Rental Car Experiences?

ronsteve · June 2018

Hertz Ultimate Choice in Denver this weekend was running pretty low on choices. Gold Zone was looking pretty depleted. Saw a Jetta but then saw chalked on the window that it had no key. It looked like a decent hike over to Zone 1, so before we looked for a rep, I had a closer look to establish that the two black Sorrentos were actually gold zone and not premium upgrades. They were in the gold zone half of that row so we opened it up. Took a min or two to figure out how to drop the 3rd row and stow our luggage, found the key we still had to use to start up, and... 10 miles! That's right, TEN. The delivery plastic was still on the vanity mirrors.

It drove better than the Sonata we had in KC, probably just substantial enough to keep up with the electric assist on the power steering. Decent road manners in the 80mph limits in Wyoming, and I even learned to trust the driver aids without being unduly alarmed. Only annoying tendency was the hunting between 6th and 7th gear on modest grades, but I threw it in manual mode and did fine with a lot fewer downshifts to 7th and none to 6th at cruising speed. Fuel economy meter was a little optimistic, indicated 26 and 28 mpg on our two tanks when reality was 25 and 26.

berri · June 2018

tjc - if there was a railroad track by those phone polls, your picture could be an iconic view of the open west or Midwest (minus the mountain in the distance if you aren't in the Dakota's). I really like that shot.

tjc78 · June 2018

I can’t remember exactly where I took the shot, but I’m guessing it was just over the Idaho border.

In Cincinnati now. Minivan was cheapest rate when I booked. Told them I’d take a full size and grabbed a Fusion Hybrid. Pretty sparsely equipped, but nice driving car even with 28K on the clock.

Sandman6472 · June 2018

We have a bunch of Sorrento's at Hertz and customers seem to like 'em. Hell, I like driving 'em and a co-worker even bough a 2017 top of the line 6 cylinder EX, black over black. Stunning vehicle when cleaned up but that black leather sure gets hot in the South Florida afternoon sun and burns my back thighs as I'm only wearing shorts!
Kia did an outsanding job on the Sorrento no matter what version one gets. Sure, the 6 really moves it nicely but the 4 ain't too bad either. I prefer the smaller Sportage though, like the smaller size and easier to drive.

The Sandman

ronsteve · June 2018

sandman_6472 said:
We have a bunch of Sorrento's at Hertz and customers seem to like 'em. Hell, I like driving 'em and a co-worker even bough a 2017 top of the line 6 cylinder EX, black over black.

Kia did an outsanding job on the Sorrento no matter what version one gets. Sure, the 6 really moves it nicely but the 4 ain't too bad either. I prefer the smaller Sportage though, like the smaller size and easier to drive.

The Sandman

This particular copy was a AWD, LX, V6. Depending on what other choices are available, I'd jump in one again. I don't expect all the bells and whistles out of a rental, so the LX trim was no skin off my behind... only complaint was the downshift-happy transmission, because those V6 ponies pulled up just about every climb in 7th or 8th when I let it stay there.

fintail · June 2018

Someone got this from National at LAX:

Michaell · June 2018

A friend of mine picked one of those up from SFO a month or two back.

suydam · June 2018

Got a Ford Fusion hybrid from Enterprise to drive home from LAX yesterday. Funny vehicle: it’s big on the outside but feels smaller inside. Fuel economy was 37mpg, not that great for a hybrid. My ‘13 Honda Accord would have done just as well. And the trunk was too small to put all our luggage in. OTOH, it drove very nicely and is extremely quiet.

berri · June 2018

What's with trunks these days? Awhile back got a new Nissan Maxima (large class rental) and couldn't fit two large suitcases in it. Had to upgrade into an Equinox. My old Camry swallows both those suitcases and two more of the next size down.

fintail · June 2018

Saw Thrifty Subaru Impreza today, the most PNW rental car. I know it was Thrifty as it had a temp tag that stated as much (along with the requisite stickers and barcodes).

