car, I will go for that if I can't get something more exotic.   Your recommendation seals the deal.  We have the same style of driving.
A good friend will come bail you out of jail...BUT, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, DAMN...that was fun!

FoMoJo

Quote from: dazzleman on February 22, 2020, 09:06:11 AM
Next time I rent a car, I will go for that if I can't get something more exotic.   Your recommendation seals the deal.  We have the same style of driving.
C'mon, a Mustang.  Just make sure that it's a GT. :ohyeah:
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

dazzleman

Quote from: FoMoJo on February 22, 2020, 09:22:44 AM
C'mon, a Mustang.  Just make sure that it's a GT. :ohyeah:

I would definitely favor a Mustang, but if only conventional rental cars are available, then I would have to go with veeman's recommendation because I respect his opinion and I know our driving styles, and what we like an value in a car, are very similar.
A good friend will come bail you out of jail...BUT, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, DAMN...that was fun!

veeman

Quote from: FoMoJo on February 22, 2020, 09:22:44 AM
C'mon, a Mustang.  Just make sure that it's a GT. :ohyeah:
Quote from: dazzleman on February 22, 2020, 09:58:54 AM
I would definitely favor a Mustang, but if only conventional rental cars are available, then I would have to go with veeman's recommendation because I respect his opinion and I know our driving styles, and what we like an value in a car, are very similar.

Thanks Dazzleman! 

You'll really like the Chrysler 300 in V6 rental spec (particularly if it has the sport package/styling) which they often do.  Its really a fantastic rental car.  I've rented rental spec Mustangs many times too and while they're cool, I prefer the 300 as a rental automatic.  I find the Mustang a bit too noisy in that pony car way.

Laconian

#695
OK, I drove the 118 about 2.5 hours from Belgium to France. I adjusted the mode to Comfort and most of my objections went away. It was a remarkably relaxing ride for a small car. I think it's the Sport mode that I found objectionable. In that mode it felt like engineers tried hard to achieve the BMW feel with digital post-processing trickery in the steering and throttle.

There's an ECO PRO mode which awards you stars for smooth and economical driving. 5/5 stars in anticipation and acceleration, baby. :mrcool: Total fuel consumption during the rental period was 6.9L/100km, which is 39mpg.

The car kept blaring out traffic updates on the radio every half hour. We spent a long time digging through menus and configuration screens on the infotainment system to try and disable that feature, but it's a dedicated button, and we only found it just before we returned the keys. :facepalm:
Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

afty

Some more thoughts on the Fusion Hybrid I had last week:


  • Fuel economy was stellar at 38 mpg, including a drive up (and down) a 10k foot mountain. 
  • I hate automatic transmission creep. I really missed the brake auto hold feature from my Model 3.
  • I wish regen were stronger.  I missed one-foot driving.  It was also not obvious when you were using regen or using the actual brakes.  I think there is a "Brake Coach" display you can bring up that shows this, but I didn't try it.
  • The car was slow and boring.  I would never buy one.
  • There were a lot of rental Fusion Hybrids driving around.  I'll take that as a sign that no one else wants to buy them either.

3.0L V6

#697
I don't really rent cars much and most of them fall into the 'It drove and got me from point A to B' category. There's Corollas, Focuses, Fusions and Sonatas galore. The ones I remember were at least entertaining or really crappy.

Dodge Caliber X 3. I needed a cheap rental and I paid for it. 3 times over. They were perfect examples of why Chrysler headed through bankruptcy court. Slow, sucked gas for a 4-banger and had pillbox-like visibility. The staple of rental fleets everywhere. Best feature: They didn't break down.

Chevrolet Impala. The old W-body with the 3.6 DOHC V6 engine. You could blaze the front tires into the next century. More engine that chassis, but that's fun in a way. Small on the inside for such a boat.

Skoda Octavia. It was a diesel wagon and had a 6-speed. 'Nuff said. Awesome vehicle.

Nissan Frontier. Le gas guzzler. Never met a fuel pump it didn't like. When that's the last thing on the lot, that's what you get though. At least it was in Arizona, so gasoline was cheap. Needless to say, I'm not a truck person. On the bright side, the ground clearance came in handy when evading a discarded tire on the freeway.



Laconian

Where did you drive the Skoda?
Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

3.0L V6

Quote from: Laconian on April 18, 2020, 05:42:41 PM
Where did you drive the Skoda?

Iceland. Did some touring of the country. The diesel was excellent fuel-economy wise, keeping it cheap-ish (for Iceland, that is).

Considering fuel is $7-8 USD per gallon, it was appreciated.


