Rental Car Ruckus 2: Electric Boogaloo

[Evan]

drove one of the new gen mustangs when they first came out. handles and drives like complete shit. my titan handles better. hell, my 1981 caprice classic handled better, but only barely. the mustang definately brought back memories.

[ViPER1313]

Sorry, I don't write as well as Rex, but:

1.Yes the Mustang is large (more width than length) - I can still get in and out of it just fine in my garage with another car in there :dunno:
2. I haven't found the visibility to be a problem (you are right, it's not a greenhouse), especially with those blind-spot mirrors (no worse than the Talon, the Rabbit was far worse)
3. Who cares about rear seats in a 2-door sports car? It makes a good shelf.
4. Can't comment on the auto.
5. I average ~26 to 27mpg with the 6-speed and 2.73 rear axle, about 90% highway 10% city, doing 70+ down the highway.

My biggest gripes with the car after 1 month / 3500 miles (I drive a lot....):
1. The auto-dim rear view mirror blows ass. It doesn't dim at dusk, it's slow to adjust over hills, and you can't override it manually.
2. Sync crashed on me once, requiring me to pull a fuse to reset the system. I blame Microsoft for that sort of BS. It never did play well with my Ipod (using a 32gb memory stick now) but my Ipod has always been a POS, so that might have had something to do with the crash.

Other than those things, it is completely BA. It's the first car I have had where good old boys in work trucks give me :thumbup: when I drive by. The engine is like my SHO's - it's not a torque monster, so people looking for that V8 thrust will be disappointed, but it screams past 4500rpm and just keeps pulling harder towards redline. The China trans shifts great, it gets awesome MPGs on 87 octane, and it handles well without punishing your back. I don't know what Evan is comparing it too handling wise (maybe his Elise, which is a little unfair IMO) but about every handling review / test I have ever seen is positive, and my impressions back that up.

[Mike]

I don't know what Evan is comparing it too handling wise

i help.

my titan handles better.

my 1981 caprice classic handled better

[CaptainHenreh]

3. Who cares about rear seats in a 2-door sports car? It makes a good shelf.

You know who? I do. I mean, it'd be one thing if this were, say, an 240Z sized car. Then, I could forgive tiny little token back seats. But this car isn't a little car. it's a big one.

Let's take a look:
2012 Mustang V6 with Automatic transmission.
Weight: 3750 pounds
Length: 188.1 inches
Width: 73.9 inches
Wheelbase: 107.1 inches

Now let's take a look at, just because it has none of the visibility or seating problems *for me*, a
2011 Subaru WRX (Sedan):
Weight: 3208 pounds
Length: 180.3
Width: 70.7 inches
Wheelbase: 103.3 inches

So the mustang is bigger in every single dimension, but can only manage "a good shelf" in the rear? Gimme a break. "Oh, but it's not a coupe". Fine,
2012 Audi A5:
Weight: 3583 (with all wheel drive, mind you)
Length: 182.1 (what's that, 6 inches shorter than the mustang? Ye gads!)
Width: 73.0
Wheelbase: 108.3 (shorter overall, but with a longer wheelbase. Ok, so it's euro. Whatever.)

Audi Rear Legroom: 31.7"
Subaru Rear legroom: 33.5"
Ford Rear legroom: 29.8"

So the longest, heaviest, widest car has the least room in the back? :evileye: Oh but it has the biggest trunk by a cubic foot so I guess that's ok...

[D_Eclipse9916]

Its a mustang..... They have made great strides but its still a mass-produced pony car. That said, I wish they would instill some traits of the ford focus into the mustang (I know Matt is going to roll over dead with my comment). The ford focus is absolutely fun, flickable, and sporty for an econobox. How can they not get their pony car to feel the same way that is SUPPOSED to feel sporty.

[Goodspeed]

I think one thing is for certain...nothing riles up MM more than the new 'stang :lol: . I mean, the car gets great praises everywhere else, but we're gonna nitpick that sumbitch to death, ya hear!?

