Rental Car Experiences?

ab348

Armada and Sequoia are the polar opposite of model names suggesting speed, agility and athleticism.

berri

Don't worry, Lincoln has the Nautilus and soon the Aviator

fintail

Where's Leviathan and Titanic?

Having driven a bit this past week, I have no qualms saying the seat design in the Armada is not for me. No aches in pains in the MB, but some popped up while in the tank.

berri

Seats in general seem to be worse than before from cars I've rented or test driven lately. Short seat bottoms and lumbar are the areas I most notice deteriorating.

suydam

Base version seats can be well, basic.

fintail

The Armada had lumbar adjustment, but it didn't seem to do much.

BMW style thigh extenders are a great feature, something it took MB too long to finally adopt.

berri

Base version seats can be well, basic

Often true, but I'm talking about higher trim versions as well. For example, the premium level Chevy Traverse seats were not all that good for my physique at least. Wasn't all that impressed with Lincoln or Cadillac seats either personally.

texases

I always wonder why, after 100+ years, carmakers still struggle to make comfortable seats. Sure, some of it comes down to individual preference, but there are some just bad seats out there.

ab348

These days it is almost always due to cost. The bean counters rule.

texases

I'm sure cost is part of it. But I took a ride in a client's Escalade, sat in the 2nd row 'captain's chair', and was in pain after an hour. Super soft, no support.

fintail

That's how it was in the Armada. Not a low quality seat per se, but no support. It was a big cushy seat, but the lumbar didn't do anything for me, and not much in the way of bolstering. A couple hours behind the wheel had me feeling it.

thebean

ab348 said:

These days it is almost always due to cost. The bean counters rule.

^^^This. If companies can save a nickel per seat, they will do it, no matter what the impact on comfort.

Michaell

I'm in Houston for a couple of days with a co-worker. The co-worker made the rental reservation through National, so we got to pick from the Emerald Isle.

I asked what kind of car was normally chosen - the response was a blue one, as that is a color not often found in the sea of black, white, silver and grey. Can't say I disagree with that logic.

We picked up a blue Elantra GT with only 18 miles on it - still had the new car smell. Decent little runabout. Could be fun with the optional 1.6 turbo.

berri

Hyundai has one shade of blue that I find pretty sharp. A rarity among cars that are not German.

tjc78

Michaell said:

I'm in Houston for a couple of days with a co-worker. The co-worker made the rental reservation through National, so we got to pick from the Emerald Isle. I asked what kind of car was normally chosen - the response was a blue one, as that is a color not often found in the sea of black, white, silver and grey. Can't say I disagree with that logic. We picked up a blue Elantra GT with only 18 miles on it - still had the new car smell. Decent little runabout. Could be fun with the optional 1.6 turbo.

A few months back I had a Fusion hybrid in that brighter blue color.  I don’t think I could do it for myself... did make the car easier to find in the sea of silver, white and black. 

Michaell

Was very foggy this morning in Houston, but was able to snap this pic.

My son bought a similar car, only in white, earlier this year

Drivingfool

Now that I like, like a blue but a bit more purplish I'd say. The size is perfect but wonder well it's 1.6 engine really is?

Michaell

Drivingfool said:

Now that I like, like a blue but a bit more purplish I'd say. The size is perfect but wonder well it's 1.6 engine really is?

The base engine is not turbocharged, and has something like 150-160 HP. It's OK, for what it is.

The 1.6T has 201 HP, and can be found in a lot of Hyundai and Kia products.

fintail

6+ weeks after the Hertz Jeep incident, I received some follow up data from Hertz. The poor thing was totaled, 19K in damages. Insurance is handling it all, and it isn't against me, but amusing how slowly the wheels turn.

xwesx

fintail said:

6+ weeks after the Hertz Jeep incident, I received some follow up data from Hertz. The poor thing was totaled, 19K in damages. Insurance is handling it all, and it isn't against me, but amusing how slowly the wheels turn.

Ouch. Well, at least it was only the vehicles totaled!

fintail

Had I been a cheapskate who rented a Mirage or something, it might not have been as easy. Could have been a lot worse.

xwesx said:

Ouch. Well, at least it was only the vehicles totaled!

Drivingfool

Was the Jeep a 2018 or 2019 model? My memory escapes me on what it was?

andres3

fintail said:

Had I been a cheapskate who rented a Mirage or something, it might not have been as easy. Could have been a lot worse.

xwesx said:

Ouch. Well, at least it was only the vehicles totaled!

