Topic: Rental car thread

[aquadorhj]

just returned the Charger and picked up Ford Focus SES Titanium.

reason why to follow after lunch.

[carcrazy]

just returned the Charger and picked up Ford Focus SES Titanium.

reason why to follow after lunch.

Fiesta SES or Focus Titanium?

[aquadorhj]

just returned the Charger and picked up Ford Focus SES Titanium.

reason why to follow after lunch.

Fiesta SES or Focus Titanium?

oh, my mistake.   Focus Titanium.

it's sweet.

i got rental Charger since my crash.  i liked it at first.  it's roomy, it's quiet and smooth riding and HUGE trunk.
but by third day, i was tired. tired of :
trying to fit in small parking stall at both company and apartment parking lots.
having to do 3 point turn whenever i needed to pull a u turn
having to wait 3 seconds for the automatic gearbox to kick down and car to speed up quickly
enduring the willy nilly bobbing whenever i turn steering wheel,
incredibly light steering that has no feel whatsoever.  i sneeze and i'm in next lane.

ugh. 

now i'm in Focus Titanium (unfortunately, a sedan, not a hatch).   in short, i'm impressed.

in long words, i wouldn't hesitate to put this right up there with Mk6 VW Golf. 
interior is great.  feels solid and well damped everywhere.  twin clutch gear box is pretty slow, and slightly shudders on stop-n-go traffic but everywhere else, the car feels fantastic.
++  : seats.  great seats.  heated elements heat up super quick,.  holds me better than m3 seats.
++  : interior.   solid, well put together, good looking and feeling materials.  Sync is ok.
++  : driving dynamics. accurate, weighty steering, well damped ride, not floaty
--    : transmission could be slightly smoother at start from stop
--    : steering wheel itself feels a bit flimsy and/or cheap (it's really thin...)
--    : really small back seats.  smaller than my jetta or m3 or rabbit.

[tortoise]

I rented a Focus SE sedan this weekend and put about 1000 km on it.  Mostly highway.

I agree with everything Aquadorhj said.

The back seats are VERY tight.  Our two year old in his rear facing seat was able to kick the back of my seat.  And I'm not tall, and I have short legs.  There's no way you could get a rear facing seat back there.

The transmission also had a weird shudder at stop and go speeds.  If felt like a less pronounced clutch chatter.  Disconcerting to say the least and since it happened on both cars I wonder why Ford hasn't sorted it out.

Highway cruising was this cars strong suit.  Whisper quiet on smooth roads, though some road noise was audible over rougher patches. The engine turned ~2700 rpm at 120 and the onboard display said that it was  consuming 6.2 l/100 km with the cruise set at 124 km/hr.  I averaged 6.1 L/100km over 400 km's of 2 lane driving with lots of passing maneuvers.  This was with the A/C on.

The engine was very impressive.  Smooth throughout the rev. range and it really pulled as the rpms rose.  Getting up to and past 150 km/hr was deceptively easy. 

I liked the connectivity of the Sync system but wasn't crazy about its interface.  Over time I think I'd get used to it but it seemed a little cumbersome (and distracting) having to scroll through all the menus.  Hopefully they keep refining the system because I think with a little tweaking it could be fantastic.

[aaronk]

We rented a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4-door convertible while we were in Hawaii. It was a mistake actually, we wanted a Mustang convertible and had called (several times) to try our best to guarantee one would be there when we arrived. We got there and, much to my dismay (not!) NO MUSTANGS! There were like 5 Chrysler Sebrings, but I just looked at the guy and said "I'm not taking one of those". So, he ended up giving us that 2010 Wrangler for no extra cost. Hawaii is funny like that - they are all very laid back and don't really know what's going to be in stock and when, which is fine. We ended up thoroughly enjoying the Jeep. The added space and functionality proved very useful, as we spent the second half of our vacation camping. We loaded boogie boards, camp gear, mattresses, food and luggage in the back of the Jeep and there was still room to go, all with the top down and cruising comfortably. Not to mention the Jeep was much more capable in back accesses to beaches or even the camp ground where we were staying.

I would likely never own a Jeep Wrangler, but it was a great rental. Fun and functional, it just felt like I was driving something special. There are any number of criticisms one could make about quality or performance but it didn't seem to matter. On that subject specifically, I can imagine the new Jeeps with the Pentastar motor will be an entirely new beast to drive, the weakest point of the vehicle was the old 4.0L V6.

[5 Wheel Drive]

^^You were much better off with the Jeep than the Sebring.  A friend of mine took the family to Hawaii a couple of years ago.  They reserved a convertible Mustang and got a Sebring as well.  Over their 2 week holiday they went back to the rental place to swap the Sebring for another 3 times.  Various things weren't working on the car, like the top.

[farleywilbur]

Just rented a 2012 Corvette convertible for a week in Florida.  Picked it up from Hertz at the Miami airport.  It had 8,000 miles on it when I picked it up and was in great shape.  Total cost including full insurance (I called VISA and my card only covers cars up to $65,000 CDN MSRP and while they couldn't tell me if the Corvette fell above or below that cutoff, I wasn't taking any chances) was $1250 for the week.  It was automatic of course but at least had paddles.  It was a lot of fun, my first time driving a Corvette.  I put a lot of miles on it as the weather was perfect.  Filled it with premium several times ( I'm sure it's only see regular fuel as a rental).  It was not very comfortable and the seats are terrible which I have read about for years in every review on Vettes out there.  Great power and I did have a few high speed runs, primarily on highway 75 as it crosses the state from Miami to Naples.  Flat, straight, very little traffic for about 100 miles and not one cop.  I was very impressed with handling over 100 mph, felt totally composed and tracked dead straight. 