Devil's Advocate: though great, I have to relinquish this review as one of what it is: a stripper rental automatic V6 Mustang, i.e., not one any of us would buy. Barring the obvious fundamentals of the platform, like the rear seats, which frankly, I don't think anyone else here cares about :wink: That's like, the least important aspect for one seeking out a two door muscle car.

[CaptainHenreh]

Though great, I have to relinquish this review as one of what it is: a stripper rental automatic V6 Mustang,

Well the thread is called "Rental Car Ruckus".

[Goodspeed]

Though great, I have to relinquish this review as one of what it is: a stripper rental automatic V6 Mustang,

Well the thread is called "Rental Car Ruckus".

Indeed it is, good sire. But in MM tradition, that roughly translates to "A Representative Image of Said Lineup, Past, Present, and Future Comprising of all Models and Trim Levels".

See: anything rental Chrysler, and the pains suffered by Jeffrey's brain. Then again, some of us are sharing their experiences with non-rentals in the rental thread, so whatever. I just have to giggle a bit at the disparity between what we say about this car and what all the professional auto-journo's say (and yes, even the ones that aren't paid by FoMoCo)

[Apoc]

Trim level a car does not make.

[Sully]

Its a mustang..... They have made great strides but its still a mass-produced pony car. That said, I wish they would instill some traits of the ford focus into the mustang (I know Matt is going to roll over dead with my comment). The ford focus is absolutely fun, flickable, and sporty for an econobox. How can they not get their pony car to feel the same way that is SUPPOSED to feel sporty.

Or just sell the focus RS stateside

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

[WRXtranceformed]

My Hate Affair with my Rental: The Story of a Man and His Grandpa Car



Starring the 2011 Caddy DTS

Ok, I mean I can't beat this car up too bad. For a rental it's pretty nice. It has the heated and cooled seat package and moonroof. That is about all I like about it though.

You can tell this car was literally made from the ground up for old people. It has front and rear radar sensors but GM's engineers, knowing its target demographic is likely audibly challenged, put a series of yellow and red warning lights RIGHT on the front of the dashboard to let you know when you're about to hit something. There are even lights at the bottom of the front bumper that swing around to the side that only light up when you're making a low speed turn...presumably so that you don't mash a curb or the toes of a soccer mom packing her bottled water and cheerios into her trunk at Costco.

I even read that the bumpers were designed to withstand more impacts than most cars. What does that say about its target market :lol:

Power: Northstar V8 is clearly detuned from the factory. The car doesn't have problems getting up to speed, but it certainly is not fast or torquey in this vehicle. I tried a smoky launch by power braking. The revs held at 1500 rpm and I was excited for a second, thinking "SWEET!! Old man launch control?!" Sadly I was greeted by just a small tire chirp even with TC off. The noise sounds cool at least. Don't get me started on fuel efficiency, what a joke.

Handling: Brakes seem great (understandable for the decreased reaction times of the elderly). The suspension is, I guess the best way I can describe it, is like driving a boat on the water. The entire car wobbles laterally as you make sharp turns. I'm sure a lot of this is the tires, but I would NOT be confident pushing this thing in a spirited drive through some twisties. The steering feedback is non-existent and the car itself is entirely unpredictable. The upside is that it makes for a great highway cruiser, but that's what it was designed for right? To ferry the Mr. and Mrs. down to the summer beach house in Boca Raton.

Interior: I'm not going to comment much on the interior as this is a mostly stripped rental, but I will say that the light adjustment and climate control are surprisingly confusing to figure out...and I'm a sharp-minded younger guy. I can't imagine being 50 years older and technologically illiterate trying to figure out how to keep my wife from having heat stroke.

Exterior: I actually in a sadistic sort of way like the exterior of this car. I mean the back end looks kinda cool.

And the front end kind of reminds me of the older Lexus LS. Maybe that's just me trying to feel less awkward while driving it. I can't even say how many people have given me odd looks both while driving and while getting out of this car.

All in all, as I get to enjoy this car through next Thursday, it has given me a marvelous glimpse into my future of country clubs and bridge tournaments.