I savor and relish the opportunity for an injury lawsuit against big insurance for giving me a mirage rental to replace something like an S4. WELL, actually, I don't, because that means pain, but I'd root for someone else from the sidelines that brings this on, even if it's Cohen in 3 years time.

fintail

2018 Grand Cherokee Overland. It had 14K miles on it, maybe.

I doubt any US fleets have a direct replacement for a S4.

andres3

fintail said:

2018 Grand Cherokee Overland. It had 14K miles on it, maybe.

I doubt any US fleets have a direct replacement for a S4.

I'd settle for a 340i, C400, or something of that sort. Heck, even a Stinger with 6 cylinders just might do.

fintail

I suspect none of those exist in US fleets, but I think they all do in more fun markets - BMW and MB in Europe (even those larger engine sizes), and I think Stingers exist as rentals in Oz.

andres3 said:

fintail said:

2018 Grand Cherokee Overland. It had 14K miles on it, maybe.

I doubt any US fleets have a direct replacement for a S4.

I'd settle for a 340i, C400, or something of that sort. Heck, even a Stinger with 6 cylinders just might do.

fintail

A friend of mine is in Atlanta, rented "luxury" from Sixt, got a black on black S90. He thinks it is fully loaded with adaptive cruise and other nannies.

Michaell

Got an email from silvercar - they now offer the Q7 in their fleet.

tjc78

fintail said:

A friend of mine is in Atlanta, rented "luxury" from Sixt, got a black on black S90. He thinks it is fully loaded with adaptive cruise and other nannies.

I had one last year too. I think all that stuff is standard. What a nice car, I truly enjoyed driving it.

sda

My wife had a poor experience yesterday with a Equinox LT AWD she got as a rental to drive to FL to visit her sister and pick up the TL for my daughter. She called me about 3 hrs from her destination stating the car was binging a warning note, no warning lights lit up and she couldn’t figure out what causing the warning. She also said that a couple of times while she accelerated the Check Engine light would flash and then turn off. I clearly heard the binging while I spoke to her on the phone. After checking this and that it she pulled over, turned the car off, restarted a couple of times and finally it must have reset. Fortunately she arrived without additional issue, but not a happy girl. It was a night drop where she returned it. I suggested she call and notify them of the issue so no one else has to go through that angst. It was an ‘18 model with 16k.

Sandman6472

And I had a 2019 Equinox LT with just under 8K on the clock and it was flawless on Monday. Black over black with a red/gray pin stripe, a gorgeous car really. Drove very nicely and had no problems at all, no problem getting up to speed as I entered I-95 a couple of times. Was a loaner from New Smyrna Chevrolet so not sure if it was one of their loaners, a salesman's vehicle or a rental from Hertz/Enterprise. they took a copy of my license and insurance card and had me sign/initial the form in multiple places and handed me the set of keys. The paperwork gave no clue whose vehicle it was either but I didn't care. Turns out we only drove it 18 miles and the petrol needle didn't even move. I liked it!
Didn't get a chance to drive the new addition yet but instead of taking the train down here on Thursday, seems that now she's gonna drive it here. Got a feeling she's planning to stay for the whole week instead of the 3 days as was Plan A. No problem for us since we're both going to work and since her new gig is also remote from home, she can do it from here. All she needs is wifi and she's good to go. Super glad she loves her new job...and they seem to be very pleased with what she's bringing to the organization.

ab348

ATS is in at the dealer for its 6-month service. Caddy provides a free loaner/rental if you want. I sometimes get Caddys for that duty but today I have a Chevy Equinox, red over grey/black cloth, a LT with the 1.5 turbo. I winced when it rolled up outside but have to say I am pleasantly surprised how it drives. The little turbo 4 is quite zippy off the line and moves it out well, although at 50mph or above flooring the accelerator gives more noise than acceleration. But it rides well, is reasonably quiet with zero rattles at 12K miles, visibility is good, and has most of the features one would want. I don't like the fabric on the seats and there is a lot of shiny black plastic inside but those would be the two main beefs.

I heard stories about not being able to get a comfortable driving position with this but it was easy for me. The seat seems fine.

berri

I think seats just vary for people based on height and proportions, as well as any physical conditions. I found my Equinox rentals alright around town, but after awhile on the highway I thought the seating feel noticeably deteriorated. Preferred the prior model in that respect. It also doesn't seem to carry suitcases and stuff as well as the prior model. The worst model I've had for suitcases was a rental Nissan Maxima. That trunk was small and odd to me.