Drove by the local Enterprise, spotted a QX50 on the lot.

suydam · June 2018

berri said:

What's with trunks these days? Awhile back got a new Nissan Maxima (large class rental) and couldn't fit two large suitcases in it. Had to upgrade into an Equinox. My old Camry swallows both those suitcases and two more of the next size down.

suydam · June 2018

That surprises me. My ‘01 Maxima had a huge trunk. I assume the regular Fusion has a bigger trunk.

tjc78 · June 2018

suydam said:

Got a Ford Fusion hybrid from Enterprise to drive home from LAX yesterday. Funny vehicle: it’s big on the outside but feels smaller inside. Fuel economy was 37mpg, not that great for a hybrid. My ‘13 Honda Accord would have done just as well. And the trunk was too small to put all our luggage in. OTOH, it drove very nicely and is extremely quiet.

I had one a few weeks back too. Nice driving vehicle, but kinda slow. You could clearly see the bulge from the battery taking up room in the trunk.

andres3 · June 2018

My loaner for my 25K Audi service is a new-ish A6. I think it's very fast for what must be a FWD 2.0T? I want to say it's FWD though I didn't really know A6's with FWD existed? Maybe that's why it's in the loaner fleet. A6 really should be 3.0T; though the 2.0T is fast now.

The interior is my preference, lighter combo of beige and dark brown on top. However, it underwhelms me. Feels like an A6 should have an even better interior. My TTS spoils me, it is an A7 or A8 level interior. I have a feeling the bean counters are winning the interior wars. Interiors must not be selling cars like other features and gadgets. They even went back to BOSE

for the sound system.

henryn · June 2018

Bose is definitely overrated. They use average to below average materials, particularly for the speaker cones. But they do decent engineering, and wind up with a fairly good sound. Certainly better than the factory default in most new cars.

Just how big / heavy is a new A6 anyway? I owned a 2008 Passat with the 2.0T, and that thing was a rocket ship. How does the new A6 compare on weight? I know they are getting more power from the 2.0T these days.

andres3 · June 2018

henryn said:
Bose is definitely overrated. They use average to below average materials, particularly for the speaker cones. But they do decent engineering, and wind up with a fairly good sound. Certainly better than the factory default in most new cars.

Just how big / heavy is a new A6 anyway? I owned a 2008 Passat with the 2.0T, and that thing was a rocket ship. How does the new A6 compare on weight? I know they are getting more power from the 2.0T these days.

Not sure on the exact weight, but it felt light and "rocket ship" like for a sedan. I have gotten used to power-sapping AWD which just isn't as light or as efficient.

Granted I was spinning the front tires like crazy, particularly left a long line of rubber when I turned the ESC off, but when you can get the power down, there is more of it to get down because FWD is so damn efficient.

Either that, or they've upped the 2.0T to Golf R levels. I have a feeling it's the FWD efficiency (and lightness) that made it feel so fast. I had to look under the hood to make sure it was just the 2.0T.

ESC/ESP/Traction control has gotten really good. Really helps keep wheel spin down, as with it off, I was abusing the front tires.

jpp75 · June 2018

fintail said:
Someone got this from National at LAX:

I saw one of those in ATL last month but I had luggage and a 300 mile drive ahead of me so I passed. I kind of regret that now.

jpp75 · June 2018

I landed at GSP late one night last week and got a new Equinox. Very disappointing, the seat was very uncomfortable and I couldn't find a comfortable position. I gave it a day and 100 miles and took it back and got a Ford Edge which was much more enjoyable.

ab348 · June 2018

jpp5862 said:
I landed at GSP late one night last week and got a new Equinox. Very disappointing, the seat was very uncomfortable and I couldn't find a comfortable position. I gave it a day and 100 miles and took it back and got a Ford Edge which was much more enjoyable.

My niece has a new Equinox and has the same complaint about being unable to find a comfortable driving position. Very odd.

berri · June 2018

I've rented several of those Equinox and agree on seating, as well as a kind of small cargo area. The car drives alright, but otherwise I really prefer the previous generation.

jpp75 · June 2018

ab348 said:

jpp5862 said:
I landed at GSP late one night last week and got a new Equinox. Very disappointing, the seat was very uncomfortable and I couldn't find a comfortable position. I gave it a day and 100 miles and took it back and got a Ford Edge which was much more enjoyable.
My niece has a new Equinox and has the same complaint about being unable to find a comfortable driving position. Very odd.