[WRXtranceformed]

Whoa! This car has seat massagers! Found the button yesterday when I was trying to adjust my seat. Should make this drive to Asheville today more enjoyable!!

[Jeff]

I have a former Enterprise DTS on the lot. It is a base model (what? no heated seats in a Caddy....get out of here) but it is really nice. I use it when I go on long trips and don't need to take stuff or the dog. Its smooth and quiet. Totally as you said in your review, built from the ground up for the older set. The only thing really missing to make it perfect would be the column shift auto.

[WRXtranceformed]

Got a free upgrade to a 2011 Explorer Limited down here in West Palm. MUCH to like here. Ford has really stepped up their game.

[caa337]

Got a free upgrade to a 2011 Explorer Limited down here in West Palm. MUCH to like here. Ford has really stepped up their game.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/10/25/ford-falls-chrysler-jumps-in-consumer-reports-reliabilit/">http://www.autoblog.com/2011/10/25/ford-falls-chrysler-jumps-in-consumer-reports-reliabilit/</a><!-- m -->

They do look pretty good though.

[ViPER1313]

Got a free upgrade to a 2011 Explorer Limited down here in West Palm. MUCH to like here. Ford has really stepped up their game.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/10/25/ford-falls-chrysler-jumps-in-consumer-reports-reliabilit/">http://www.autoblog.com/2011/10/25/ford-falls-chrysler-jumps-in-consumer-reports-reliabilit/</a><!-- m -->

They do look pretty good though.

Ford is getting killed in reliability ratings because of Sync (mostly idiot users not knowing how to use the system) and people's perceptions of "smoothness" issues with Ford's new DSG (which are fair - supposedly it isn't a very smooth / quick shifting unit.) The article even alludes to this, although it's not as catchy of a headline as "Ford falls...."

Car and Driver had an article a few months back that explained how these ratings are gathered. Very little of it has to do with things that car people would consider "reliability" issues - most of it is very open to owner interpretation. For example, excessive brake dust on front wheels is a defect :evileye: - subsequently, Porsche's "reliability" took a huge hit when they went to carbon ceramic brakes on many models :dunno:

[caa337]

Oh that is stupid then. I thought they actually tested them over a good amount of time. Nevermind.

[Evan]

people are stupid. Sync is positively badass.

[JustinG]

people are stupid. Sync is positively badass.

One major thing we miss from the Focus is Sync, and we had the OG version, not the new version.

[CaptainHenreh]

So with this bullshit SOA experience, I've been car shopping.

Low key stuff, you know. But I've been considering my options.

Anyway, the other day I drove a Veloster. I realized that I had no real sense of how big they were, and if they were, say, Mazda3 sized, it might be up my alley.

So I went to the local Hyundai dealer and drove one. They are...weird. See, I didn't realize this, but a Veloster has 3 doors. I don't mean 3 doors like "2 doors and a hatch" and I don't mean 3 doors like the old Saturn SC.

I mean this thing has one big door on the driver's side, and two little proper doors on the passenger side:


:evileye:

It's not what I'd call big on the inside. Smaller than the Mustang (obviously). It did have some pretty cool gadgetry though. I liked the twin clutch gearbox, even if it seemed a little intrusive at times. It was not what I would call "fast" or even "quick" but the acceleration and handling were...adequate. Electric power steering felt odd, but I got used to it pretty quick. It also, for the price, was loaded with stuff. Touch screen radio, power everything, lots and lots of standard equipment.

Buuuuuuuuuuuut. It was too...quirky. It screamed hipster douchecanoe even as I was driving it. Sure, it's got a better power to weight than a old CRX SI (it was sporty once!) and lots of cool neato technology. But all in all, I am going to have to put this in the "No fuckin' way" category. 3 Doors? C'mon. just give it two and call it a day, ok? Or little suicide doors a'la RX-8 if you must.

Still, hyundai has come a long way in the past 5 years. I do not think it will be long before they are the "guys to beat" like Honda or Toyota in the past.