What cars have you recently rented?
 

We can continue this thread here...

2008 Chevy HHR

interior seemed cheap, especially the lame tach the size of a wristwatch

got a lot of road noise and the thing never shifted smoothly.

I had this sucker in Atlanta (last trip was a few weeks ago) and the damn thing almost blew apart trying to get into traffic.

All-in-all, this thing was a POS.

ETA: Removed link - fuck VS

Gotta include a link if you're gonna do that. Best thread of all time: http://www.cycleforums.com/forums/sh...ecently+rented

considering you started it I'd say you're a bit biased :lol:

I rented a Prius before I came to korea... had 3 days with it... good little car but very odd interior... took me 10 mins to figure out how to turn it on... only to realize it WAS on :lol:

it'd be cool as a little commuter... but not something I'd want to sport around all the time. or on long drives.... I did drive it from Seattle to Portland (about 4 hrs with clear traffic... 8 hrs for the traffic I was in :lol:) got awesome mpg due to the crawl I-5 was at... and for my hight (6'3) it fit me well with several more notches to move the seat back.

over all I liked it... but I'd have a tough time spending the money to buy one.

Fuck that. It gives VS run sites more hits which in turn makes them more money.

"You got a prius?"
"I bought 7 of em. Got my whole crew drivin em. They're real quiet. Good for sneakin up on mothafuckas."

What show is the quote from?

sounds familiar but I have no idea... and yes those mother fuckers are quiet... I thought about renting one and bring'n it to indy and run'n you fuckers over :lol:

point.

2009 Chevy Impala

pretty similar to the '08: decent interior (seats were nice and firm, nothing wimpy there). Felt like an "old person" car but had pretty good get up and go. This model had all the bells and whistles (heated seats, XM, etc). Lots of trunk space. Also rented in Atlanta - did much better in traffic than the HHR.

NSFW youtube video
 

Video of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftJX_...CA2DB3&index=3

can't see it.. yt is blocked here... have to check it out at home

its from weeds. U-turn bought a bunch of em right after nancy bought one.

Ford Focus......Very good steering and handling, it has always been Ford's best all-around car, and the best small car America has ever produced in my opinion. The Cavalier and Neon were crap in comparison.

last car i rented had a speed governer at 113, and made it to vegas without stopping for gas

ford taurus

I don't know about best all around but I was impressed driving in the Focus.
I just had to make sure I did not pay close attention to the interior.

I've had several as rentals (I got stuck with like 10 in a row at one point :lol:). I agree it's a pretty decent car for what it is (one of the most boring cars on the planet) but it had acceptable power and was middle of the road for comfort.

How did you like the blind spots on that hunk of shit?

Avis gave me one of those once and I wish I never drove off the lot in it. It was a week of driving Hell. They have a note on my account to never give me an HHR again.

Felt the same way about the Caliber. Never understood the appeal of a car with 12-inch thick pillars.

2008 Cobalt 4000 miles on it

Heater made grinding noises

Engine sounded like it was going to implode when passing


Cheapness in the interior everywhere that stares you in the face

Honda pilot.. took that bitch off roading.. Did some decent hill climbs and jumps.. Spent the next day covering up all the scratches.... Left all the mud though.. :dthumb:

Mark and I went to this huge Corvette get together in Kentucky a few years back...we are walking through the lot to pick up our rental and the whole time I was saying to myself "please no" "anything but that one" "it can't be" "oh no"...then we get to the parking space and sure enough...

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/b...8/IMG_3963.jpg

:td: Not only did we have to spend the week looking at vette we could not drive but we had to deal with that! If I had to describe it in one word: Cheap. Plus the fucking wing was awful! I could not see very well out of the rear view mirror because it blocked most of it. :td:

Wow, I can't think of a shittier looking car. And people wonder why GM is in trouble?

Not to mention the small and short front windshield is placed a good 3' from the driver's eyes. It felt like I was driving a house.

Rented a Ford Escape last week. It had about 31,000 miles on it.

When I ran over bumps, there was some sort of low dull rattle like 6lbs of rubber flapping around the chassis.

The transmission was awful. If you tried to accelerate, backed off, and then tried to take up the slack, it felt like you were smacking the drivetrain with a hammer.

The interior wasn't bad. The seating positon was comfortable. It was a little thirsty.

I hated the Ford Fusion that I drove.

the only car I've ever driven with worse blind spots: Toyota Avalon Convertable. Talk about blind spots on wheels.