Laconian

Quote from: 3.0L V6 on April 18, 2020, 07:56:42 PM
Iceland. Did some touring of the country. The diesel was excellent fuel-economy wise, keeping it cheap-ish (for Iceland, that is).

Considering fuel is $7-8 USD per gallon, it was appreciated.

Nice! The roads look like they get pretty windy there; you probably appreciated the VW tuning and ride.

$8 per gallon!!!
Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

mzziaz

Chrysler 300 is a great rental.

Other poeitives have been Fiat 500l diesel, Honda Jazz, Citroen C3 Picasso,


Hyundai i30, Peugeot 208, 308, Renault Megane and Fiat Tipo have all been meh.
Cuore Sportivo

Xer0

2019 (I think?) Chevy Malibu LT.

Rented this bad boy for the weekend and put about 500 miles on it.

The good.
-MASSIVE interior space.  The front and rear seats on this thing are huge and it feels roomier than my dad's Accord.  Trunk wasn't terrible but didn't seem as large.  I rented the old gen Malibu a couple years ago and that thing had a comical amount of room in comparison.
-Great highway cruiser and tracked incredibly straight, no play in the wheel at all.  Coming from Honda's, the lack of tire noise was a welcome one too  :lol:
-Apple car play worked well and was super easy.

The average or no big deal.
-It drove okay, its a midsizer so not really important.  A little bit of body roll and the steering felt slow but I'm not gonna knock it on that.
-Car had no problems getting up to speed.
-The interior was pretty easy to use and nothing was confusing.  Maybe this should be a positive, but I prefer a simpler interior to one where I need to spend a day getting familiar with.

The bad.
-Holy-moly the amount of hard plastic in this thing is unreal.  Literally everything you touch is hard plastic and it feels like there are 3 different versions of hard plastic on it.  To try and spruce it up, they put this cloth material thing over some of the hard plastic but it was a flimsy barely there amount so it barely made it any softer and just looked ugly.  Plus I'm sure it will stain, get dirty, and smell after a few years of use.
-I don't know if its the engine, the transmission, or both, but there was always turbo lag and a major hesitation to downshift at all times.
-The engine most of the time doesn't make itself known because the transmission never lets it go past 2K RPM before shifting, but when it does it is one loud, crappy sounding little guy.
-EPA estimates for this car peg it at 36mpg in the highway but we averaged just shy of 30mpg with almost exclusively highway driving.

Overall, I'd say if you need something spacious that's a good highway cruiser, this thing isn't terrible.  That they don't make them anymore and with Hertz about to go belly up, I'm sure you can find a hell of a deal on it.

Speed_Racer

I rented this for 24 hours to move some large objects elsewhere. It seems like a truck will be what I replace the Kizashi with, so I'm also renting to narrow down available options. So far I've test-driven the Ridgeline, Ranger, F150, Frontier, Titan. I plan on renting a F150 to get more time with it, but I'd consider this the midsize frontrunner.

Pros:
It's just the right size for me inside and out. Quiet & smooth ride. Decent amount of standard features. Currently averaging 23 mpg in mixed driving.

Cons:
Uncomfortable front seats - no adjustable lumbar support. More diversity of interior trim material & color would be nice. Oddly stiff accelerator pedal. Dog wishes this trim had a sliding rear window.



Laconian

The payload walls are so high, it's almost like a van with a hole cut out from the roof.

I like the Colorado, though. I did a bunch of research for my parents and found the Colorado to be a good "full size circa 2005" truck. Interior is good and the diesel option is really nice.
Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

Speed_Racer

Quote from: Laconian on October 02, 2020, 10:03:42 AM
The payload walls are so high, it's almost like a van with a hole cut out from the roof.

The Ranger is the same way too, it's a little ridiculous. Those bumper steps came in handy several times though, a clever solution.

CaminoRacer

What'd you think about the Ridgeline?
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

Speed_Racer

Quote from: CaminoRacer on October 02, 2020, 12:30:43 PM
What'd you think about the Ridgeline?

Ugh I was disappointed because I wanted to like it the most. It has the most ingenious cargo solutions. I loved the bed trunk, the back row floor is flat and apparently will fit two mtn bikes, the seating position front & back is so far the most comfortable vs the other midsize trucks.

But the driving experience was the letdown. It had more engine, wind, and road noise than I expected at highway speeds. I drove it back to back with a Frontier SV and the Nissan felt more refined at 75mph. The transmission wasn't the quickest at picking the right gears especially when I needed a downshift. For the price they ask both new & used (Honda tax for real), it doesn't seem like a good deal.

SJ_GTI

Huh, I would have assumed the Ridgeline would have been the most refined and car like.

