Rental Car thread

[Morris Minor]

I had a loaner Infiniti QX50 for a day. It was nice, fast,  but unmemorable - had a strong odor of plastic inside - the smell of new inflatable pool toys came to mind. I was also struck by the huge blind spot round the base of the A-pillars. Particularly noticeable when looking down across to the passenger side when looking to avoid curbs in parking lots. The pillar width, plus the bulk of the mirror was too much.

[giant_mtb]

Was it brand new?

[Xer0]

I had a loaner Infiniti QX50 for a day. It was nice, fast,  but unmemorable - had a strong odor of plastic inside - the smell of new inflatable pool toys came to mind. I was also struck by the huge blind spot round the base of the A-pillars. Particularly noticeable when looking down across to the passenger side when looking to avoid curbs in parking lots. The pillar width, plus the bulk of the mirror was too much.

How was the engine?  IIRC, the new QX50 has Nissan's brand new generation of turbo engines.

[Morris Minor]

Was it brand new?

Yup brand new, the variable compression ratio one - 1,000 miles. The engine was nice, 4-banger sound but still very quiet - lots of torque and a decent discrete ratio slushbox simulation by the CVT.

[giant_mtb]

Yup brand new, the variable compression ratio one - 1,000 miles. The engine was nice, 4-banger sound but still very quiet - lots of torque and a decent discrete ratio slushbox simulation by the CVT.

Gotcha.  Probably explains the smell.

[CALL_911]

Those things look decent, but as you said, totally unmemorable. I can hardly differentiate between those and the GLA clone Infiniti sells.

[Morris Minor]

Those things look decent, but as you said, totally unmemorable. I can hardly differentiate between those and the GLA clone Infiniti sells.

I was walking through the parking lot and saw the rear of another one two spaces away... sideways-on angle. Thought "Wow what a coincidence"

But it was a Lexus NX.

[Xer0]

The Civic is in the shop for some not minor body damage so the insurance company gave me whatever rental I wanted as long as it wasn't more than $20.80 a day.  At that price, I'm in a Corolla.

Man, I hate this thing.  Like I was getting annoyed by my Civic but driving the Corolla really makes me appreciate the Civic again.  Its a 2017 or 2018 LE, don't remember which, and the car is an under powered mess.  It has the Toyota throttle that makes it seem like the car is pretty quick since you are flying at part throttle but you quickly realize that there's nothing else and all throttle inputs are pretty much the same.  After you accept that the car is slow you are left with the noise of the engine that is loud and thrashy.  In my Honda I have to mentally tune out the tire noise, in the Corolla I have to mentally tune out the engine noise.  Controlling this engine is the steering which is slow and vague and anytime I have to turn into something I feel like I'm turning that wheel a million times over to get from lock to lock.  The handling is, well, it turns when you want it to?  I haven't even bothered to hustle this thing nor do I care to. 

This car also has a backup camera that has to be running on like 360i or some garbage resolution, but to make it worse, its also stretched out for reasons that I can't understand and is painful to look at.  My 5 year older Civic does this way better.  Otherwise, the infotainment is okay and I don't hate it, it sounds better than the Civic too with clearer bluetooth.

I did want to mention the transmission though which I found to actually be pretty good.  This is a CVT, which surprised me.  It called no attention to itself and I never once found myself annoyed by it.  I actually like it more than the CVT in my sisters Civic Turbo.  I know Toyota is placing actual 1st gears in their new generation of CVTs and I don't know if this car has that, but it feels really good.

Still, overall I can't wait to get my Civic back.

[BimmerM3]

I've always been surprised at how extra-bland Corollas are compared to other cars in its class. I guess they mostly get sold on Toyota's reputation.

[12,000 RPM]

Corolla wouldn't be bad with more power and some semblance of driving dynamics... but then they'd just be Civics

[Xer0]

The new Corolla sounds like a quantum leap forward and looks very impressive.

[giant_mtb]

New Corollas are really nice, inside and out.

[veeman]

Everywhere in South Africa with 10 people whenever we had a guided tour through cities we got into a Toyota Quantum which is a Toyota HiAce elsewhere in the world.  Real shame they don't sell these in the U.S.  RWD, 5 speed manual (although you can get it in automatic), small footprint for it's size and comfortable to ride in.  They look pretty good even with the small tires and cheapo hubcaps.  I think there were 4 rows, 3 persons to a row, behind the driver and front passenger seat with a walking aisle between the seats.  High roof so can stand up inside.  I didn't get a chance to drive one though. 

[AutobahnSHO]

Everywhere in South Africa with 10 people whenever we had a guided tour through cities we got into a Toyota Quantum which is a Toyota HiAce elsewhere in the world.  Real shame they don't sell these in the U.S.  RWD, 5 speed manual (although you can get it in automatic), small footprint for it's size and comfortable to ride in.  They look pretty good even with the small tires and cheapo hubcaps.  I think there were 4 rows, 3 persons to a row, behind the driver and front passenger seat with a walking aisle between the seats.  High roof so can stand up inside.  I didn't get a chance to drive one though. 

And they're probably crumple zone free!!!

[veeman]

And they're probably crumple zone free!!!

Ha!  You would think.  By googling they do OK on various crash tests.  Not too bad.  Not sure how it would compare with a Ford Transit or Sprinter.  They're kinda similar to the previous US spec Toyota Previa.

[12,000 RPM]

A stickshift would not make that thing better

[Laconian]

So, my MIL's Captur has a clutch engagement point that's really high. Does that mean that the clutch is used up, or are Renaults just weird?

[giant_mtb]

There would be other symptoms if the clutch was really worn.  Like difficult shifts, clunky engagement, and slippage.

