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sharkytm posted:Nope. And it's likely (IME pre-COVID) they'll completely ignore your preference. Oh, you ordered a compact car? We're out of those, your choice is this gas guzzling three row SUV that won't fit in the parking garage at your hotel, this midsize sedan with zero visibility and a huge trunk you don't need or want, or a barbones pickup. Have fun! Pre-covid I rented from the same shop several times a month for work. This almost always worked out in my favor. Though this is work and they paid for the gas so I didn't care if I got a Tahoe (great highway cruiser) as long as I didn't need to go to an urban area. It will almost always be a hyundai/kia, domestic, or Nissan though. Occasional mazdas, vws, and toyotas.
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Feb 22, 2021 05:58
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Hittin up National at ATL today, will provide trip report.
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Feb 22, 2021 15:38
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RIP Paul Walker posted:Truck chat reminded me: some of your credit cards and/or insurance companies will exclude pickup rentals from insurance. I can’t remember if it was Chase or my insurance but that’s stopped me from picking a truck before. Does this include upgrades? I always assumed insurance was for what you were charged. Doesn't typically apply to me since all my rentals are covered by my company's insurance, but I guess it's something I need to look out for if I ever cash in these free days.
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Feb 22, 2021 16:35
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SNiPER_Magnum posted:Does this include upgrades? I always assumed insurance was for what you were charged. Doesn't typically apply to me since all my rentals are covered by my company's insurance, but I guess it's something I need to look out for if I ever cash in these free days. Yup, it applies to the car you drive not the car you reserve. My recollection is that it has to be similar-ish to the car you have insured. Might be insurance-company specific, read the boring-rear end policy to be sure (that’s what I did).
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Feb 22, 2021 16:52
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I've run into the pickup truck restriction thing, too. It's been a while and it was work-related (so not really my problem, I could kick it up a level) but I think it was a matter of specifying very carefully exactly where I was going to drive the pickup. Normal cars are not supposed to go on gravel roads, for example (which is bullshit in western Canada, Alberta-Saskatchewan-Manitoba are all covered in hundreds of thousands of kilometres of "grid" roads, 1% of which have (decaying) asphalt). But a pickup is assumed to be for work, especially if you request a 4x4, and our work was definitely into the stuff the rental companies get worried about - mud, gravel, dirt, more mud, etc. I mean, I killed two work trucks driving on the same site, so it's not like their concerns are misplaced. But if the rental office employee has signed the form that clearly says "I'm gonna drive this through a bog" then you're safe. The other insurance issue I've run into has been with trailers. My credit card comes with automatic cover for rental vehicles, but I called them and they do NOT cover "equipment", which includes trailers. So I paid too much to U-Haul, oh well. Of course, we also took regular 2wd cars onto dirt/mud/gravel/compacted peatmoss "roads", but usually didn't get them stuck.  CC Bog Looksee 10 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr
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Feb 23, 2021 01:08
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Regardless of credit card, I just buy the insurance. It's much easier to just hand them the keys and say "yeah, it's hosed up. Sorry, but I paid for the insurance" and leave instead of the rigamarole of getting your credit card company to honor the policy and convincing the rental place to not charge you a bunch upfront. I've been in both situations, and I opt for rental agency insurance every time. If you've got a business card, they usually cover pickups, vans, trailers, etc.
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Feb 23, 2021 05:20
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If it's a business travel rental, I definitely get the insurance because why would I make it my headache. When renting on vacations though, I often run into situations where their insurance is actually more than the cost of the rent, in which case 
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Feb 25, 2021 19:21
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my business contract includes the insurance, which is very nice ATL trip report: Pretty sparse on Monday evening. I got a Tiguan SE FWD, in part because I have a Golf Alltrack and this thing is what they want you to buy instead. Pros: [*] Good sight lines. [*] Drives like a Volkswagen, decent handling, ride compliance, etc. I didn't notice a ton of difference in terms of driving experience compared to the Alltrack. I'm sure had I pushed it more it would have been more obvious. Power was perfectly sufficient at all speeds. [*] quite good transmission programming. Didn't hunt for gears, snapped off shifts quickly, especially in Sport mode. [*] clear, bright, large central screen [*] wireless charging in a convenient angled pocket Cons: [*] Extremely rough sounding engine at low revs. EA888s are a little growly, but when I got back and drove the Alltrack, the Tiguan was noticeably terrible in comparison. [*] Goddamn lovely touch buttons on the touch screen [*] It's not attractive and it also had really ugly wheels [*] USB-C only??? lucky I had a USB-C to Lightning cable from my iPad charger brick, normally I wouldn't bring one. [*] Indecisive stop-start [*] FWD and really liked to break traction from a standstill, probably due to crap tires Hilarity: [*] completely useless third row seating, like what the gently caress? It seems like a perfectly good vehicle, but I'm not sure why I would buy one over a CX-5/RAV4/CR-V/Forester.