Vinrider

I've only rented a car a couple times, but didn't have any issues as far as the amount of gas I left in it or being blamed for preexisting dings and such. Definitely a rip off as far as cost though. Besides there's tons of cheaper options to get from one place to another without renting a car now.

xwesx

Vinrider said:

I've only rented a car a couple times, but didn't have any issues as far as the amount of gas I left in it or being blamed for preexisting dings and such. Definitely a rip off as far as cost though. Besides there's tons of cheaper options to get from one place to another without renting a car now.

In some places, for some circumstances. As with everything, there's a time and a place!

Michaell

Have a quick trip to TX planned for next month - reserved a 'standard' size with National. Don't much care what I get.

kyfdx

I choose intermediate, because that gets me the Emerald Aisle. Unfortunately, at podunk airport, no Aisle, and I was assigned a 20K mile Corolla.

Which is no big deal, but the CVT is awful. I couldn’t live with that.

jpp75

kyfdx said:

I choose intermediate, because that gets me the Emerald Aisle. Unfortunately, at podunk airport, no Aisle, and I was assigned a 20K mile Corolla.

Which is no big deal, but the CVT is awful. I couldn’t live with that.

I had a Nissan Rogue last weekend, it wasn't bad except for the CVT, drove me nuts.

fintail

Two rentals on the road - new Corolla (Toyota starts fleet dumps early, IIRC my first sighting of the current Camry was a rental), Volvo S90 with FL plates - possibly Sixt.

Michaell

Quick rental review - I had to fly to Midland, TX a couple weeks ago for business. Picked up a Tucson SE FWD from National.

Landed in the middle of a massive thunderstorm, and the rental car lot was a couple hundred yards from the terminal. I was soaked by the time I climbed in.

First observation - no push button start! OK, not a huge issue, but it's been a while since I've had to twist a key to start the engine.

After that, it did everything I wanted. Mostly in town driving, and I got pretty decent mileage - mid to high 20's. Not much in the way of safety nannies, but it had Sirius/XM and a backup camera.

Was a decent size, and I can see why this class (CR-V, RAV4) is so popular.

I've got another rental for LAX in August - probably another small SUV, perhaps I can get something different. I had an Equinox on my last trip there.

kyfdx

No more Silvercar?

suydam

We had a Toyota RAV4 awhile back. Nice size when people are visiting.

Michaell

kyfdx said:

No more Silvercar?

As much as I've liked the Silvercar experience when I'm in CA, I'm on a tight budget.

I do get email updates from them - they've expanded their fleet to include A5 cabrios, and both Q5 and Q7 SUVs.

andres3

Michaell said:

kyfdx said:

No more Silvercar?

As much as I've liked the Silvercar experience when I'm in CA, I'm on a tight budget.

I do get email updates from them - they've expanded their fleet to include A5 cabrios, and both Q5 and Q7 SUVs.

Interesting I heard Audi of America bought Silvercar. Prices seem to have crept up since then.

fintail

Yep, Silvercar is part of Audi now, and the last time I checked rates at Seatac, they were quite dear.

I might end up renting something in the fall, as my mom wants to take a road trip to visit family, and my car sits just low enough to bug her (and I don't want to use 1500 lease miles in a week). I have a ton of Hertz points and there's an HLE a couple blocks from me, but their points system has changed for the worse and also appears to be having malfunctions on the site. I might use up these points and then be done, or just transfer them and rent elsewhere, depends on if I can get an actual deal for my 5000 remaining points.

berri

Travel points in general just keep degrading. I don't think that in general they should guide a decision much anymore, unless you are a very frequent traveler and you are probably better off with a cash back credit card as well.

PF_Flyer

Had a friend with a "why do they do that?" question about a recent rental, and I've noticed this as well. He was on a trip with his wife, the rental came with two keys, but the keys are wired together with wire heavy enough that you'd need wire cutters to separate the keys. I know, they don't want to lose keys, but it leaves you wondering if you DO cut them apart, are they going to ping you for a fee?

If *I* fall off a cliff, how is the wife supposed to have a key?

henryn

PF_Flyer said:

Had a friend with a "why do they do that?" question about a recent rental, and I've noticed this as well. He was on a trip with his wife, the rental came with two keys, but the keys are wired together with wire heavy enough that you'd need wire cutters to separate the keys. I know, they don't want to lose keys, but it leaves you wondering if you DO cut them apart, are they going to ping you for a fee?

If *I* fall off a cliff, how is the wife supposed to have a key?

Good question, I have wondered the same thing. I almost cut them apart just on general principals.

texases

Just to keep the keys together for when they sell it. How else would they? That car could move across the country several times during its life with the rental company.

tjc78

Yeah, add me to the list of people who thought that was odd.