Rental Car thread

[veeman]

I'm glad that they reverted to using the Buick tri-coloured shield logo rather than the silhouette version.

For sure.  Next they need to get rid of the port holes.  And bring back the LeSabre name.

[veeman]

Drove an Infiniti QX50 as a dealer loaner for a few days (my Infiniti QX56 was getting some emissions work done under warranty).  Few things. Infiniti gets lost in the luxury marketplace. They have good looking cars (even the QX80 looks good now after the facelift). Their naming system totally sucks. They have a lot of different models and I have no idea what their individual cars are called. By changing everything to keep it under the first letter Q, the continuity of previous generations of the same model with the current generations is lost.  This QX50 was formerly the EX35.  For the upcoming 2019 model, they're completely redesigned it.  I had the older model which still looks like the older EX35.  This car was so fun to drive. Handled sharp, steering feel was great, fast.  I loved it. Another bonus is you don't see many around.   

[mzziaz]

Driving a Fiat Tipo as a rental for the second time.

This is a c segment bargain basement car, available new in Spain for as low as 10k€. With that in mind, it is a remarkably competent vehicle. Very roomy inside, decent ride and actually pretty quiet as well.

Good job, Fiat!

[afty]

I've been minivanning on family vacations the past few weeks. First we had a Kia Sedona. Very nice minivan, smooth ride and plenty of space for everyone. Next we had a high trim Dodge Caravan. The interior was nicer, but the ride was too firm especially in the back seat. The back seat was also less comfortable than the Sedona's.

[GoCougs]

Had the 300 hp 2018 Q50 3.0T AWD as a loaner for a few days.

The good:

1.) FINALLY, with the MY2018, Q50 has full exterior LED lighting. Looks much sharper.
2.) 7sp AT is much improved even vs. 2017 - quite responsive if left to its own devices and moderately responsive when shifted manually (infinitely improved vs. the G37).
3.) The mid range punch from the 3.0T is impressive. Feels far quicker than the G37 (but by the stats, at least from a standstill, not by much if at all).
4.) 3.0T is very refined (smooth).
5.) Q50 exterior has always looked very sharp to me - probably best of the poser class.

The bad:

1.) Infotainment is still a travesty (but they all are).
2.) When shifted manually the 7sp AT slams harshly in the lower gears (artificially trying to make it more sporty).
3.) As with all turbo motors, despite impressive mid range punch, the 3.0T dies off 1,000+ rpm before red line, there is lag, and there no mpg improvement.
4.) The chassis/drive setting (eco/normal/sport/etc.) resets each time the car is restarted (defaults to "standard") but there's little difference save for "eco" (blunts throttle response).
5.) Steering is comically light and feels weird (like it's got missing notches on the rack or something) when loaded up in turns.

All in all, the G37 is still the better driver's car - looks better, drives better, feels better. Infiniti had a class leading combo in the G37 - had they kept and upgraded the VQ, kept the steering, given it good transmissions, the Q50 would've also been a class leader.

[veeman]

I am surprised at how much behind the other luxury players are Infiniti seems to be on the infotainment front especially given how they probably appeal to a more younger demographic than Lexus, Mercedes, etc.

[dazzleman]

Drove an Infiniti QX50 as a dealer loaner for a few days (my Infiniti QX56 was getting some emissions work done under warranty).  Few things. Infiniti gets lost in the luxury marketplace. They have good looking cars (even the QX80 looks good now after the facelift). Their naming system totally sucks. They have a lot of different models and I have no idea what their individual cars are called. By changing everything to keep it under the first letter Q, the continuity of previous generations of the same model with the current generations is lost.  This QX50 was formerly the EX35.  For the upcoming 2019 model, they're completely redesigned it.  I had the older model which still looks like the older EX35.  This car was so fun to drive. Handled sharp, steering feel was great, fast.  I loved it. Another bonus is you don't see many around.

I may consider Infiniti the next time around when I get a new car.

[Xer0]

I have the current generation Rogue for a weekend in NYC.  I can't stand it. The car is gutless and the engine has a terribly lumpy and loud idle.  The infotainment is a mess with a very bad Bluetooth connection and a usb connection that I can't figure out.  For a car with no sporting pretense it's not super comfortable with a decent amount of dumps and vibrations from the road hitting the cabin.  Road noise is pretty good though and fuel economy is stellar.  Stil, these things have to be selling at a deep discount vs the CRV cause I don't see a point at all.