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Feb 25, 2021 21:02
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Zero One posted:I got a loaner Ford Ecosport for a day. I have no idea what trim level or engine. The really weird thing is Ford also makes this https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.caranddriver.com/news/amp28194880/ford-puma-euro-crossover-photos-info/?espv=1 And decided to keep making the Ecosport
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Mar 9, 2021 00:52
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EcoSport is based on the old Fiesta, Puma is based on the new one the US doesn’t get. EcoSport has been killed off everywhere else, Brazilian production is going, Thai production is gone, US models are Indian sourced, I guess you’ll keep getting it unless they decide to Federalize the Puma?
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Mar 9, 2021 16:05
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The Ecosport seems to make some sense in the developing countries but I had no idea they sold them in the US instead of the Puma, which is an actually decent small CUV ( name notwithstanding) that people would line up to buy
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Mar 9, 2021 16:18
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sbaldrick posted:The really weird thing is Ford also makes this This thing looks so much better than the Ecosport, which is almost comically frumpy (even compared to other subcompact crossovers). I really don’t see to many of them on the road, which is no surprise considering that the Nissan Kicks and Hyundai Venue/Kia Seltos are cheaper, more attractive and more functional in every way.
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Mar 9, 2021 17:24
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While I agree the ecosport looks at home on Indian streets only, I can't say I agree the puma looks good. It looks like an SUV MR2 spyder. A googly eyed blue fish or something.
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Mar 10, 2021 19:35
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I like that it looks a bit different to every other small CUV, some weird personality is better than none I think.
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Mar 20, 2021 00:12
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/\/\/\ Agreed. Could we be emerging from the unfortunate era of every goddam car looks exactly the same? Better to be hated than ignored.
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Mar 22, 2021 01:21
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ExecuDork posted:/\/\/\ Agreed. Could we be emerging from the unfortunate era of every goddam car looks exactly the same? Better to be hated than ignored. Irresponsible thinking like this is how we get garbage like the juke.
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Mar 28, 2021 14:14
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I didn't like the Juke specifically but more companies should take styling risks.
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Mar 28, 2021 16:14
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The Juke looked nifty. It was garbage because it was a Nissan, not because it looked unique.
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Mar 28, 2021 20:40
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The Juke is an excellent example. Most such experiments will be failures, but those failures are much more valuable than the non-experiment of just partly-melting a blob of wax then sticking four wheels underneath it, which is how most cars of the past two decades (at least) appear to have been designed. I wish more car companies would take some goddam risks with their designs, instead of just mindlessly copying whatever sold more units last year. Hot take: car designers are all scented candle enthusiasts. They fill the studio with candles, get high as balls on lavender-and-stupidity fumes, and voilà - a car is born!
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Mar 29, 2021 00:34
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Nissan Pathfinder - What the gently caress? That’s all I have to say. Toyota Camry - First Toyota I’ve driven in a while. Shockingly similar to a Nissan in design, but higher quality. Drives nice, seats are comfy, volume control is laggy. Chrysler 300 - Might be nice but my example had a broken seat bottom. Ride quality is choppier than I’d have expected. Lincoln Continental - I love this car. Amazing ride quality, and sporty like a minivan. Basically perfect. I’d own one.
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Mar 30, 2021 17:57
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RIP Paul Walker posted:Lincoln Continental - I love this car. Amazing ride quality, and sporty like a minivan. Basically perfect. I’d own one. I had to google it, thinking "They still make a car they call the Continental?" and the answer is both yes and no: apparently they're discontinuing it, the 2021 model will be the last. Of course, Ford has a history of resurrecting names, like the Ranger (although that could just be Ford continuing their tradition of slapping the name "Ranger" on all sorts of unrelated vehicles over the years and around the world). Did yours have the backwards-opening suicide doors at the back? Also, "sporty like a minivan" - um, what? I had a 1990 Dodge Grand Caravan for way too long, "sporty" isn't at the top of the list of descriptors. And the minivans I've rented since then haven't changed my mind.
