Rental car review

[SID210SA]

So far my impression of the 2007 Nissan Altima 2.5S, that I am renting while the Marauder is in for repairs, is in the middle.

The Altima looks very nice....I have a gray with 2,000 miles on it at time of rental. I like the exterior very much..dual exhaust, clear tail lights, front end and body overall is nice.

Interior: Seats are pretty stiff and I dont really like the shift knob...
Not really liking the amber lighting in the interior.
The instrument cluster is nicely laid out and there is an information center.

Drivability: So far I have only been able to drive this car in the rain, and its no Marauder. I dont feel very comfortable driving this car in the rain, when you hit a puddle the car seems to get redirected, not too bad but just enought to make you think. Other wise it is smooth, goes over speed humps pretty well and breaks pretty quickly. It accelerates pretty nice as well. Engine noise is kind of tinny but quiet and there is almost no road noise. The transmission shifts very smooth....so smooth infact that you dont even know it is shifting! It seems like one continuous gear that has power all the way from 0 to 65. (that is about as fast as I have had it).

Maybe we should start a forum on Rentals so you can be informed when with reviews from some one here who had driven it. Just an idea.

Mike

[Haggis]

1993 Escort Wagon good gas mileage and exceptable acceleration for a 4 banger. Great 'party car' cooler fits nicely in back, plenty of room on rear seats and floor for McD wrappers. Good for going off road, loves construction sites and easily climbs out of a ditch its roof height in depth. Not enough ground clearance for those larger rocks, grass gets caught in springs and water will come through door seals when fording streams.

Larger 4-wheel-drive vehicles give you the right of way and pedestrians run for cover and little children scream for their mothers as the driver shouts 'REDRUM' with glee. Hood can not support weight of grown adult or two for too long and dents easily. Safe top end is under 3 digits and rear end tends to swing out when making corners to fast, but recovers quickly.

Put clean-up charge on bill especially when your Ins. is not paying for it.

[jim geary]

So far my impression of the 2007 Nissan Altima 2.5S, that I am renting while the Marauder is in for repairs, is in the middle.

The Altima looks very nice....I have a gray with 2,000 miles on it at time of rental. I like the exterior very much..dual exhaust, clear tail lights, front end and body overall is nice.

Interior: Seats are pretty stiff and I dont really like the shift knob...
Not really liking the amber lighting in the interior.
The instrument cluster is nicely laid out and there is an information center.

Drivability: So far I have only been able to drive this car in the rain, and its no Marauder. I dont feel very comfortable driving this car in the rain, when you hit a puddle the car seems to get redirected, not too bad but just enought to make you think. Other wise it is smooth, goes over speed humps pretty well and breaks pretty quickly. It accelerates pretty nice as well. Engine noise is kind of tinny but quiet and there is almost no road noise. The transmission shifts very smooth....so smooth infact that you dont even know it is shifting! It seems like one continuous gear that has power all the way from 0 to 65. (that is about as fast as I have had it).

Maybe we should start a forum on Rentals so you can be informed when with reviews from some one here who had driven it. Just an idea.

MikeGood idea Mike. Makes sense. I don't rent cars very often but
sounds as if info everyone could use.:banana:

[SID210SA]

1993 Escort Wagon good gas mileage and exceptable acceleration for a 4 banger. Great 'party car' cooler fits nicely in back, plenty of room on rear seats and floor for McD wrappers. Good for going off road, loves construction sites and easily climbs out of a ditch its roof height in depth. Not enough ground clearance for those larger rocks, grass gets caught in springs and water will come through door seals when fording streams.

Larger 4-wheel-drive vehicles give you the right of way and pedestrians run for cover and little children scream for their mothers as the driver shouts 'REDRUM' with glee. Hood can not support weight of grown adult or two for too long and dents easily. Safe top end is under 3 digits and rear end tends to swing out when making corners to fast, but recovers quickly.

Put clean-up charge on bill especially when your Ins. is not paying for it.


Now that is a review!!!:baaa:

[Bluerauder]

Maybe we should start a forum on Rentals so you can be informed when with reviews from some one here who had driven it. Just an idea.