[veeman]

I have the current generation Rogue for a weekend in NYC.  I can’t stand it. The car is gutless and the engine has a terribly lumpy and loud idle.  The infotainment is a mess with a very bad Bluetooth connection and a usb connection that I can’t figure out.  For a car with no sporting pretense it’s not super comfortable with a decent amount of dumps and vibrations from the road hitting the cabin.  Road noise is pretty good though and fuel economy is stellar.  Stil, these things have to be selling at a deep discount vs the CRV cause I don’t see a point at all.

Does it have an "E" button for economy or "S" button for sport or something like that.  The car would probably not feel as gutless if it's out of economy mode.  I drove my sister in law's Rogue a bit.  It was nothing special but nothing bad.  Although I haven't been in the new CRV, I agree the Nissan has to sell based on cost/financing factors.  I like the styling of it though.

[Xer0]

Does it have an "E" button for economy or "S" button for sport or something like that.  The car would probably not feel as gutless if it's out of economy mode.  I drove my sister in law's Rogue a bit.  It was nothing special but nothing bad.  Although I haven't been in the new CRV, I agree the Nissan has to sell based on cost/financing factors.  I like the styling of it though.

After you mentioned this I actually looked around for the sport setting.  It's hidden under the steering wheel to the ieft but wow, makes a huge difference.  Unfortunately it also comes with the draw back of more engine noise, but totally worth it.

[Laconian]

Does it remember the Sport setting? Cars generally reset to Economy mode on every engine start, very annoying.

The four cylinder in the Altima I rented had remarkable fuel economy. Shame the drivetrain is so ugly sounding.

[AutobahnSHO]

Didn't rent but friend needed to transport 3 cars from upstate NY to UT, so we drove their 2012 Murano w/AWD then flew back.

I forgot to ever look beneath at the suspension but EVERY bump seems like it would shift the car a little bit to the side. Apparently I got used to it after a week but it was very unsettling at first.  Headroom getting into the front was minimal- I'm 5'9" and hit my head lightly a couple times. Wife at 5'4" also hit her head.

Love the sunroof although it's dumb that I just want to open the moonroof and it automatically tilts the sunroof every time. Have to close that manually and sometimes I pushed the 3 way button wrong and it would close the moonroof too.

Love auto dual climate control. Want. Not as good as the full auto climate as (2003) Odyssey.

Space wise it's "okay" but wife and I agree it would not be for us. Got "almost" 24mpg cruising at 70mph with cruise (23 at 80mph) (both less than Odyssey) and about what our minivan gets in the city. Very dismal, and that's even when she and I were competing with the fuel tracker big on the entertainment screen to get the best mpg so we weren't hot-rodding it.

Hood sight clearance is poor. Can't ever tell where the front corners are. Ever. Even sitting way up high while parking.

Backseat is decent enough but overall, I don't understand why people snatch these up. Sure minivan is harder to park (longer) and not as sexy but you get so much more vehicle with a minivan.

[12,000 RPM]

Had the 300 hp 2018 Q50 3.0T AWD as a loaner for a few days.

The good:

1.) FINALLY, with the MY2018, Q50 has full exterior LED lighting. Looks much sharper.
2.) 7sp AT is much improved even vs. 2017 - quite responsive if left to its own devices and moderately responsive when shifted manually (infinitely improved vs. the G37).
3.) The mid range punch from the 3.0T is impressive. Feels far quicker than the G37 (but by the stats, at least from a standstill, not by much if at all).
4.) 3.0T is very refined (smooth).
5.) Q50 exterior has always looked very sharp to me - probably best of the poser class.

The bad:

1.) Infotainment is still a travesty (but they all are).
2.) When shifted manually the 7sp AT slams harshly in the lower gears (artificially trying to make it more sporty).
3.) As with all turbo motors, despite impressive mid range punch, the 3.0T dies off 1,000+ rpm before red line, there is lag, and there no mpg improvement.
4.) The chassis/drive setting (eco/normal/sport/etc.) resets each time the car is restarted (defaults to "standard") but there's little difference save for "eco" (blunts throttle response).
5.) Steering is comically light and feels weird (like it's got missing notches on the rack or something) when loaded up in turns.

All in all, the G37 is still the better driver's car - looks better, drives better, feels better. Infiniti had a class leading combo in the G37 - had they kept and upgraded the VQ, kept the steering, given it good transmissions, the Q50 would've also been a class leader.

I still think the gem in the Q50 lineup is the hybrid

Not much heavier, but way faster AND more fuel efficient with the old VQ. I know they already sank $$$ into the new motors, but to me it would have made more sense to ditch all the non-hybrids and just slap the hybrid system on their new 2.0T for the base car

[veeman]

I may consider Infiniti the next time around when I get a new car.

