Rental Car Reviews

[kevm14]

Highs: Had 5 miles on it when I picked it up, good powertrain, transmission rev matches downshifts well in manual mode. The satisfaction that comes with parking it in a normal spot. No need to pack efficiently.
Lows: Vintage 90s GM build quality (bad panel gaps, interior squeaks). Horrible driving experience. Rides like a HD pickup from 20 years ago. Steering wanders a lot. 14.8 MPG over 700 miles of mostly highway.

I believe your rental was a 3500 (1 ton). That explains the 80 psi (and some of the wonderful ride quality).

Also they apparently got rid of the 4L80E so yours had the 6L90, which was also used in the CTS-V2 (and also HD pickups).

I wonder if we are in a valley of cheap LS stuff, because they will be switching everything over to the Gen Vs and fancy transmissions. So maybe now is the time for a junkyard LS build w/ 4L80E.

Yes, I look at that van as an LS donor. You broke it in right, and someday when it has 300,000 miles, it will get ripped out and put into something else, have 12 psi stuffed into it, and make 650 rwhp.

[Bob]

For what it's worth, I thought the 6L90 was a good transmission. It always seemed to do the right thing. Also it downshifted automatically as the vehicle was braking in certain situations. Unfortunately the donor vehicles that have that transmission are probably too expensive.

[Bob]

Car: 2016 Dodge Durango Limited
Date Rented: 4/12/16
Location Rented: LAS
Rental Company: National
Powertrain: 295 HP 3.6L V6 with 8A
Highs: Better than expected interior and driving experience (admittedly, my expectations were low). Has navigation. Fuel economy seems to be pretty good for a vehicle like this.
Lows: Not the hemi, which means it's not fast since the Pentastar has to push around 5000 lbs.
Fun facts: Has start stop feature
Other notable cars available: Toyota Avalon, Nissan Murano. I took the Durango because I was with my boss who has an affinity for mediocre Chrysler products. Also, I've never driven it before.
Would I rent again? Probably not.

[Bob]

Car: 2016 Dodge Charger R/T
Date Rented: 4/13/16
Location Rented: LAX (once again this location didn't disappoint, at least until I checked the tread depth)
Rental Company: National
Powertrain: 370 HP 5.7L V8 with 8A
Highs: The hemi sound great and has good power. Transmission seems to do a good job.
Lows: Not enough tread left on the rear tires (see photo), although it only had 1500 miles. Ride quality not great with the 20s. Interior a little cheap.
Fun facts: If you switch off T/C and floor it from a standing start, it will lay two solid black patches all the way through first and into second.
Other notable cars available: 2016 Maxima
Would I rent again? Yes!

[kevm14]

How is the throttle response? Linearity and delay.

[Bob]

It is actually pretty good. It has something resembling snap off the line.

[Bob]

So I complained to National about the lack of tread and the guy at LAX said "why don't you come back in and we'll swap it out for a luxury car?" When I got there, the only luxury car they had was a Cadillac XTS

Car: 2016 Cadillac XTS
Date Rented: 4/14/16
Location Rented: LAX
Rental Company: National
Powertrain: 304 HP 3.6L V6 with 6A
Highs: Refined and quiet. Nice ride on California concrete. Had 7 miles on when it when I got it. Feels a bit more premium than its chassis siblings.
Lows: Kind of a parts bin Cadillac, doesn't really feel special. Dives a lot under braking. Cue system buttons, especially the volume adjustment, are annoying to use. Just give me a knob!
Fun facts: Has auto parking feature
Other notable cars available: I was offered an Infiniti QX80 or this
Would I rent again? Yes, but I'd really rather have tried a CTS or ATS, or any German luxury car

[Bob]

Car: 2016 Dodge Charger R/T
Date Rented: 4/13/16
Location Rented: LAX (once again this location didn't disappoint, at least until I checked the tread depth)
Rental Company: National
Powertrain: 370 HP 5.7L V8 with 8A
Highs: The hemi sound great and has good power. Transmission seems to do a good job.
Lows: Not enough tread left on the rear tires (see photo), although it only had 1500 miles. Ride quality not great with the 20s. Interior a little cheap.
Fun facts: If you switch off T/C and floor it from a standing start, it will lay two solid black patches all the way through first and into second.
Other notable cars available: 2016 Maxima
Would I rent again? Yes!

Rented one of these again at ORD yesterday. This one had only 250 miles on it and had not been abused. Interestingly, the idle seemed much smoother on this one than the one from LAX.

[Bob]

Car: 2016 Infiniti Q50 2.0t
Date Rented: 4/16/16
Location Rented: CLT (one way rental to go to GSP to pick up my Elise)
Rental Company: National
Powertrain: 208 HP 2.0L turbo 4 with 7A
Highs: Nice interior, sophisticated ride, comfortable seats. Very good fuel economy (~36 MPG indicated on my 90 mile highway run cruising at 75).
Lows: Steering a bit numb. Engine a bit weak, although I will say it feels better than its rating in typical Germanic fashion (see below).
Fun facts: The 2.0t is sourced from Mercedes
Other notable cars available: Ford Taurus Limited, Chrysler 300
Would I rent again? Yes

[Bob]

Random reflections on a couple of recent rentals:

If GM still made the 94-96 Impala SS today, it would probably be a lot like the Charger R/Ts that I have rented lately: a full size, V8 RWD sedan with performance a cut above most "normal" family cars.

I hate to admit that the Infiniti G50 might be one of the nicest overall rentals I have had. I really need to score some better upgrades and eventually drive the ATS.