CaminoRacer

Wind noise isn't too surprising since other Honda's have that issue too. The transmission sounds disappointing though. Ridgelines do seem like the best type of truck for the majority of buyers. Except it doesn't look as tough, which I guess is 99% of the reason to buy a truck
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

Speed_Racer

Quote from: SJ_GTI on October 02, 2020, 04:32:51 PM
Huh, I would have assumed the Ridgeline would have been the most refined and car like.

It has the most carlike handling, I'll give it that. It felt light on its feet.

FoMoJo

Quote from: Speed_Racer on October 02, 2020, 05:24:08 PM
It has the most carlike handling, I'll give it that. It felt light on its feet.
It's really not a truck, truck.  More like a unibody SUV with the back of the roof cut off.
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

Eye of the Tiger

Quote from: FoMoJo on October 02, 2020, 05:33:30 PM
It's really not a truck, truck.  More like a unibody SUV with the back of the roof cut off.

It's a truck that's based on an SUV that's based on a minivan that's based on a sedan.
2008 TUNDRA (Truck Ultra-wideband Never-say-die Daddy Rottweiler Awesome)

AutobahnSHO

Quote from: Eye of the Tiger on October 02, 2020, 06:21:46 PM
It's a truck that's based on an SUV that's based on a minivan that's based on a sedan.

:wub:
Towing is a bit low though or it would be high on my list for some day.
Will

veeman

Didn't rent a new Hyundai Kona but got one as a loaner from the dealer.  When I had bought my used Veloster the dealer said they would schedule me to fix the scratches on or replace the rear bumper.  So while they were doing that, I got the Kona for two days. 

Dang, this is a nice small SUV.  Hyundai/Kia seem to be making really good product with a price point a smidgen lower than competitors with a longer warranty.  But more than that now, the quality and design is really good.  This car had the uplevel turbo 4 cylinder engine and it was quick with a good ride.  Although I haven't been in one, I'm sure the equivalent Mazda is a better driver and looks a bit better but this small SUV is still really good with a better warranty. 

Morris Minor

#715
2020 Jeep Cherokee Latitude - 4x2.
Did about 340 miles (Bay Area to Yosemite & return).

       
  • Simple intuitive controls.
  • Lovely Uconnect interface.
  • Nicely put together interior.
  • Good panel fit & very good paintwork.
  • Outstanding 9-speed transmission.
  • Fuel economy in the low 30s (highway, rural roads.)
  • A/C that withstood 100°F+ temperatures.
Overall I thought it was pretty competent.
⏤  '10 G37 | '21 CX-5 GT Reserve  ⏤

afty

Just had a Mitsubishi Outlander Sport while on vacation in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.  It was... fine.  Good cargo space given its small size.  Drives OK but the engine is completely gutless — it may have been the slowest car I've ever driven.  We were at nearly 8k feet, so maybe that's a bit harsh.  The infotainment has Apple CarPlay which is great.

r0tor

2020 Jeep Cherokee 4x4

The Good
- 2.0T is well beyond adequate for this thing.  Always feels like it has power in reserve and still is getting upper 20 mpgs
- Chassis tuning is not bad.  It's not a canyon carver by any stretch, but does a good job of being composed and compliant
- infotainment screen is seriously bright and looks good
- Good interior room and rear seat space for it's size
- Fairly quiet

The Meh...
- 9 speed auto never gets into 9th gear and instead of using turbo boost and huge torque curve it just is always downshifting.
- Seats are like a sofa
- Standard FCA switchgear... Nothing great but nothing bad with it

The bad
- Super jumpy throttle tip-in...  I tried just being a little aggressive on an on-ramp and accidently triggered a massive throttle input + massive downshift + boost spike which spun the inside front wheel before traction control killed everything
- Why did I hit traction control in an AWD/4x4 SUV on dry pavement?  Should it not shuffle power first?
- Steering is just terribly inconsistent and zero feedback.
- The steering wheel itself is really tilted.  It makes it feel more like turning a wheel on a boat.
- Why is there stitching on a plastic dash?
- Android auto takes over the entire infotainment screen... Which means you can't access the infotainment menu to get to the climate controls... -sigh-
- Analog gauges look like they are from the 1970s and clash with the center info screen.
2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee No Speed -- 2004 Mazda RX8 6 speed -- 2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia All Speed

FoMoJo

I'm assuming the Cherokee has a ZF-9 unit.  If so, they give the transmission a bad rep.
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

r0tor

There are just too many gears.  Turbo engines don't need them.
2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee No Speed -- 2004 Mazda RX8 6 speed -- 2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia All Speed