Mike

Rental Review (6 days, 17-22 January 2007)
2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo LT Coupe
Classed as a Full Size Car (National)
V6, 3.5 liter, 211 HP
4-speed automatic with overdrive
FWD
Odometer: 400 miles at pick-up
Exterior: Jewel Red with spoiler
Interior: Gray Cloth
City MPG: 21
Highway MPG: 31
Actual City/Hwy Mix was closer to 24.5 MPG
MSRP: $23240.00

Not much of a selection in the full size aisle when we picked up the car. We only had a choice of an Impala and the Monte Carlo. Have driven an Impala before, so I opted to try the Monte Carlo.

Overall: I like the styling of the Monte Carlo. Kinda sporty but doesn’t have much in the power department. OK for a rental car and meets the needs pretty well. Didn’t even try to “get on it” since the wife was with me on this trip. I generally try to stay away from the brightly colored red cars; but this one looked pretty good in the lot. I'd get one again. :D

Positive Comments:

1. Very big trunk. Not quite as deep as the Marauder less organizer; but long enough for two large rolling suitcases side-by side. Can’t do that in my MM because of interference by the spare tire.

2. Dual Zone Temperature controls. Nice feature. Wish the MM had this.

3. Information Center/Trip Meter. Lots of information available here from MPG to trip duration and time. More stuff available but I really didn’t check out all the info features.

Negative Comments:

1. Huge blind spot due to the “C” Pillar. Never got use to this over the 6 days period. Made me appreciate the all round visibility from the MM.

2. Interior materials are very cheap. Felt cheap. Looked cheap. Cloth seats were OK; but not what I’d call a comfortable set.

3. Center console was very deep but kinda awkward to open with the right hand.

4. Adjusting the seats was confusing. It took a couple minutes to find the driver seat control and I had to get out of the car to do it. It is wedged between two levers on the left side of the seat.

5. Radio controls and dash buttons were confusing. Maybe those "universal" symbols and pics mean something to some people but I find many to be very confusing.

6. There was a large 2" paint smudge on the driver's door where someone in a white car had banged it pretty good. I noted it on the rental paper at check out. Other than that the car was pristine (only 400 miles on it).

[MM2004]

KIA Rio

Cons:

Cheap car. Everything about it is cheap inside and out.

No acceleration, engine noisy thru entire RPM range. Never discovered the power band in this car.

Firm shifts, but didn't help any.

Scared the shat outta me merging on the X-Way.

This maneuver is not recommended for any age driver.

Zero to sixty in approx. 39.2 sec.

Sits so low to the ground, you have to step up to exit the vehicle.

Pros:

Sitting in the driver's seat, an average size male can extend right arm to open and close passenger door. And roll the windows up/down.

My wife drove it while my MM was being repaired.

Mike.

[RedMerc04]

KIA Rio

Cons:

Cheap car. Everything about it is cheap inside and out.

No acceleration, engine noisy thru entire RPM range. Never discovered the power band in this car.

Firm shifts, but didn't help any.

Scared the shat outta me merging on the X-Way.

This maneuver is not recommended for any age driver.

Zero to sixty in approx. 39.2 sec.

Sits so low to the ground, you have to step up to exit the vehicle.

Pros:

Sitting in the driver's seat, an average size male can extend right arm to open and close passenger door. And roll the windows up/down.

My wife drove it while my MM was being repaired.

Mike.
Sounds like a winner....

[jimlam56]

Good thread, I can provide plenty of input!:rolleyes:

Currently driving a Mustang V6 stripper from Budget.
Sounds exactly like my 93 Aerostar. (Ah, the 3 toddler days...)
Not impressed with build quality, major blind spots in rear quarters.
Dash rattle consistent with 35 mph. 20k miles, looks used and abused.
Handles well, but I'm not sure a V8 would win me over...