Unfortunately, it was in the middle of February in Minneapolis so there was no putting the top down :lol:

And when I rent from National in ATL I can pick which car I want... thing is, sometimes, they just have shit left.

Had a Mercury Mariner about 4 weeks ago... around 19k on it. Sounds like exactly the same experience you had with the Escape.

worst car for blind spots
Dodge Magnum.

Ever driven the Toyota FJ Cruiser?

Holy shit, that thing is awful for blind spots. The windows behind the driver look full size, but from the inside, they are portholes.

It's a lot like an H2. You feel like you need to yell out the window "hard to starboard, coming about!"

At least with the FJ you've got something that looks cool. With the Charger, well, it looks like you might have picked it up at Hertz.

They gave me an FJ last month when I was in FTL. I liked it, and while the hood was high and deep (in respect from the driving position) which required more effort to park than I'm used to, I didn't think the cargo-area blind spots were that bad. :idk: I didn't care for the rear glass, however...it produced distortions in the view. Overall, it was still a fun vehicle to drive.

Yeah I really liked the FJ until I drove it... going from my truck and from a brand new Tacoma... I just couldn't see buying one... I couldn't see for shit out the rear window... and even less when try'n to look over your shoulder...

In defense of the cobalt; it is a pretty damn succesful road racing car. Class championships in grand am cup and showroom stock c at the SCCA runoffs.
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...k_cobalt_1.jpg

about the only thing from that car that is on the street is the frame

Of all the places I've been, I still haven't gone to Bowling Green! One of these days!

Although, I don't think I can ride my motorcycle there in good conscience. Something about a little red Corvette in my garage that thinks she needs to go instead speaks to me. :lol:

I still give it the :td:
I believe the plant is closed temporarily. :(

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/off-...-to-close.html

actually the car has been succesful in showroom stock racing with minimal modiications beyond safety equipment. Of course having john hienricy behind the wheel helps. I am no chevy fanboi as an owner of mostly hondas and toyotas but the cobalt is alot better than the crapalier and is not really that bad of a car IMHO.

Drove right past the museum twice today. Just 100 miles from my house.

Rented an H3 today. Drove it for 400 miles. It was new (731 miles on the clock). It appeared fairly quiet (for a shoebox with portholes). Visibility SUCKED! I looked to see if there was an 18 wheeler, but otherwise I just had to say "screw it" and pull over into lanes. There is no reason to make a car with windows this small. The styling guys should be kicked in the dick. The other thing I hated was that because of the way the windows are set and because they are flat, water coming off the street pooled and dried on the window making seeing out the driver's or passenger's windows impossible. In the end, I couldn't even see the mirrors. The rear window might as well have been nonexistent. It had a temp tag on the rear window. There was approximately the surface viewing area of a notebook around the temp tag.

The engine was the IL5 and it was completely gutless for acceleration, but it cruised well. It was pretty good on gas. The transmission was rough. It needed another gear.

The seats were comfortable, but the window sill was WAY too high. I like to drive with my left arm resting on the sill, elbow against the window. That would have put my elbow above my shoulder with no way to raise the seat to compensate.

It appeared to be put together well. I'd recommend the Canyon at 2/3 the price.

I had one of those too. Slow, got blown around by the wind, and the suspension crab-legged over bumps. Throttle spring too stiff. Decent interior though. I actually liked the windows because when you rolled them up they clunked into place real solid because they're so square. Also the shifter was beef.

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z...s/DSC01231.jpg

No kidding. The shifter lever handle was like 9" wide and the size of a pork loin.


What hamfisted cromag is THAT designed for?

I rent every time I travel and usually through THRIFTY for their excellent rates....the down side is, all they rent are Chrysler's, not something I am a fan of in any way shape or form but who cares, I don't have to own them.

In PDX I have had the Dodge Magnum....it was a 6 and comfortable but seemed to have more plastic than anything.

In SLC I had a Dodge Stratus. Low on power but delivered great MPG

In PHX I had a Caliber...slow, plastic and junk filled.

In SAN over Thanksgiving I took the Sebring Convertible, fun to drive top down, blind spots from Hell top up, not too thirsty and ZERO trunk space..... but a great beach cruiser. 8 Days, $125 total! the deal of the week.

In Key West I drove home a 2008 Crossfire SRT-6. This was a lot of fun under acceleration, way more power than I had anticipated and I was sad to see her go for that alone. There were MAJOR blind spots, it barely seated two people, almost zero luggage capacity, the control layout was a mess but again, it was a blast to drive.

