Topic: Rental car thread

[Solstice2006]

I suspect the real reason they Explorer is used is because the contract with Ford.  I suspect they choose the Taurus over the Impala at the time because the new Impala wasn't out yet.  And naturally, the new Tahoes weren't out either, so they kept it all Ford.  I am not sure if they are keeping the Dodge Chargers, or replacing them with Taurus.  Hard to tell, as the Charger hasn't changed much on the outside in a few years. 

[ArticSteve]

The Impala was discontinued by the OPP because it proved pure sh*t for heavy duty use.  Some were used for detective use.  I still see them in use when the Detectives attend the Owen Sound Court House.  The back bone was the Crown Vic and when that got discontinued they tried the Chargers.  The first Chargers with the old V6 proved worse than the Impala and they have been replaced with the Taurus despite the improved version:

3.5 FWD, 3.7 AWD, ecoboost V6 AWD

3.7 AWD is pretty sensible choice for the OPP in the rural parts of the province where ploughs quit around 3 pm.

[Solstice2006]

Kind of interesting, as fleet owners, cabs, etc.  love Impalas, dependable, lots of parts, easy to work on, cheap to repair. 

[ArticSteve]

Kind of interesting, as fleet owners, cabs, etc.  love Impalas, dependable, lots of parts, easy to work on, cheap to repair.

Previous Impala:  Gutless, poor mileage, unable to fit LSD .... quite poor for rural duty.

[Firm]

I heard that Toronto police stockpiled some ridiculous amount of Crown Vic's before they discontinued them, and I believe it because they are still by far the most commonly used Cop vehicle around Toronto. Out in Peel Region it's mostly Chargers at this point, most of them have the newer racetrack taillights, so I suspect that's what they're currently buying. Do they like to throw in the odd random vehicle to throw people off, I've been seeing a 10-15 year old unmarked Montana van pulling people over recently...I think if I were pursued by that I'd just keep driving and wait until his headgasket blows
OPP is a real mix, I've been seeing lots of Exploders, but still see older Crown Vics and Tahoes as well.

[pi314]

I think in Fredericton they have a newer unmarked Minivan and Pickup truck... I've never actually seen them myself but have heard about them from many others

[Bubba]

Back to rental cars...

http://www.autorentalnews.com/default.aspx

[Solstice2006]

Kind of interesting, as fleet owners, cabs, etc.  love Impalas, dependable, lots of parts, easy to work on, cheap to repair.

Previous Impala:  Gutless, poor mileage, unable to fit LSD .... quite poor for rural duty.

Sure thing Artic:

GM’s V6 engines are known for decent fuel consumption, and the Impala was no exception here. In 2002, the 3.4-litre model earned Natural Resources Canada ratings of 11.0/6.7 L/100 km, (city/highway) while the 3.8-litre model was rated at 12.6/7.9 L/100 km. The supercharged SS model was rated 13.4/8.2 L/100 km.

In 2007, ratings for 3.5- and 3.9-litre models were very similar, at 11.5/7.2 and 11.9/7.5 L/100 km, respectively. The small block powered SS was rated at 12.9/8.1 L/100 km.

Fuel consumption for the 3.6 L/six-speed combo was rated 11.7/6.7 L/100 km.

Yeah because that 3.6L is gutless.  Or the SS with the V8. 

Back to our scheduled thread of rental cars. 

[ArticSteve]

Good stuff! 

[Bubba]

I booked a full-size with Advantage Rent a Car which the website said was a Chevy Impala or similar.  I ended up with an 2014 Impala LTZ Limited (the fleet version) with the 3.6L V6.  What a dreadful car.  The last Chrysler 200 I drove with the 3.6L Touring package was vastly superior to this Cheap Horribly Engineered Vehicle of Yesterday.  Really.  It was that bad despite having only 4k miles on it.

The Impala's ride was an abomination with a suspension that would jar you with a bang when encountering any thing larger than a pea.  The steering was so heavy that I thought something was wrong with it.  Still, I couldn't really tell what the front tires were doing and never felt comfortable at freeway speeds.  Body lean was similar to an overloaded Indonesian ferry, even around street corners, and you'd have to brace yourself against the door as the seats offered as much lateral support as the tea cup ride at a children's carnival.  Worst of all, the driver's seat was cruel and unusual punishment for my back. 

I have only ever returned two rental cars because of uncomfortable seats: both were Chevrolets.  The seven hours I spent with the Impala were enough.

I now have a 2015 Elantra that I'm really enjoying.  Full details on the Hyundai later.

[Railton]

I thought the plan was to go Enterprise offsite and have them pick you up at the airport?
Railton

[Bubba]

I thought the plan was to go Enterprise offsite and have them pick you up at the airport?
Railton

That plan changed when I got a last minute deal with Advantage at Sky Harbor for $216, including taxes, for the week.

[rrocket]

I thought the plan was to go Enterprise offsite and have them pick you up at the airport?
Railton

That plan changed when I got a last minute deal with Advantage at Sky Harbor for $216, including taxes, for the week.

Is this for your football trip?  It's the NFL's game of the week BTW...

[Bubba]

I thought the plan was to go Enterprise offsite and have them pick you up at the airport?
Railton

That plan changed when I got a last minute deal with Advantage at Sky Harbor for $216, including taxes, for the week.

Is this for your football trip?  It's the NFL's game of the week BTW...

The football game is a mere fraction of the fun I'm having in Phoenix this week. 

[Railton]

I thought the plan was to go Enterprise offsite and have them pick you up at the airport?
Railton

That plan changed when I got a last minute deal with Advantage at Sky Harbor for $216, including taxes, for the week.

Is this for your football trip?  It's the NFL's game of the week BTW...

The football game is a mere fraction of the fun I'm having in Phoenix this week. 

Railton

[Northernridge]

I thought the plan was to go Enterprise offsite and have them pick you up at the airport?
Railton

That plan changed when I got a last minute deal with Advantage at Sky Harbor for $216, including taxes, for the week.

Is this for your football trip?  It's the NFL's game of the week BTW...

The football game is a mere fraction of the fun I'm having in Phoenix this week. 

So...what's her name, Candi? 

[Bubba]

I thought the plan was to go Enterprise offsite and have them pick you up at the airport?
Railton

That plan changed when I got a last minute deal with Advantage at Sky Harbor for $216, including taxes, for the week.

Is this for your football trip?  It's the NFL's game of the week BTW...

The football game is a mere fraction of the fun I'm having in Phoenix this week. 

So...what's her name, Candi? 

http://youtu.be/6bLOjmY--TA

[ArticSteve]

2014 Impala LTZ Limited with the 3.6L V6 (Classic I assume) vs an Elantra 

.... in AZ ....    .....        

 

[TheHire]

Wait, question. When you say 2014 Impala, do you mean the fleet-only previous generation car? Or the redesigned new one? I've driven the new one a couple times and I rather like it.

[Bubba]

Wait, question. When you say 2014 Impala, do you mean the fleet-only previous generation car? Or the redesigned new one? I've driven the new one a couple times and I rather like it.

The fleet version is known as the Impala Limited and that's what I drove.