Rental Car Reviews

[kevm14]

What do the auto rags say about it?

The MB engine is weird shit.

[Bob]

What do the auto rags say about it?

The MB engine is weird shit.

Surprisingly, it has been very hard to find a review of the 2.0t since it's so new.

[Bob]

I can't find a review of the 2.0t where the car was actually driven in any of the major US publications.

[Adam]

Car: 2016 Ford Fusion Titanium
Date Rented: 4/10/16
Location Rented: ORF
Rental Company: Avis
Powertrain: 231-240 HP 2.0L Ecoboost 4 with 6A
Highs: Nice interior, comfortable and supportive seats, drives surprisingly well. Sony-branded 12-speaker sound system sounds really good. Never felt "slow". Minimal turbo lag.
Lows: Transmission feels unrefined. Only 24.7 mpg over ~200 miles of mostly highway driving. Electronic throttle seems overly aggressive to minimize turbo lag.
Fun facts: Steering wheel mounted shift buttons with a "sport" mode selection for trans. Not terrible, but not great.
Other notable cars available: Several people on this trip got ~2014-15 Malibus w/Auto Stop. Very clunky and not smooth taking off from a stop.
Would I rent again? Yes

[Bob]

I have always enjoyed the Fusion Titanium. It is certainly one of the best in the class.

[kevm14]

So it's a 4 cylinder turbo that drives like a V6 and gets V6 fuel economy in the real world, while selling EPA fuel economy to unsuspecting buyers?

I guess that's why it's a good rental...

[Bob]

Yeah, I also think the chassis and steering is pretty good for the class, behind only the Mazda6, which is also somewhat more sporty and less refined. It is a pretty polished car with some nice options that drives well, which makes it a good rental. Even though it is now one of the oldest designs in the midsize class, I still like it.

On a side note, I have yet to see the new Malibu in a rental fleet. I am interested to try it out.

[Bob]

Car: 2016 Chrysler 300S AWD
Date Rented: 4/28/16
Location Rented: YYC
Rental Company: National
Powertrain: 292 HP 3.6L V6 with 8A, AWD
Highs: Still a good highway cruiser, had active Sirius radio.
Lows: Traps 96, but somehow feels slow (was it the AWD, or maybe the fact that I have been renting Hemi Chargers lately), Beats Audio pretty unrefined, "S" stitching on seats looks cheap, extra ride height doesn't look good on the car
Fun facts: Even though auto climate is in Celsius on this Canadian model, it still only adjusts in 1 degree C increments. I guess no one told Chrysler engineers that a 1 degree C change = 1.8 F change.
Other notable cars available: Several nondescript SUVs. This was the only car so I took it.
Would I rent again? Yes, although I have to admit my enthusiasm for the 300 is waning after this rental experience. Maybe it was the AWD.

[Bob]

On a side note, I have yet to see the new Malibu in a rental fleet. I am interested to try it out.

Saw a new Malibu as I was returning at YYC. It's only a matter of time now, unless GM starts to further curtail fleet sales.

[Bob]

Car: 2016 VW GTI
Date Rented: 6/9/16
Location Rented: DTW
Rental Company: National
Powertrain: 220 HP turbo I4 V6 with 6DSG
Highs: VW nailed the intangibles - good steering, brakes, chassis, seats. DSG shifts very well and rev matches downshifts flawlessly. Apple CarPlay is in the car.
Lows: Turbo powertrain can be a bit laggy, but does have good power once the boost comes on. Ride a bit harsh on crappy Michigan roads (would not be an issue in Charlotte). Noisy (This is fake noise and can be disabled, but still annoying and I could tell it was fake)
Fun facts: Has a launch mode with the DSG, which I unfortunately did not get a chance to try out due to the fact that I was with a coworker.
Other notable cars available: Infiniti G50 3.7, 2016 Camaro (just missed it)
Would I rent again? Definitely

If only VW made reliable cars, this could be a perfect daily driver.