Bottom line in all new Chrysler's to me are rental cars...they are laden with boring plastic interiors, made with inferior parts and never last to the warranty. I drove one off the rental lot with very few miles on it and there was smoke coming from the tail pipe under acceleration as well as deceleration...bad rings and valve train with under 5K miles on the clock.

im thinkin about renting a car and going racing...100bucks entry fee, 3000 to win, 1500 r/u....:whistle:

The base Cobalt is a craptastic straight to rental car company mobile that you can get for a really good price.
It offers decent enough pep (as long as you ignore the sound and feel coming from the vibration) and it is not the worst thing to drive.

The interior is pleasant from a distance until you make physical contact with the plastic.

The exterior design seems like they started off with a block of plastic and never quite finished.

The Cobalt SS is same plastic nonsense tossed on to an excellent drivetrain and suspension set-up.

Delete the spoiler option and it is king of the sleeper mobiles. Especially the painful to look at 4 dr.

The bigger the better, so you can use it as a hand rest. I don't like pistol-grip or penis shaped shifters, I like T-shaped ones because they are good hand rests and you can pretend it's a jet throttle.

Rented a Hummer H3 while in Vegas.


Unless you're completely going to take the damn thing off-roading... what a fucking waste. I personally would not buy one, I don't like the complete lack of POV around the vehicle, it's like driving a school bus with all the windows blacked out except for a tiny little strip.

Interior seemed quite cheap.

Had no get-up-n-go, but that's not why you really need this vehicle. I could see the usefulness if you took it off road, now, hopefully then that lil' 5 cyl. would have enough torque to get you up and over stuff.

http://i44.tinypic.com/8vp5c9.jpg
Pontiac Grand Prix (they still make these things??). It had the 3.8 which is smooth and very torquey, in fact too torquey for a FWD car imo. It didn't have the sport suspension, so the shock valving was very soft and allowed it to float and wander too much on the highway. Poor straight-line tracking. The visibility out the driver door is very good because of the low window sill, but at the rear of the car there is a big blind spot caused by the stylish C-pillar.



http://i42.tinypic.com/k01rtj.jpg
The dashboard is slanted towards the driver, which is the correct design principle, however the plastic is very hard and brittle feeling. Steering wheel is too big for my taste, and the spokes were too low.



http://i39.tinypic.com/2ldvpqh.jpg
Cool information display on top of the dash. Tranny temp ranged from ambient temp up to about 208 F. Also shows compass, tire pressure, oil life, voltage, odometer, trip distance, and MPG.



http://i43.tinypic.com/fuaxw3.jpg
When the car is started, the letters "GP" flash on the screen, which personally I thought was kind of chintzy, but I suppose it appeals to Pontiac's target market (guidos).



http://i41.tinypic.com/2vvnrcm.jpg
The ignition is poorly placed, because it allows your keys to bang against the hard plastic.
Overall this is a good car for the price considering how low you can get them, but don't bother unless you get the sport model.

Rented a Chevy Malibu and a Chevy Impala recently.

I have a disclaimer, I am a big dude.

The Malibu, I liked, it drove very well and was very responsive. Good acceleration, very good handling, and surprisingly good mileage too. Very well laid out interior, excellent storage, and excellent fit/finish quality and appearance on the gauges. My only gripes were the seat, which was nicely bolstered, was a bit too narrow for my wide american ass and the door area was a little small for me. It made ingress and egress a little annoying. Really liked the car overall, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a four-door grocery getter that's also fun to drive.

The Impala? Too big, too soft. Seats weren't very comfortable, no bolstering at all. Handled predictably, but boringly, with almost no feedback. Anemic motor, car struggled at highway passing. Interior was well laid out, and the car was roomy. Also got very good mileage (both cars got in the low 30's while rolling on the highway with an average around 27). Upside is it's larger than the Malibu, thus more roomy.

Rented a Ford Taurus Limited.


Surprisingly strong motor. Transmission was fairly smooth although it felt as though it didn't have an overdrive grear. Cruised at an RPM higher than I would have expected.

Seat was comfortable but VERY firm. Interior was well crafted and layed out although the buttons were busy and not very intuitive. The radio didn't have a tune knob and it was VERY annoying to tune stations. There was NO volume control on the steering wheel. Dumb.

The exterior styling looked like a giant passat added to the chassis of an F150. Not very attractive.

