Rental Car Reviews

[Bob]

Car: 2015 Ford Expedition XLT
Date Rented: 4/28/15
Location Rented: DTW
Rental Company: National
Powertrain: 365 HP twin turbo 3.5L V6 with 6A
Highs: Turbo noises, nice midrange power. How awesome it is to cruise in 4 wheel low
Lows: The usual disappointing Ecoboost fuel economy.
Fun facts: You can manually select a 3rd gear start in 4-low.
Other notable cars available: new F150 (not ecoboost), Chevy Silverado and Dodge Ram (with Hemi). The Ram was my first choice but it didn't have the keys.
Would I rent again? as much fun as 4L was, I think I will have to pass.

[Bob]

Car: 2014 Ram 1500 4x4
Date Rented: 5/3/15
Location Rented: ORD
Rental Company: National
Powertrain: 395 HP 5.7L V8 with 8A
Highs: Great sound, good power, fun to drive, nice highway steering, highway mileage not bad. There was something about driving this that was fun and entertaining. It is crude, loud and unrefined, but in a good way.
Lows: City mileage pretty poor, hard to park, cheap looking interior materials. Dial shifter just doesn't feel right - a vehicle like this needs a big old column shifter.
Fun facts: Has a power rear slider (discovered this after a couple days) Will easily spin rear tires at part throttle.
Other notable cars available: Fusion,
Would I rent again? Yes!

[Bob]

Car: 2015 Ford F150 4x4
Date Rented: 5/6/15
Location Rented: GRR
Rental Company: National
Powertrain: 385 HP 5.0L V8 with 6A
Highs: Refined ride, feels very sophisticated. V8 sounds pretty good and will start to break the tires loose as the RPMs build in first
Lows: Mileage disappointing, steering wanders a lot on the highway, which was annoying
Fun facts: No need for piped in V8 noises on this one
Other notable cars available: I almost took a Buick Verano if that says anything about the car selection that day...
Would I rent again? No

[Bob]

Car: 2015 Mazda MX-5 Grand Touring PRHT
Date Rented: 6/10/15
Location Rented: LAX
Rental Company: National
Powertrain: 158 HP 2.0L I4 with 6A
Highs: PRHT (Power Retractable Hard Top) operation is pretty slick and fast. It was quick enough to put it down at a red light. The chassis and steering are wonderful.
Lows: I realize that all rental cars in this country must come equipped with an auto, but this auto was particularly poor. The CX-5 I rented recently had a much better manual mode. Tech in car is outdated (no Bluetooth, no USB port)
Fun facts: AT version is actually less powerful than the manual (158 HP vs 167 HP) and has a lower redline (6700 vs 7200). Somehow Mazda still recommends premium for this engine.
Other notable cars available: Mustang, Camaro, Challenger (none of these three would have felt that great carving up canyon roads in San Diego county), C7 for a $100 a day upcharge.
Would I rent again? Yes, but only if I am somewhere near a decent road.

[Bob]

Car: 2016 VW Jetta SE
Date Rented: 9/23/15
Location Rented: PVD
Rental Company: National
Powertrain: 150* HP 1.4L turbo I4 with 6A
Highs: ApplePlay is in the car and generally worked well, had 9 miles on it when I picked it up. A cut above most other in the class when it comes to refinement and cruising. Launches pretty well when you brake torque it thanks to 184 lb-ft @ 1400.
Lows: 1.4L a little laggy in Boston traffic, doesn't feel as premium as I expected, manual shifting function still not as good as a Mazda6
Fun facts: *requires premium fuel to achieve 150 HP
Other notable cars available: old-school Impala with 3.6L, Ford Explorer
Would I rent again? Maybe, but probably not

[Bob]

Car: 2015 Hyundai Elantra
Date Rented: 9/23/15
Location Rented: MKE
Rental Company: Hertz (National didn't want to do a one way to ORD)
Powertrain: 1.8L 145 HP I4 with 6A
Highs: Auto trans seems to make the most of the limited power. Cost me $7 to drive 130 miles or so.
Lows: Steering has a very murky feel, like the Rondo. Suspension not all that refined.
Fun facts: Has adjustable steering feel with a button. All settings numb.
Other notable cars available: Offered me a Tahoe for an extra $65/day
Would I rent again? No, and I don't think I will rent from Hertz again either if I can avoid it.

Reading material: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/201 ... est-review

The “Drive Selectable Steering Mode” adjustments still vary the effort without adding any feel, although Hyundai literature claims the Limited's version is “sport tuned.”

[Bob]

Rented a Jeep Wrangler in Vancouver and I immediately regret it. Should have gone for the Edge or Murano.

[kevm14]

As much as I don't like the Wrangler, I am going to defend it a bit.

I don't think you should be expecting the most car-like manners with the Wrangler. I think it brings unique capability, style and, yes, culture, and with those, its own drivability quirks. Expecting it to behave like a car or even a crossover is just not realistic.

[Bob]

When was the last time you drove something with a solid front axle? I think my 88 4Runner with IFS had far better road manners

[Adam]

When was the last time you drove something with a solid front axle?

My parents' 1990 Jeep Cherokee. It drove like a truck with a solid front axle.