[Sharky]

2007 Chevrolet HHR LT

Pros:

Lots of room for cargo and yard apes
Appearance is rather unusual - stands out from the crowd
Peppy acceleration around town
Ride is surprisingly good for a utility vehicle
Cool instrumentation and controls
Lots of headroom - can even wear cowboy hat


Cons:

Interior appears to be made by Tupperware - hard, cheap plastic EVERYWHERE
Front wheel drive
Lacks power for passing on highway
No tachometer
Stereo speakers sound like they are mounted inside coffee cans
Liftgate is so low in open position you have to duck under it
Poor visibility - you feel like you are sitting in a tub peering out through gun slits
Appearance is rather unusual - stands out from the crowd

Overall a very good vehicle for the price, but I would have to check out a PT Cruiser before buying an HHR (if I were in the market for that type of vehicle).

[96DiamondVIII]

2007 Maxima SE
Black, 700 miles on the odometer when I rented it.

Pros:
-Love the styling. Looked good from all angles.
-3.5 VQ-series V6 had good power, smooth, plenty of torque.
-CVT transmission with manual-shift mode was both novel and useful. It was strange to floor it and not feel any gear changes, but it seemed to work well.
-Good handling, especially for a FWD car.
-Good build quality and felt very solid.
-High-quality interior materials, attractive layout, good dash design, nice factory stereo.
-Plenty of room for rear-seat passengers, good-size trunk.

Cons:
-Front wheel drive
-Enormous turning circle. Makes tight U-turns and any 3-point turn an adventure.
-I never could get fully comfortable in the driver's seat. Felt kind of hard and I couldn't find a headrest angle that wasn't intrusive (but then again I was used to a Mark VIII, so compared to that...almost anything would be a downgrade)
-Full-length glass roof panel was neat, but I would have preferred a sunroof that actually opened.

Overall, a very pleasant car to live with for the 2 weeks I had it. I was impressed enough that I actually looked at a Maxima when I went car shopping shortly afterward.

2006 Chevy Malibu LT
Burgundy, 4 cyl., ~7000 miles on it when I rented

Pros:
-Decently attractive styling, if not distinctive
-For a four-banger, engine had good acceleration arpund town
-Comfortable seats
-Handled well
-Good interior space and trunk space, efficient packaging

Cons:
-Engine runs out of breath quickly at highway speeds
-Crappy, plasticky interior materials
-Questionable GM build quality (but worlds better than some '90's GMs I've dealt with)

With the optional V6 this would be a decent car. Not something I'd necessarily buy, but for someone who isn't a "car person" a used one could be a very good value for the money considering how GM products seem to depreciate in the current market. As rentals go, acceptable, wouldn't have a problem if I ended up with one again.

[de minimus]

2007 Dodge Charger

9000 kms
V6

Pros:
Nice styling; looks like a muscle car
Roomy inside
Smooth shifting transmission

Cons:
V6 - gutless
gas guzzler ( maybe because I was trying to get Marauder performance out of it)
the dash is too deep - it's a long way to the windshield
uncomfortable seats
cheap plastic look to the dash and console
Schizophrenic headlights - the DTRs would go off sometimes when I shut it off, othertimes not.

I'd like to try one of the V8 models with a few more luxuries...this was a plain jane model and not particularly exciting.

[jim geary]

Rented a Toyota Camery from Enterprise last year. Nice car. Plenty of room.
My only problem was it was so quiet that sometimes I couldn't tell if the engine was running or not. Good gas milage also. From Los Angeles to Las Vegas and back. Didn't want to put the miles on the Marauder.

[LordVader]

2007 Chevrolet HHR LT

Pros:

Lots of room for cargo and yard apes
Appearance is rather unusual - stands out from the crowd
Peppy acceleration around town
Ride is surprisingly good for a utility vehicle
Cool instrumentation and controls
Lots of headroom - can even wear cowboy hat


Cons:

Interior appears to be made by Tupperware - hard, cheap plastic EVERYWHERE
Front wheel drive
Lacks power for passing on highway
No tachometer
Stereo speakers sound like they are mounted inside coffee cans
Liftgate is so low in open position you have to duck under it
Poor visibility - you feel like you are sitting in a tub peering out through gun slits
Appearance is rather unusual - stands out from the crowd

Overall a very good vehicle for the price, but I would have to check out a PT Cruiser before buying an HHR (if I were in the market for that type of vehicle).