Couple of things I thought were cool. First, when you turned the key off, the seat scooted back to make it easier to get out and get back in. When you got back in, the seat returned to your preset position. Second, you could raise and lower the brake pedal. I HATE cars where the pedal is too low or too high.

So, I decided to give a Hyundai a try........Or rather, I was forced to, since I arrived late and was given a crap car instead of the one I requested.

Anyway it was an Elantra with the standard 2.0........The engine was shit, no power at all, and it was very boomy from as low as 3000 rpm. Brakes were powerful, but came on WAY too abruptly, making it difficult to drive smoothly.

http://i39.tinypic.com/3135a2x.jpg

Inside, the dash followed today's "pregnant" styling custom, where the center stack bulges out like a pregnant tummy in the middle and then recedes towards the bottom...........personally I think this styling tactic is ugly, I don't like rounded bulges.....I would rather have the center stack go in one straight plane towards the shifter.

http://i40.tinypic.com/ykspi.jpg


Two thumbs up for the climate control knobs, they were very simple and easy to understand, unlike a lot of other cars.


http://i42.tinypic.com/280o8k6.jpg



Gauges were good, I like blue better than red or green. Steering wheel was a proper 3-spoke, but the spokes could have been higher because I like my thumbs to be up higher at 10 and 2.

http://i41.tinypic.com/14ch0kp.jpg

Rented a '08 Jeep Wrangler (4cyl, 4x4, soft-top) in Cozumel last week.

It's basically an Island turd. The clutch and brakes were sacked. The ride was typical Jeep Wrangler, but it was fun to drive around the island in it anyway. We had the top down, and the wind inside was fine.

2009 Sebring- Gas hog, not much to speak for in acceleration, but looks good and the interior is nice.

2009 PT Cruiser- Crap. Enough said.

2009 Accent- Cheap- drove cheap, looked cheap, all-around cheap. Nice on gas.

2009 Yaris- Surprising acceleration and great gas milage, ugly as hell and the gauge cluster was in the middle of the car. I felt like I was practically asking the passenger how fast I was going each time I wanted to know. The acceleration was good, but the handling was a bit scary, so off-ramps have to be taken easily. The hood is short, so it was strange parking and driving (and I even own a compact).

2009 Mazda 3- Great car, interior is the better of the cheap cars, I actually would consider buying the car if it wasn't for the fact the wind shield slopes very far forward toward the hood and almost gives that minivan feeling.

2009 G6- For a cheap car, it's great. I like the looks and impressive gas milage for a GM, but my only issue is with the back window. It's so sloped that if you have dew or frost, it won't bead off with the wind. For 3 mornings, I couldn't see out my rear window trying to drive through Houston's rush hour, irritating.

2009 Cobalt- Not too bad for a cheap little GM car. Might not be everyone's favorite, but one of my favorites to rent. It's smaller, so easier to park, but yet my lanky butt fits in it, good on gas, and pretty comfortable inside.

I rent a car each week while I work in Houston, I'm sure I'll have more to update this thread.

My newest rental was a complete surprise. I needed a car to go up to Orlando for the day with my mom and my Toyota got a check engine light....so we rented a car from Enterprise.

It was a 2009 Chevy Aveo, 4 door, auto, a/c and an AM/FM radio, no other bells or whistles. We drove that little car 95+ mph the entire way to Orlando and back and still got amazing gas mileage as well we were able to hold a conversation without shouting over the high revving engine.

I am not one to promote little rollerskate cars but if I was forced into a commuting situation, I would certainly think twice about buying this car for the drive. They are made in Korea but at high speeds, it felt like a car made in Germany.

plusone

I've rented a couple over the last month thanks to having my car in the shop.

2006 Nissan Sentra - decent power for what it is, comfortable enough for 400 mile days, good mileage, terrible torque steer.

2006 Nissan Altima - good power for the V6, hated the gated shifter, not intuitive at all, totally not comfortable, noisy, and there was NO key cylinder for the trunk. Seriously?

I'm curious Homeslice. You're pretty critical of most of the cars you review, and that's fine, I agree with your comments on the ones I've driven. But, I'm curious, what is your personal car? I just want to know what stands up to the *Homeslice test* for a long term test car. :lol:

I drive a 15 year old Ford Probe GT that I picked up from a coworker 5 years ago for $2,000. Money isn't the problem, I could buy almost any car I wanted, but I don't feel the need since I don't use a car very often. In the 5 years I've owned this beater I've only put 30K miles on it.

No, but being cheap is!