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Mar 31, 2021 00:28
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ExecuDork posted:Did yours have the backwards-opening suicide doors at the back? No, sadly. That's a super limited-edition thing. If they had done suicide doors on all of these things, I bet they'd have sold like crazy. I spent lots of time driving my mom's (now mine) '99 Grand Voyager on various back roads and got used to taking advantage of what body roll and suspension compliance could do for my speed. Anyone that has ridden with me in that van (I wonder if the spyder reads this thread  ) probably knows exactly what I mean when I say "Sporty like a minivan".When I heard about R&T's Performance Van of the Year "joke", I will admit to feeling a lot of warmth and validation for my youthful exuberance in a minivan. https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a29821423/war-pigs-november-2019/
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Mar 31, 2021 13:17
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I happen to think the driving couch far more fascinating than the crossover. There is a certain mystery, a je ne sais quoi, about a soft, old Crown Vic.
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Apr 1, 2021 00:16
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I've had a Macan for a few days while my Taycan was getting a software update (lol multiple days??). It's the base 4 cylinder / 7-speed model and tbh feels like the wrong engine for a car like this, to get decent acceleration you have to get it to kickdown. It handles decently enough given its size and height, and is very pleasant on the autoroute, very serene but because of the decent steering and handling feels very planted and precise. The interior looks a bit dated to me, the centre console is absolutely covered in buttons and they are not that well grouped by function. Having physical dials seems weird too, my last 2 cars have had well executed digital dashboards and they're definitely better. It's also just not that roomy inside given how big the car is. I like the openable sunroof. I'm sure it's a nice car if you want a sporty small SUV but I don't really see the benefit over a sporty wagon / estate. The market seems to disagree with me though as there are loads of them round here.
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Apr 2, 2021 12:08
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In addition to the normal CUV market preference trends, I think it also sells well because it's the cheapest way to get the horsey and antlers on your car, and it's relatively practical so it could be your only car in a way that a Cayman could not.
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Apr 2, 2021 13:13
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knox_harrington posted:I'm sure it's a nice car if you want a sporty small SUV but I don't really see the benefit over a sporty wagon / estate. The market seems to disagree with me though as there are loads of them round here. Isn’t it way cheaper than the Porsche wagon panamera?
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Apr 3, 2021 21:13
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While my Focus was being serviced I had a loan of the current model of Focus (4th gen) from the dealer. It's kinda sad how Ford Australia has pretty much given up on the passenger car market in Australia, and the Focus being one of those cars where they barely advertise or even show on their website. Back in the 80s and part of the 90s they were either ruling the small car market with the Laser, or giving the Corolla a run for its money. These days Ford Australia seems very aimless, and I guess without the Ranger and Everest it would be going the same way as Holden did. These days Ford only has one trim line of Focus for sale on their site, which when Ford Australia released the 4th gen here a couple of years ago they had 3 trim lines to choose from. Even the ST seems to be dead, which did sell in relatively good numbers in the second and third gens. The car was a ST Line, so had a nice leather steering wheel, keyless everything, and the turbo 3 cylinder in it felt and sounded a lot better than the 1.5lt turbo 4 cyl they were using in the last refresh for the third gen Focus. One negative I have is the instrument cluster seems to be angled down, rather than up, at the driver, making it annoying to check things like speed.
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Apr 5, 2021 00:34
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Not just Ford Au, aren’t the Focus and Fiesta literally the only non-SUV’s left in the entire global portfolio?
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Apr 5, 2021 03:05
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BuckyDoneGun posted:Not just Ford Au, aren’t the Focus and Fiesta literally the only non-SUV’s left in the entire global portfolio? Mustang?
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Apr 5, 2021 08:29
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Duh, I did forget about that, but in fairness, outside of NA, the Mustang is an expensive limited numbers performance toy.
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Apr 5, 2021 11:21
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BuckyDoneGun posted:Duh, I did forget about that, but in fairness, outside of NA, the Mustang is an expensive limited numbers performance toy. It may be limited volume but I'll bet even it will sell more than the Mondeo has in recent years.