It was odd. It seems like the cushioning they use is just poor quality and isn't comfortable regardless of how you adjust the seat.

Sandman6472 · June 2018

Not a Ford lover by any means, but the Edge is a nice vehicle, a very nice vehicle! Love when I get to drive one. Have no use for something that large but if I did, would look at an Edge.

The Sandman

berri · June 2018

Not surprised because I think the Edge is based on the Fusion

fintail · June 2018

Saw 2 rental 300s on the road today, one looked well-equipped, one not as much.

Sandman6472 · June 2018

All I know is the Fusion, not crazy about it. Had it as a rental back in March while my Golf was being repaired and it lasted one day, the hybrid version. Just too big and too many controls. Switched into a GLA 250 which I really liked but was just too plain thirsty for my commute. After a nasty Nissan Sentra, was a bit too nasty inside for us to keep, ended up in a Rav4 which was enjoyable. Once Enterprise needed it back and the rental was on my dime, got a Elantra from Hertz as I'm an employee and a Gold Member which gave me a decent discount.
Hoping not to rent again for awhile though. We did get a Nissan Versa from Hertz when we drove back from Chicago last October and it was fine for the two of us though I wanted the Sentra size. Swallowed our four suitcases, we had the sedan, and got decent mpg's back to Florida. I drove 90% of the trip and was o k though would've preferred my Golf as it drives much better and gets almost 40 on the highway!

The Sandman

fintail · July 2018

I suppose a loaner is like a free rental - my crazy friend who bought (as in actually purchased, not leased) an MKZ, probably one of 9 people who did so last year, has a Continental as his loaner as the car is in for service and a warranty fix. He likes it.

fintail · July 2018

Rentals on the road: Grand Cherokee, Infiniti Q70.

iluvmysephia1 · July 2018

As my 11-day VAC was winding down we decided to take the Soul west to Tucson to visit our son. We got him, went to In'n'Out Burger for a meal, then headed back the 350 miles to Alamogordo. On the way back, I hit the 500-mile a day limit and needed to sleep, so we pulled over and got a hotel room in Deming, NM.

Slept well, grabbed the free hot breakfast and I headed out to the Soul to fire her up. Wouldn't start. Oh no. Called State Farm up and they sent a guy to give me a jump start. He got there, car still wouldn't start up. He told me my battery was good.

So, I called State Farm back up and ordered a tow to a local Deming garage. Had it towed there, brought the wife and kid and Chow Chow (yes we took our remaining dog so she could get a road trip and get outta the house a little) later over to the shop in a 2nd trip. That was kind of them. They waited in the hotel lobby and blabbed with the hotel Manager about her Australian Shepherd and how much it would protect everyone at the hotel from other dogs.

At the shop they scanned and found it was a crankcase sensor. They didn't have one and it would take until Friday to get one in. That wouldn't work - I was supposed to go back to work last night. So State Farm paid for another tow - this time east to Las Cruces to the Kia dealer.

The Chow Chow was an immediate hit with the Kia crew. Big 'ole hit with them - she is a cutie. They didn't have time ta get to the 2011 Soul last night at 4:30PM and didn't have a loaner for us, but agreed to take us to the Hertz place, which had an agreeable price of $233.68 to keep a compact until Monday morning. So we rented a Toyota Yaris iA sedan. Automatic tranny - it drives well. Fun to drive, but I keep pressing my knee into the center console border just to my right. It's irritating.

Got a call around 8:30AM this morning from Pitra Kia of Las Cruces. It is the crankcase sensor and with tax it comes to $361.68. They don't stock the crankcase sensors because it's not something that even happens to the majority of Kia Soul's. But it'll be done tomorrow afternoon. I'm gonna keep the Yaris iA until Saturday and go pick the Soul up Saturday afternoon no later than 3:00PM. Pretty funny - the guy said on the phone from Hertz that he had a Focus HB and a Yaris. I thought he said Yaris HB, but when I got there he said he didn't know he was gonna have the Yaris iA sedan and it just became available. It's a bit of a challenge ta learn it's stereo and console fixed screen information but I'm learning it as I go.