2009 Pontiac G6 GT - Excellent fuel economy, superior powertrain and transmission shifiting. Good overall build quality and looks are good for a midsize car. Car is smooth and quiet and a good choice for long distance cruises.

2008 Malibu 3.6 VVT a/6speed automatic - Exceptional build quality, superior power for a V-6 while retaining over 30mpg. 6 speed transmisison shifts well, but sometimes can bang if you play with the throttle alot. Ride is super smooth, steering is sharp and the interior looks German. I'd buy this car..oh wait I own one. LOL

The last G6 I drove had horrible wind noise......I couldn't figure it out.

That's one area where my car blows away nearly all others :rockwoot:

Finally sold mine a few months ago. Despite some age related faults I thought it was great car. 95 I picked up in 99.

Should have kept it as a beater. Few cars today have as big a hatch.

Um, a GOLD ford focus??? Well, that's what I got stuck with this time. On the plus side, the headlights and taillights look good.

http://i43.tinypic.com/2drhp2e.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/1zv9vva.jpg

This car has a little more power than the old Focus, but the steering isn't as firm or precise, and the shocks allow more body motion, so if you want handling, get a used Focus SVT and save $10K. The seats were mushy, mouse-fur crap with very little bolstering. The center part of the dash had the same faux-aluminum silver plastic that became played out 6-7 years ago. There were too many buttons, which could have easily been replaced by 3-4 dials like the previous car I posted. The tachometer digits were bent around the dial, which I thought was immature and hard to read.

Verdict: Just another example of a formerly good small car that has now become upsized, softer and heavier, to meet the demands of ficticious consumers whose opinions they probably didn't even ask. If you're in the market for a car in this class, get a Rabbit or Mazda 3 instead.

http://i41.tinypic.com/2d11nkj.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/kas68h.jpg

'09 Volvo S60

High quality interior - everything fit together like it was made out of the same piece of high-grade plastic. Leather seats were plush enough to be comfortable but not so plush as to be annoying.

Power was great - it leapt ahead when the accelerator was pressed lightly and shifted at particularly decent times.

Handling... Meh. Definitely tuned for driving in a parking lot vs highway. I found it annoying to think of going to the right and ending up changing lanes without having made my hands actually move the wheel.

Got a Hyundai Sonata this time. Engine was much better than the Elantra, fairly smooth and decent torque, although it didn't have any high-rpm rush. Handling sucked ass, due to a too-soft suspension. Decent ride quality though.

http://i44.tinypic.com/1jkva0.jpg

The interior was non-offensive but very generic. Radio controls were ugly. Seats sucked ass, mouse fur with no side support at all.

http://i43.tinypic.com/687wk9.jpg

The climate controls were simple and easy to understand, unlike most cars...........But I preferred the ones on the Elantra because the re-circ button is integrated into the fan speed dial.

http://i41.tinypic.com/1z1cio6.jpg

Elantra......

http://i42.tinypic.com/280o8k6.jpg

Got a Jetta recently......Best rental I've had in a long time. Like most German cars the steering was firm, the body motion was well-controlled, and the seats were firm and well-bolstered. Way different than the typical disconnected-feeling Japanese or American car. From the way this thing drives, you might think it's the GLI sport model, but it's not. It's just the way the Germans make even thier base-level cars. Engine was a 5-cylinder with very good torque and a very sporty sound, although some people might think it's loud when floored.

http://i41.tinypic.com/2njiu78.jpg

Tranny was a SIX speed auto.......As a result, the powerband was always in the sweet spot. How many Japanese or American cars in this price class have a 6-speed auto? It also had a manumatic mode, as well as an "S" mode which I used most of the time. This mode basically tells the computer to hold gears longer, cruise in 4 or 5 instead of 6, and downshift sooner when going downhill.

http://i41.tinypic.com/2qd7drm.jpg

Interior was kind of stark, but puposeful. Steering wheel felt good ---- The rim had sort of an oval cross section instead of round, so it was thicker front to back than it was side to side. This enables more of the wheel to contact your palm.

http://i42.tinypic.com/24kyyx0.jpg


Gauges were pretty cool, but the numerals could have been bigger. And I would rather have 1-digit numerals instead of 2 on the tach.

http://i42.tinypic.com/nfjqdk.jpg


Had a proper dead pedal on the left. This helps hold you in place during aggressive driving.

http://i42.tinypic.com/oho96p.jpg


Glove box was lined with felt.........Pretty pimp

http://i39.tinypic.com/2ps4rnp.jpg


Radio display was tiny, and the plastic trim around the climate controls felt cheap and easy to leave prints on.

http://i39.tinypic.com/2zoyr2p.jpg

The turn signal was awesome.......It had a special setting where you could just nudge it a little, and it would blink 3 times and then shut itself off.

http://i39.tinypic.com/152jrcz.jpg

^^^GM uses the nudge of the turn signal for 3 blinks as well.