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Apr 5, 2021 19:43
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The Mustang can ride on its reputation and nostalgia for decades. But I agree, Ford AU is otherwise just drifting (and not the good kind of drifting that the Mustang does quite well). I assume they're trying to flog F150s here even though I never see them. The Dodge Rams that I occassionally see are nonsense, they're absolutely enormous compared to the ubiquitous Hilux/Landcruiser/Ranger/Triton/Navara. I live in "regional" New South Wales, a small city surrounded by rangelands and agriculture, big trucks make some sense out here and many that I see are legitimately towing or carrying farm stuff or farm-adjacent stuff but driving one in Sydney would be endlessly frustrating. My opinions are automatically suspect, though. I just bought a 23-year-old Swedish convertible and I love it, my opinions on all things cars are presumably in the "other" category from the point of view of Ford or Toyota Marketting.
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Apr 6, 2021 01:50
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BuckyDoneGun posted:Duh, I did forget about that, but in fairness, outside of NA, the Mustang is an expensive limited numbers performance toy. Yeah the Mustang sales numbers in Australia have tanked big time. It's hard to see how the current Australian touring car series can keep going with two cars that are either unpopular or don't even exist anymore
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Apr 7, 2021 00:38
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I should say expensive is relative. I was actually impressed with Mustang pricing when they launched, 2.3 at Falcon XR6 money and GT at XR8 level, but the Falcon also let you bring the family along. Young people aren’t buying them because they’re spending all their income on housing, leaving only grey hairs.
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Apr 11, 2021 09:29
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Utes* are the aspirational vehicles these days anyway * Yes I'm calling the Ranger a ute
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Apr 11, 2021 20:50
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ExecuDork posted:I assume they're trying to flog F150s here even though I never see them. Yeah, the Ranger is a ute. Hell, the term "pick up" is only used by Australians to talk about a particular body style for utes, the high-sided bed rather than the very popular flat tray or flat tray with drop-down sides. I owned a Ranger in Canada, it was a pick-up. Here, it'd be a ute with a pick-up style bed.
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Apr 12, 2021 06:19
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Technically the raptor is a higher trim level of f150, also king ranch is higher than platinum, I think. I don't really know much though because my truck is a base model with vinyl floors.
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Apr 12, 2021 06:42
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There are 7 trims in the US  XL XLT Lariat King Ranch Platinum Limited Raptor That's cheapest to $$$
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Apr 13, 2021 06:30
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The really expensive ones you see in NZ are Shelby or Saleem 'special editions' or those obscenely ugly Harley Davidson ones. Seriously $250k+ for one of those.
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Apr 13, 2021 07:44
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My wife's '08 RX-350 got hit-and-run'd in a hospital parking garage downtown (and not even a week after I put new brakes on all around and replaced the driver's side CV axle.) Took it to the bodyshop today, and afterwards to Enterprise to pick up a rental while it's in the shop. Wife told me that if I had a choice, to get something cute, but no Fiats. (She's got a pretty bitter hatred of Fiat 500's after getting one as a rental years ago.) I did not have a choice. 2020 Dodge Ram 1500 Classic with the Hemi. Enterprise said it was all they had. I have no idea if that's true or not, but I took it. Standard rate on it was $110 per day, but with my insurance discount it dropped it to $42 a day. (Today I also remembered that we opted not to have rental car coverage on our policy. Dumb lesson learned the hard way.) Now, I love trucks, but all of my previous truck experience has been late 80's-early 90's GMT400s, and early 2000's Tacomas and Tundras from my first job as a Toyota lot porter. The Ram is uh...big. Like, real real big. It drives pretty nice - plenty of power, pretty quiet on the interstate, tons of interior space, but good Lord it won't let you forget how damned BIG it is. I've thought for years that newer trucks were looking a bit bloated, but never having driven one, I couldn't have told you whether or not they feel as big as they look. I can definitely say so now. My frame of reference for "it's quiet on the interstate" might also be kinda screwed up. Today was the first time in a long while that I've been able to drive by myself, without the radio on. Usually my three year-old is riding with me, making dictatorial musical demands from the backseat. Usually it's "The Man Who Sold the World" or "Master of Puppets" on a loop. Pretty comfortable, too, for my overweight American frame. The three year-old saw it parked in the driveway when he got home from daycare, and is excited to ride to school in it tomorrow. Have to say, the back seat swallowed the child seats for him and his brother with PLENTY of room to spare, which is a nice change from the 2016 Escape I usually take them to school in. The Escape works, but it's tight with his front-facing seat. I guess to sum up my review, there is something fun about this ridiculous, gigantic truck, but Lord I would not want to own something this big, even if I could ever afford it. No way it would fit in my garage, and it swallows up nearly all of the free space in my driveway.
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Apr 21, 2021 03:03
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