[veeman]

A stickshift would not make that thing better

I'm torn about that (it doesn't keep me up at night so torn is too strong a word ).  On my underpowered Crosstrek the stick shift makes it much more fun to drive and I like the old school process of doing it.  This HiAce is underpowered (for American tastes) and so having the stick would be good but as a pure people mover and especially in daily traffic the stick would definitely be a grind.  I didn't get a chance to drive it though (either version).  One of my Dad's friends in the early 90s had a five speed first gen Toyota Previa and he loved that car. 

[AutobahnSHO]

Stick shift can somewhat makeup for low power because the transmission can't anticipate when you'll need the power like the driver can.

I HATE auto downshifting because I slow for turning a corner when I know I'm just going to be accelerating again.

[Laconian]

I got so used to the Captur's weird clutch that I stalled my Miata twice this morning. After about 3 minutes the car was orgasmic to drive. Much, much more feel in the steering, the shifter, the brakes... everything! Ahhh, it's good to be home.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I got so used to the Captur's weird clutch that I stalled my Miata twice this morning. After about 3 minutes the car was orgasmic to drive. Much, much more feel in the steering, the shifter, the brakes... everything! Ahhh, it's good to be home.

Haha n00b

I want a Miata 

[AutobahnSHO]

Haha n00b

I want a Miata 

+1

[68_427]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hSFZD9tXfc&feature

Damn Elantra would only spin on ice.  It wouldn't even chirp the tires on a redline neutral drop

[12,000 RPM]

Stick shift can somewhat makeup for low power because the transmission can't anticipate when you'll need the power like the driver can.

I HATE auto downshifting because I slow for turning a corner when I know I'm just going to be accelerating again.

Good transmission design and programming can overcome that. When I had a Honda Fit rental the engine was pretty gutless, but the CVT squeezed every last drop of power out when I asked for it

[93JC]

<video>

Damn Elantra would only spin on ice.  It wouldn't even chirp the tires on a redline neutral drop

Coincidentally I also rented a perfectly cromulent transportation appliance:



Nothing remarkable about this car whatsoever. Reminds me a lot of my sister's Corolla. Adequate in all respects, not great in any one. The steering had a dead spot in the middle, and the ride was mediocre; they need to fine tune the springs and damping, as it was soft yet couldn't handle choppy pavement without rattling throughout the car.

Acceptable as a rental car, but would loathe owning one.

[BimmerM3]

Nissan Versas are the only rental car I've had worse than Hyundais.

[2o6]

Coincidentally I also rented a perfectly cromulent transportation appliance:



Nothing remarkable about this car whatsoever. Reminds me a lot of my sister's Corolla. Adequate in all respects, not great in any one. The steering had a dead spot in the middle, and the ride was mediocre; they need to fine tune the springs and damping, as it was soft yet couldn't handle choppy pavement without rattling throughout the car.

Acceptable as a rental car, but would loathe owning one.

They're so cheap tho. Many local dealers will sell you one identical to that for like $15k USD.

[93JC]

The one I had was a "Preferred" trim that stickered for $20,449 (CAD). Dealers seem to want $22,000-$23,000 for them; I don't get it.

[thewizard16]

Rentals over the last few months:

A4 (S package)- My first experience using Silvercar. An unusual set-up that isn't really more convenient than the major rental companies (if you have good status with them/don't have to stop at the counter anyway), but the predictability is nice. I really liked the A4, the interior design is nice aside from the tacked on screen look (popular but I hate that look). Enjoyable to drive. Still though, the whole time I drove it I was having Passat maintenance flashbacks and thinking "no, Matt... she'll just hurt you."

Chevy Cruze - Decent if uninteresting. Drives acceptably. Interior isn't hideous aside from the weird fabric dash thing that looks dated already.

Chevy Malibu - This is probably most disappointing modern car I've driven. For all the hype Chevy pushes on it I was expecting it to be pretty nice... But it's worse than the new Camry, Optima, or Sonata (my standards of comparison) in basically every way I cared about. It's decently styled, but it's slow, handles poorly, the transmission never seems to know what gear it wants to be in, it doesn't have the standard tech or safety features of some of the others, and the interior is hideous and feels cheap. The fabric padded dash thing is my new most hated design idea.

Chevy Silverado 1500 - It's a good looking truck and the interior is basically the same as a base Tahoe. I'm a fan although I think the F150 is probably a better vehicle overall.

Chevy Tahoe - I've always had a soft spot for these. Although I learned quickly it's not a convenient commuting vehicle and it's a pain in the ass to drive/park downtown I still like it a lot.

Ford F150 - I like the Silverado styling better, but the interior on the Ford seemed a little nicer and it had more toys.

Kia Optima - Decent all around car. Decent looking, decent interior, decent to drive. Nothing exceptional but hard to be offended.

Kia Soul - I hate this thing. It's slow. It's inefficient. It's not nice inside. There must be better small SUV options available.

Hyundai Accent - This was literally all they had at the counter last minute. It's a cheap car that features a brake pedal and a volume pedal. (As far as I can tell anyway, because it did get louder but I didn't notice any change in velocity.)

Hyundai Elantra - Not a bad car. Reasonably nice interior for the price, good tech features, and it drove alright, if a bit floaty.

Nissan Sentra - I almost like this car for a cheaper small vehicle. Not a bad interior, drives acceptably and feels quicker than the Cruze although that may be an illusion.

Toyota Camry (new model) - I was pleasantly surprised by this car. The Camry has always been a good all around car but the last two generations weren't all that great in my opinion. The new one has stepped up its game significantly when it comes to interior quality and features. It also handled better than I'd expected for a base model. The transmission was slow to downshift when passing which was irritating but otherwise I really liked that car.