A stick version of this car would be cool - the Mrs. doesn't like the iA we have and "would rather ride in our Soul." That is exactly what she's gonna get.

henryn · July 2018

@iluvmysephia1, sorry to hear of your travails, but it sounds like you’re keeping a good attitude. I have found that to be very helpful when things go wrong. Try to keep your attitude positive, keep plugging, and you will get through it, whatever it is.

Exception for asteroid impact ending life on earth, of course.

“but I keep pressing my knee into the center console border just to my right. It's irritating.”

I do hate a center console that steals my “knee space”. Back a couple of years ago, I seriously considered a Kia Soul as a commute-only vehicle, and one of the selling points was that it did not infringe on my “knee space”.

“the Hertz place, which had an agreeable price of $233.68 to keep a compact until Monday morning. “

Hmmmm…. 5 days, $233, for a compact – doesn’t sound like a bargain. On the other hand, when your car breaks down and you’re stuck in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and need to be back at work the next day, you are in no position to haggle. Sounds like you kept your cool and did what needed to be done.

berri · July 2018

...and the Aussie made some new friends!

suydam · July 2018

Wow! A lot of hassle for an extended test drive. What a PITA.

Sandman6472 · July 2018

The best part of being a driver for Hertz is I get to drive all kinds of new vehicles and they pay the gas/tolls. So many nice vehicles in the fleet and on average, drive about 15 per 10 hour day. Starting to get into Jeeps lately especially the Grand Cherokee...nice interior and that sucker can move when needed! It does help narrow down my short list whenever I'm in the market for a new daily driver as I feel like I'm on a perpetual test drive.
Seriously, a great gig that I've been doing almost 5 years now but will retire either the end of 2018 or some time in 2019 as it's time to retire, again. Doubtful that I'll stay all of next year but we shall see.

The Sandman

berri · July 2018

You gotta fight the itch to switch (vehicles) with that job I'll bet

ronsteve · July 2018

Didn't have Ultimate Choice on my most recent Hertz rental, because the Spokane airport isn't big enough for that. Arrived to find I had been given a free upgrade to a Chrysler 300S AWD, which I was a little hesitant about given that Glacier was on our itinerary and I wasn't sure how I felt about having THAT much car on the Going To The Sun Road. But we were already close to 5 hrs delayed so I opted not to be "that guy." Initially I was kicking myself a little when I saw they had an Outback and a Forester on the lot, but the 300 drove better than I expected. Only really felt all of its weight under hard acceleration (elevation sapped some of the power of the PentaStar V6) and braking. The driver aids probably helped a bit, although they were a nuisance at times. If you tried (even needed) to cheat the white line a bit, this car would actually fight a little bit because of the driver aids. Even felt a little weird when lanes ended, and it was briefly uncertain which lane you were trying to hold.

fintail · August 2018

Saw a rental Regal today, basic non-sunroof trim, an oddball model in local fleets so far.

Tons of normal rentals on the road, as the end of summer tourist season here is about at its last peak before things slow down.

fintail · September 2018

Drove by an Enterprise lot this morning, normal mix of cars, oddball was a Mini 4 door.

fintail · September 2018

Saw an odd rental car, a Murano. Otherwise, a host of Sonatimas were repping the fleets from 3 brands (Sonata/Optima/Altima)

berri · September 2018

I'm not sure the Murano styling change a few years ago has helped its sales. Used to see more than a few of them on the road.

tjc78 · September 2018

Does Nissan really have anything relevant right now? I don't think anything they make is bad, but nothing is class leading. I'd take a Maxima on a killer lease and just try not to look at it too often

ab348 · September 2018

tjc78 said:
Does Nissan really have anything relevant right now? I don't think anything they make is bad, but nothing is class leading. I'd take a Maxima on a killer lease and just try not to look at it too often

But then you need to drive a Nissan for 2-3 years.