2009 Honda Element

I just rode passenger in this thing, so here are my results...

Engine
I think this is a 2.4L engine or some 4 cylinder. Its pretty noisy on acceleration and the owner told me he gets 22mpg city/highway. Quite lackluster IMO. Also, the power was adequate, but not overwhelming by any means.

Transmission
Shifts were typical Japanese. uuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhh SHIFT..uhhhhhhhhhh...SHIFT. Almost like they only have a speed and accelerator pedal as the map. Not good IMO for a car in this day and age.

Build quality
While the build quality was good, the materials Honda is using lately seem cheap. The plastic is thinner than on Hondas 5 years ago. There was an annoying rattle coming from the headliner I was trying to locate when we were driving this.

Controls
While I didn't sit in the drivers seat, the dash layout seems good, easy to read gauges and the center con sole was layed out well.

One neat thing I might add is that rear seats sit higher than the front so you can see out the front window with someone sitting in the front seat. But..the seat feels like a jump seat, so long trips aren't that comfortable.

Overall I think there is a better car for the 22k price tag since the thing is the size of a Civic.

2009 Ford Escape (brand new).

This thing is a piece of shit. Period.

The transmission whines like a Crown Vic's with 200,000 miles on it
Seats are like sitting on plywood
Handles like the car from The Flintstones
Climate Controls are difficult to reach and adjust
Radio indicators are burried in the dash where you have to look away from traffic to see what's going on (more so than most radios since this one is recessed and above the dash)

Never again.

I think you're hearing the fuel pump whine, not the transmission. ^^^

nope... it had that grinding wind up sound that a poorly maintained transmission gets over time... besides, I could hear the fuel pump too: that sounds like a pissed off bee.

Last summer I took a brand spanking new escape with a manual transmission for a spin.
Felt like the shifter was busted or was missing bolts.

Rented lately ? Spent a week in Puerto Rico a couple of weeks ago and rented a Hyundai Brio...4 door. :rockwoot: :lol:

I wanted something small and cheap but with good A/C

It served it's purpose.

The drivers suck pretty bad in PR. No one uses turn signals...they will pull right out in front of you and change lanes quickly...again with no signal and love to weave in and out of traffic. Most don't even stop at the stop signs. The slower drivers love the left lane. :td:


A Dodge Neon was considered a midsize. :whatwhat: :lol

You just described New Jersey.

:lol: Probably so...never been there. I wouldn't want to ride motorcycles in PR though even though they did have some twisties. I guess maybe away from the cities would be ok but then again...I'm not too sure about that. :tremble:

So, this is the 4th or 5th time I've rented a Pontiac G6. This one was the "GT" version with the 3.5 V6, which is an extremely smooth, quiet engine, but it would do so much better in a RWD platform. There is so much torque steer all the time, even when just doing roll-on accel or downshifting. It's so irritating that I'd rather have the 4-cylinder model. Also the transmission only has 4 gears, which is weaksauce considering that a base Jetta has 6. As far as the suspension goes, it handles good around town, but once you get up to highway speeds it's too soft & floaty. :td: I don't know if there is a sport suspension available for this car, but it needs it. The 4-cyl model I rented a few months ago seemed to handle better. Also, on the highway the steering is too fast and so when it's windy you're constantly correcting it. The shocks and springs are weird because on the highway they produce a glass-smooth ride, but off the highway the ride becomes brittle. Even if you slow down to 2 mph over potholes & railroad tracks, you get this wooden clodding sound, which I've experienced in several different GM FWD sedans. It's a hollow sound that makes you think something must be loose in the suspension. :skep:

Latest rental, a few weeks ago, was a Pontiac G6 GXP. Had good power but awful torque steer, much like Homeslice stated. The interior was typical GM - hard and uncomfortable and not very pleasing to the eye. No blind spots that I noticed. Was pretty good on gas, considering I was stomping on the peppy V6. Overall, was pretty fun to drive, save for the lack of comfort and the horrible torque steer.

They gave you a top-drawer GXP? I feel so deprived...