When was the last time you daily drove a non Audi?

[dazzleman]

When was the last time you daily drove a non Audi?

I drove 2 different BMWs between 2001 and 2013.  I got my Audi in December 2013.

[giant_mtb]

I forgot to ever look beneath at the suspension but EVERY bump seems like it would shift the car a little bit to the side. Apparently I got used to it after a week but it was very unsettling at first.  Headroom getting into the front was minimal- I'm 5'9" and hit my head lightly a couple times. Wife at 5'4" also hit her head.

I've noticed the rough ride on the Muranos I've driven/detailed. Feels like driving a truck, not something car based. Just feels needlessly stiff.

[Morris Minor]

I would like to have tried the new QX50 with the weird variable compression ratio engine but the dealer didn't have one available. So my loaner is a 2018 Infiniti QX60.

Nice and quiet & comfortable, but there's a weird unsettled feeling with direction changes around the steering center. Also it's too porky for the 3.5 engine, which lacks the low-down torque you need for a 3-row SUV.

Lifted this from C&D. Says it all:
QX50 3,950 lb. 268 hp @ 5600 rpm. 280 lb-ft @ 1600 rpm
QX60 4,654 lb. 295 hp @ 6400 rpm. 270 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm

I'm so used to the non-porky CR-V with its lovely little torque mill.
(reason I'm in a loaner is the odometer/trip meter in the G has packed up and the dealer's having a tough time tracing the cause.)

[GoCougs]

I've had the QX60 as a loaner too. Steering feels wobbly on center - noticed the same thing in the Impala I had a few months ago - as if though it's teetering. Terrible. IME the CVT is what kills the VQ in the QX60. I've had the FX/QX70 as a loaner too, and though the VQ had a bit more power, it felt much better, owing to the 7sp AT (itself not a great transmission).

[12,000 RPM]

RWD VQ35 has damn near 100 more HP.....

The 300HP Maxima felt great with the CVT.

[Morris Minor]

I've had the QX60 as a loaner too. Steering feels wobbly on center - noticed the same thing in the Impala I had a few months ago - as if though it's teetering. Terrible. IME the CVT is what kills the VQ in the QX60. I've had the FX/QX70 as a loaner too, and though the VQ had a bit more power, it felt much better, owing to the 7sp AT (itself not a great transmission).

The wobbly steering feel reminds me of my wife's old M-B CLK at one stage when it was suffering from shitty tires & bad front alignment.

[Xer0]

I'll be in Tokyo from 07/18-07/21.  Among the many cool things to do in Japan, what I'm looking forward to the most is renting fun JDM cars that I can't get a hold of in the US.  I have a request for a tour around Mt. Fuji right now in an R34, NA1 NSX, and 4th gen Supra.  Its like a 6 hour thing with sight seeing and all that jazz.  Pretty fucking excited.

Okay just came back from my trip to Japan and here are my thoughts on the cars.  I only drove the NA1 NSX and R34 GTR since the Supra would have been another $150 and didn't think it was worth it honestly.  Anyway, on to the cars:

NA1 NSX – I was scared of driving this one going in.  Not because of the lack of nannies - it was a 91 so no ABS, EPS, or most other acronyms - but because this was my dream car growing up.  I was so scared I would drive it and be infinitely disappointed.  Nothing could be furthest from the truth.  The car was low, wide, and looked like absolute sex.  And then you turned it on.  This engine sounds amazing at every point; initial ignition, idle, WOT, just normal acceleration, whatever.  It's intoxicating.  It's mated to a 5-spd that's not my favorite though.  It feels a bit like the AP1 S2K I drove in that the clutch has a ton of travel and the engagement is somewhere in the middle, but the snap back to center isn't as quick making the shift to 3rd or down to 2nd a bit awkward.  The gearing originally annoyed me too but hustling up and down the mountain roads were you can keep it mostly in 2nd the whole time made sense.  I'd love to try the 6-spd in the 2nd gen car to compare. 

Besides the small annoyance of the tranny, the rest of the car was great.  The steering was light on center but got heavier as you went, like really heavy.  It took a minute to transition my mind that using both hands and a lot of force was totally okay but after it was great and preferred.  For the handling the car was rock solid, turn in was crisp, and any bumps didn't bother the car at all although the thought of the back end snapping out from under me was always in the back of my mind so I didn't push it as hard as I would like. 