Michaell · September 2018

tjc78 said:
Does Nissan really have anything relevant right now? I don't think anything they make is bad, but nothing is class leading. I'd take a Maxima on a killer lease and just try not to look at it too often

I had a Maxima as a rental for 10 days earlier this year - I started off really liking it, but towards the end I was just "meh".

suydam · September 2018

How I loved my ‘01 Maxima. How I did not love filling it with Premium fuel. I did like the little Versa Note I had as a rental a year or so ago. If it had the safety features I want I would have considered it when I was shopping.

fintail · September 2018

Nissan's fleet fondness may end up with the same dangerous result GM had 15-20 years ago.

suydam · September 2018

I doubt it. The Rogue is a hot seller for them. The Sentra and Altima are Bread and butter sales, always reliable. And the new Leaf looks great. They’re doing fine

iluvmysephia1 · September 2018

Nissan is rocking and rolling a lot like Foghat in May of 1978 at the Seattle Center Coliseum. They are selling scads of Altima's, Versa's, Versa Note's, Maxima's, Titan's and my favorite, the Sentra. They're frolicking plenty in research and development money, too, a lot like Dr. Evil in the 'Austin Powers' movies. Money to absolutely burn. Hating on Nissan won't make them disappear, y'all!

fintail · September 2018

I know exactly one person each who drives a Rogue or Altima - Rogue was a year old car (ex-loaner maybe, don't think it was a rental) bought CPO used, Altima is a lease by the brother in law of a salesman. I don't know of anyone with a Sentra. I see plenty of both as rentals. Maybe it's a regional thing. Their Honyota counterparts are everywhere, but then again here, so are Subarus.

I also know one person with a first gen Leaf, one of those crazy subsidized leases. He likes it a lot, and I have ridden in it, inoffensive, but he is proud of it simply because it is the cheapest transportation pod possible.

Not sure if a faux floating C-pillar can look great

suydam · September 2018

I know several people with Altimas, they love them. Interestingly after 10 years they replaced them with Rogues. Also know several with Rogues out West here . Two first gen Leaf owners too. The Leaf is West coast as are some Rogues. Altimas and Sentra owners are Northeast. According to the latest sales data, they moved over 100,000 vehicles this month, and nearly a million for the year so far. It’s like Toyota. They may not be what floats our boats but they have very broad appeal.

iluvmysephia1 · September 2018

The Leaf has never been one of my favorites. I like the Sentra, though it pretty much needs to be a Sentra SR Turbo 6-speed to float my boat.

fintail · September 2018

I think back 25 years to when I was in high school. The Maxima was a 4DSC and almost an aspirational object. The Sentra was hugely popular among young people, the Altima was a well-received new model and tried to be upmarket from Camcords with its Infiniti-esque styling, Pathfinder was a legit off roader, the Z was a modern legend, etc. I don't see as much cachet now. Just as I don't see as many here in the PNW as one might see elsewhere. I wonder how many of those sales are to private retail buyers.

I've seen but a few new style Titan ever, but someone I know in TN says they (and non-rental Altimas) are quite common there, due to Nissan HQ and employee perks. Region has something to do with it.

iluvmysephia1 · September 2018

I know why I love the Nissan Sentra so much. It's got foglights, heated front seats, lip spoiler that's tastefully done, leather steering wheel, leather gearshift knob, accent stitching on the doors and seats, a 188hp turbocharged engine with an available 6-speed stick. Nissan built it with extra thick windows and the reason is that it helps make it quieter inside. The decibel level on the highway in the Sentra is equal to that of the Audi 4.

But the Sentra's body design was meant to pay quarter to the Nissan's of old - the Datsun 510 to be exact. I was digging the 2017-2018 Sentra body design not knowing about the Nissan design engineering intention of paying respect to the 510!

To me the 2017-18 and/on Nissan Sentra body design is just about as perfect a body design I could want. I love the 2013 and/on Ford Focus ST for the nicely-designed body and the capability of it's turbocharged engine. The ST can absolutely light up the Sentra SR Turbo. Nissan engineering took a Nissan Juke engine and built the 2017-18 Sentra SR Turbo with that specific engine. They had to modify it a bit but made it fit. There's not much room to spare under the hood, that is for sure.

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