My mom owns an '04 (I think) basic BASIC model. Doesnt even have cruise control. What fucking vehicle these days doesnt come with cruise control. I bet that salesman was laughing his ASS OFF when they left with it.

Seat are VERY uncomfortable. Road noise to the max. Cheap plastic EVERY WHERE. The volume control knob on the radio doesnt really work any more. Some of the present buttons dont work. The plastic/rubber seal at the bottom of the windshield is completely destroyed by the sun. Like most SUV's with rear wiper, the blade gets destroyed by the sun and from no use. Plastic bumpers are faded. Plastic door handles are faded (Jesus I hat plastic door handles). All Ford's blinker noise is too loud. Fucker rings constantly if you leave the key in the ign wile the engine is OFF and door open. My companys '04 F-150 does the same thing and it is so fucking ANNOYING!

Ehh...more gears is not better. I had a 2005 Malibu with a 3.5L / 4speed auto and now a 2008 Malibu 3.6VVT with a 6speed auto. I like the 4speed much better. There is too much shifting in the 6 speed not to mention banging at times. It's too busy. The 4speed seems much more mated to the 3.5L V-6. Not to mention the 05 gets 5mpg better than the 2008.

Better in terms of not being as abrupt when it downshifts. If it has more gears then it usually has less of an RPM gap between them.

I can't stand how when you pull out to pass in some cars, it jumps 2-3 thousand rpm's. Having more gears would prevent this.

They've been hooking me up lately. They gave me an Eclipse Spyder GT last time.

Posting this because I'm bored. Pics of mostly sucky rental cars from a few past vacations. I just want to get around and don't spend much time in the car so no biggie to me.

Oaui...

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b4...D550/ry%3D400/

Maui...

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b4...D550/ry%3D400/

Big Island, Hawaii...

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b4...D550/ry%3D400/

Kauai...

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b4...D550/ry%3D400/

Heavenly at Lake Tahoe the first time...

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b5...D550/ry%3D400/

St. Thomas/St. Johns...

Well I couldn't find a pic of the car...a Kia Rio if I remember correctly but these shots are from the inside of it looking out and yes they drive on the left side of the road there...

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b6...D550/ry%3D400/

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b6...D550/ry%3D400/

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b6...D550/ry%3D400/

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b6...D550/ry%3D400/

Heavenly at Lake Tahoe the 2nd time...

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b6...D550/ry%3D400/

Key Largo/Key West, Fl....

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b7...D550/ry%3D400/

San Francisco/Big Sur...

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9...D550/ry%3D400/

Pontiac Vibe. Even though this thing was slow as hell (4-cyl), it was still very fun to drive, for 3 reasons:
1) Steering feel (it was nicely weighted and you could feel the pavement surface)
2) Ride (it was firm and didn't float that much on the highway)
3) Shifter position (mounted up high, allowing you to pretend you're in a sports car).

2009 Chysler 300 M Touring

I had this vehicle for 1 week in MI and I have to say it is probably one of the best rentals I've ever had. This car just did everything very well and it was a car I would consider buying.

Engine-2.7 6cyl. was adequate for the car and returned mileage in the mid 20s. The engine was smooth and rather quiet.

Transmission - Prolly one of the better transmissions I've felt from a driveablity point of view. Always in the right gear and smooth shifting. Never a harsh up or downshift.

Chassis - This vehicle is based upon an older Mercedes chassis. It felt just right, like a big German sedan. Soaked up bumps very well, never harsh and no vibration at times like on some newer Jap cars

Gauges and Console - The interior is done up nice, but the gauges with the white/green lighting is a tad hard to see. The position of stuff was laid out well, though.

Rented a new Mailbu last week. Easily 10 times better than the old one. Very impressed with how smooth and quiet it was. Very good ride as well. The suspension didn't seem to have any of that wooden "something's loose" noise that most GM FWD sedans usually have.

The interior was correctly shaped, with a center console that sweeps down between the seats. Way better looking than anything Ford has. There were paddle shifters on the steering wheel, although this seemed a bit out of place on a mainstream family sedan. The tranny was best left in Drive. Manual shifts weren't very quick.

The stereo was disappointing.... it sounded muffled.....But that is true for almost any OEM system.

The newer malibus are very nice. I get one of those most of the time as a loaner car from my dealer if I take my car in there.

I'll take the mileage thing back on the 08 Malibu. Going from CA to MI I got 29.9, 30.6, 32.5 and 34.6 MPG on four separate tankfulls. 3.6VVT engine.

Which motor did it have? the 4 or 6?