+1, really no different than a PT Cruiser. I've had both as rentals. Favorite rental car right now is Chevy Impala just due to size and driveability.

[SID210SA]

Completely forgot about this thread so here is one from a while ago:

Rented: 2011 Chevy Suburban LT

We had to rent a Suburban for the Centerville GTG way back in 2010 becuase our Burb sprung a leak in the water pump the day before.

I didnt get to drive it much as I was driving the Marauder......but from the short time I did drive it.....it was smooth, comfortable and had plenty of room, and power.

Looks great inside and out, and I had no complaints on the truck. If I could buy a new one I would, but it is a little bit on the expensive side.

The kids loved it and so did Rosa as she did most of the driving in it.

Gas milage wasnt great but it was better than our currnent Burb, and the information center kept track of everything, and held everything that I didnt want to put in the Marauder....so for our convoy it was basically our chase vehicle for the group.

I would rent it again or own one if I could get it cheap enough.

[88LTDCV351]

I've always tried to get a Grand Marquis when I rent, however, they never have one.

So the ones I got was a hybrid Altima last year. Wasn't holding up well with scratches in the trunk interior exterior but got good gas mileage to drive around washington DC and the civil war battlegrounds.

A 2010 Lincoln Towncar (slow but super comfortable for all on a trip to Reno). Gas mileage was better than expected on the hills if you drive like grandpa.

and a GMC Acadia. Fit my needs. Interior was ok and had room for the stuff I needed to haul around.

Ford F150 four door. Super nice truck but still doesn't seem very praticable for the rest of us.

[SID210SA]

Here is another one from back in December when we went to pick up Rosa's new to her Infiniti in Houston:

Rented: 2012 Ford Taurus Limited

I had the most fun with the SYNC system in the Taurus. I connected to my phone and played with the SYNC system all the way to Houston......set up was quick and easy.

The car had plenty of power and tracked well except for heavy acceleration, the car would pull as it was front wheel drive. We drove in the rain and had no problems with puddles at highway speeds.

I had only two complaints,
1. It was limited to 80 MPH with My Ford Touch....which is good in a way if you have a teen that is driving your car, you can limit the cars speed, like 35 MPH if you wanted to so your kid doesnt get on the highway or get stupid and try to impress his or her friends by driving fast or drag racing.

2. The belt line is too high. Dont like the look of the belt line on the outside and dont like the feel of the belt line on the inside....makes me feel like a little kid trying to drive a big boat of a car.

Other than that, the car was very comfortable both front and back and had plenty of trunk space. Lots of storage space in the center console and glove box.

The ambiant lighting is cool too.

[SID210SA]

And another one from back in January when Rosa's Infiniti got hit in a Best Buy parking lot.

Rented: 2012 Ford Explorer Limited

Had nice power but once again pulled as it was front wheel drive. Seems to me the seats werent as comfortable, but I was told they were same as in the Taurus. The belt line seems the same but I can live with it better in the Explorer than the Taurus. But I still like the Taurus better.

It also had the Sync system and as you know I love that part of the vehicle. Had plenty of room and the rear seats folded down nicely to the point they almost dissapear. The power lift gate makes it even better, wish I had that on my Burb.

I like the fit and finish and the HID's are a nice touch, as is the back up camera and reverse sensors.

Overall I was pleased with Explorer.

[SID210SA]

New Rental Review:

2012 Dodge Charger V6

As much as I dont like Dodge vehicles.....I actually liked this one.....I rented it to visit Wes over in Houston for the weekend.

I pretty much drove in the rain much of the way there and part of the way back.

It handled very well, moving along at 75 in heavy rain was no problem...didnt feel the least bit nervous driving it in the rain, it was comfortable with the cloth seats and the conviences inside the car are very nice. Lots of trunk space and interior room.

I loved the guage layout....kind of like a watch. I also liked the body style and the rear tailights. I can only imagine what the SRT8 would be like!!

I approve of this car.