The car itself is very cramped though.  I'm 5'10 and I'm not sure I could comfortably wear a helmet in this car.  I was also constantly banging my knee into the steering wheel while shifting.  No mater, I didn't care, I just wanted to keep driving.  The sound alone was worth the rental, the rest was just gravy.  I still very much want this card.

R34 GTR – I never cared for the GTR but always respected it.  It was always the car I transitioned to in Gran Turismo when I didn't want to try but still wanted to win.  Not sure what I was expecting from the car in real life, but it was very much a disappointment.  This car was just plain boring.  The engine doesn't really make any noise and is a turbo lagging mess.  Seriously, this thing goes like stink but you have to wait 3 seconds for the turbo to spool up first.  It was annoying vs the linear power of the NSX.  In the mountain passes I'm pretty sure I was going faster than the NSX but I didn't care and felt like I was more along for the ride.  Like the car didn't really care what you did; going in a turn too hot, braking mid corner, incorrectly downshifting, doesn't matter since the car will just figure it out and you'll come out the other end rocketing anyway.  This was highlighted to me when I hit a bump mid corner and I felt the car get incredibly unsettled and the steering get really twitchy – that's the other thing about this car, it was very twitchy steering – but my actually line through the corner didn't really change.  I didn't get it but there it was.  Everything about this car is easy.  Steering is light and easy.  Handling is point and click.  The transmission has very well defined gears and action is light (I liked this transmission more than the NSX for what it's worth).  Just over all meh.  If I could compare it to something it would the EVO X I've driven, and I wouldn't compare it favorably TBH.  I imagine the R35 is much the same but I have no desire to drive that thing either.

The one thing that really surprised me about this car was the suspension.  It was hard and much more uncomfortable than the NSX.  You don't really notice it too much since the roads in Japan are all great, but when hitting bumps or coming up on broken pavement the whole car shakes and rattles and you can feel the suspension crashing on itself.  The NSX was much more supple.

Anyway, final note on driving on the right hand side.  Honestly, its not that big of a deal.  The H pattern on the shifter is the same and the pedal placement is identical so all you need to keep an eye out for is on turns.  Takes maybe 20 minutes to get adjusted and then you're golden.

I'll post some pictures later.  I got some sick shots.

[giant_mtb]

I wonder if some of the slop in that NSX tranny is just because it's a rental and gets used pretty heavily.

[Xer0]

I wonder if some of the slop in that NSX tranny is just because it's a rental and gets used pretty heavily.

It's very possible, the car was a 91 so definitely not a spring chicken.

[Xer0]

Here are some pictures.  I didn't mention it but we drove through Fuji Speedway which was easily one of the coolest things on this trip and there were tons to see there.  And hear, the sounds of the Huracans V10 echoing off the stands as it laps is absolutely amazing.  An 86 silently lapping some 10 seconds after it just makes it all the more hilarious.

[Laconian]

Husband is going to a remote location with a few coworkers by car. One of them rented a Cadillac XTS. He's sending me effusive texts talking about how damn comfortable the car is for back seat passengers...

[93JC]

Has anyone here rented a specific car before? Like the Hertz "Adrenaline Collection"? I'm planning a trip to Phoenix in October, just wondering how it has worked out for anyone else...

[dazzleman]

Husband is going to a remote location with a few coworkers by car. One of them rented a Cadillac XTS. He's sending me effusive texts talking about how damn comfortable the car is for back seat passengers...

Nice.  My rental car was B-O-R-I-N-G.  Chevrolet Impala.  It drove ok but had a funny hesitation in acceleration when getting on the highway.  And with the constricted parking that I was dealing with (mainly garages), the size was a liability,  especially since I could have easily used a smaller car.

[Laconian]

Really? Four cylinder or V6? I rented a nicely-optioned V6 Impala and it was kind of a hoot for a GM barge...

[dazzleman]

Really? Four cylinder or V6? I rented a nicely-optioned V6 Impala and it was kind of a hoot for a GM barge...

I don't know.  The hesitation was only really pronounced one time when I was getting on 520 west to drive into Seattle for the first time from the Kirkland/Bellevue entrance.  I stepped on the gas to merge into the highway and nothing happened for a few seconds.   I was worried that the car might stall.  But then it kicked in and got up to highway speed.  That was really my only complaint.   The GPS worked well.

[68_427]

Has anyone here rented a specific car before? Like the Hertz "Adrenaline Collection"? I'm planning a trip to Phoenix in October, just wondering how it has worked out for anyone else...

My friend just rented a 2018 Mustang GT Performance Pack with Recaros and 10spd he fucking loved it..  He booked "Mustang GT"