Overall a great rental but I wouldn't buy one.  Too small, cheap construction and in Canada I think I would have a hard time not getting it towed for 50 over!

[allmango]

Just had a 2012 Sonata for 10 days in Vancouver. I can appreciate why the competition is worried.

[Winklovic]

I just picked up a 2012 Dodge Charger SE, in Midnight Blue Pearlcoat, that I will have until Monday.  The car is brand new with 10 kms on it at pick-up time.  I'll make sure it's broken in by the time I return it.

  

STANDARD FEATURES

·         3.6L Pentastar™ VVT V6 (292 hp and 260 lb-ft torque) with 5-speed automatic
·         17-inch aluminum wheels
·         Premium cloth seating
·         Uconnect™ Touch Media Centre with 4.3 –inch touch screen, CD/MP3 and six speakers
·         Electronic Stability Control(1) including: Hill Start Assist, Ready Alert Braking, All-Speed Traction Control, Brake Assist and Rain Brake Support
·         Leather-wrapped tilt/telescoping steering wheel with cruise and audio controls


So far, I'm liking the push button start and the touch screen menu seems intuitive.  The power is more than adequate.   

[MD1987]

Rented a 2012 Elantra from Discount the other day. It was a GL model and came with automatic, 16" hubcap wheels, Bluetooth, satellite radio, cruise control, heated seats, iPod/Aux/USB port and AC. And this is nearly a BASE model. The car is pretty roomy in the back and the trunk, at least the opening is almost on par with the 2nd generation Mazda 3 this time. Good quality materials inside. I find if you have big boots or really big feet you won't like the distance between the gas and brake pedal. I have size 11 feet but I was wearing running shoes then so it wasn't too bad. All I can say is, if I can afford to lease a new car, this one would be a strong consideration.

[Railton]

We're at CTC South this week. The rental is a 2011 Camaro v6 with Flappy paddles. The trunk is surprisingly roomy even with the top down - was able to get a weeks worth of groceries into it. Holographic display onto the windshield helps read the instruments on sunny days with the top down. The dash really sucks though as has been written.
I had forgotten how enjoyable a convert is on a Summer night.
Railton
PS. One of last years renters returning this year left his (hers?) car cleaning supplies. I've rented to a car nut, how heart warming.

[airbalancer]

that one nice thing about a soft top, lots of room in the trunk

[safristi]

..so ya got Canucks sloppy seconds......(wax me or text  me but don't tweet me  )...........and  AB why would a CONWETABLE!!! have more trunk room?.....usually the electric closing/opening mechanisms and the bay in which the top rests ROBS room..... ....CTC South is that Niagara Falls...

[Oldsguy]

Don't park the Camaro in the sun with the top down. Black seats = leg burn. Maybe keep a large bath towel in the trunk to protect you. Why anyone would make a convertible with a black interior befuddles me.

[Railton]

Oldsguy, the seat inserts are light grey. No issues with that.
You would think that they could make a v6 with good sound but no, might as well be a cavalier.
Railton

[safristi]

Oldsguy, the seat inserts are light grey. No issues with that.
You would think that they could make a v6 with good sound but no, might as well be a cavalier.
Railton

.................



  i resemble that...............

[Fobroader]

Had a Chev Tahoe on a business trip in northern Alberta. Awesome truck, 10-11L/100km on the hwy, very, very comfortable, great passing power, wicked stereo, 4x4 worked as advertised. It made me decide what the wifes next vehicle will be, except a Z71 with a little more aggresive tire 

Had a Ford Edge on a business trip to Yellowknife. Horrid car, noisy, very little luggage space,hard to see out of, the stupid transmission was always in the wrong gear, the suspension was setup all wrong(little bumps made it all jittery, big bumps made it bottom out) and biggest of all, Ive sat in church pews that were 10X more comfortable than the front seats in that thing.  On a positive note, the radio was allright 

[airbalancer]

there really no point to a Z71 package, better to put the money in Ltz package

[Fobroader]

there really no point to a Z71 package, better to put the money in Ltz package

I like the front bumper, skid plates and LSD though. Why would the LTZ be better?? Just hope you can get 4 heated buckets in it.

[Railton]

We're at CTC South this week. The rental is a 2011 Camaro v6 with Flappy paddles. The trunk is surprisingly roomy even with the top down - was able to get a weeks worth of groceries into it. Holographic display onto the windshield helps read the instruments on sunny days with the top down. The dash really sucks though as has been written.
I had forgotten how enjoyable a convert is on a Summer night.
Railton
PS. One of last years renters returning this year left his (hers?) car cleaning supplies. I've rented to a car nut, how heart warming.

A couple o0f things of interest with regards to this V6 Auto Camaro:
@ 80mph the engine turns over at 2000 RPM
You can't unlock the doors without it first being in park - not so handy when you pull up to Mrs. Railton with her hands full after a days shopping in Naples. Also, there is no power lock button/switch. What's with that?
Those gauges lower down below the heat/AC controls are impossible to read while underway. Stupid location for them.
Hard plastic everywhere in the interior, more like steel panels instead of soft-touch panels.
The car, although interesting, feels cheaply built. I was driving a 2011 model with 15k miles on it and it felt like it had 200k on it.
Railton