V-6 3.6 VVT It is prolly one of the best motors for power and economy I've driven.

Avis gave me a Ford Escape Limited when I was in FTL a couple of weeks ago. Interior was pretty nice - it was more comfortable than it looked. Roomy. The Sync system is pretty cool, although the voice recognition could use some help. The recognition on our Altima understands my voice almost flawlessly. The only complaint I would have with the interior is the center console controls; there were so many similar-looking knobs and buttons it was almost overwhelming.

The 3.0L V6 was peppy and the transmission worked quite well with it. It seemed no matter what speed I was at, when pushing down on the accelerator the gear shifts were smooth and not jerky. Torque steer was noticable but I've driven much worse. Fuel economy was OK but not great - I was stomping on it alot, so....

As for the exterior, IMO, it's come a long way in the looks department. The color-keyed molding and chrome accents make it much more appealing to me than the earlier models. Overall, for the money they are getting for this vehicle, I don't think it's not a bad deal considering the whole package and the features it comes with.

I think the new escapes with the black rims and darker features look the best they ever have.

I thought the consensus on this board was that the Escape was noisy, cheap, and rough-riding. Did they totally revise it?

I end up with a lot of Dodge Caliber rentals when I travel for work... Visibility kinda sucks, but I'm a sucker for satellite radio. I think I'm going to start branching out so I can see what the other cars are like :shrug:

Too think I liked the original base model Escape...always seemed like an honest little bugger.

Dude......Those are about the lowest-quality cars you can rent. Noisy, slow, and an incredibly cheap plastic interior.

Had one once. Never again. Ever. Biggest pos since the PT Cruiser.

Those are the rentals I love. Step on the gas only to hear a bunch of noise and when it finally gets to 70mph (after 4 upshifts which take 3 seconds each to accomplish) the steering wheel shakes. Bonus if the rotors are warped when stopping.

I remember sitting in one at the dealer. It took me back to the 87? Plymouth Caravelle my parents drove until it became an absolute faded moneypit.

I think the Caravelle had better materials :lol

:lol: it's not like i own it, it's cool man :) it's easy to drive and has room to carry passengers. yeah, it is slow as a bitch, but I still got a speeding ticket in one :shrug:

okay okay okay I get it... I'll pick something different next time and let y'all know ALL about it :lmao:

Ford Fusion
I have rented all 3 of the engine options for this car. The 3.0 flex-fuel V6 is the worst choice, there is a lot of lifter noise & accessory noise, especially when cold. The 3.5 is much nicer & quieter, and pumps out 263hp which is substantial for a car of this size. The 2.5 four-cyl is only 175hp but is smooth for a 4-cyl. All in all, I think this engine "suits" it the best, because this is a FWD car and it doesn't make sense to put much torque into a FWD.

The tranny is a 6-speed, and for the first 2-3 minutes when it's still cold the shifting is crude......upshifts get hung up. Also the first 2 gears are too short, so it shifts twice before you've finished making a simple right turn. :skep: Too busy.

Ride & handling is pretty decent for its class......It's no sport sedan, but it's a good balance. The ride is much smoother than a G6.

But I would never buy this car because its interior is so horrible.....I mean seriously who the fuck is responsible for thsi shit? CHeck out these ghey-ass gauges:

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/7279/dsc03579v.jpg

Not only do they look retarded, but they are hard to read in the daylight. But the worst offense is the center stack.......You can barely read any of the buttons & switches, the font is so friggin small..... :?:


http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/268/dsc03639e.jpg


Making it even harder to read is the fact that the bottom of the center stack console is curved INWARD, instead of the other way like it should be. Seriously, who the fuck designed this? :?: :lol


http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/313/dsc03481f.jpg


And to top it off, the headlight switch is not on a stalk, it's on this lame dial on the left side of the dash. What's fucked up is that it's not lit at night. So, when you go to turn it on or off, you have to hunt for it by feel, and you can accidentally hit the trunk button :td:


http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/1295/dsc03572u.jpg

Not to mention the wiper stalk is not on the right side of the wheel like it should be.....It's on the left, shared with the turn signals. So, if you slap the signals too hard, you make the wipers move. Dumb.

Good review
:dthumb:

I guess you have never drove a VW, Audi or most german cars before because that is how the headlight switch is on most or all.

Except I bet their switch is illuminated, unlike Ford's

Nope no need once your used to it. Also on some German(Only in europe because of the fixed beam height in US) cars there is a switch to raise or lower you headlights.

That would be so freakin' handy.