Rental Car Ruckus 2: Electric Boogaloo

[Jeff]

We got 30mpg on the highway (80mph for 4 hours at a time)... it was comfortable, except the drivers seat most upright position was still a gangsta lean. the trunk had a ton of space and the back seat was comfortable too.

everything was great on the car... except the motor. what a slow turd of a motor. there are several metered entry ramps around vegas and you fear for your life merging from a stop in this car.

Was it a 2010 or a 2011? The 4 banger does suck, its the 2.4L "world engine" developed with Kia and Hyundai back around 2006. The new v6 engine pwns and gets almost the same gas mileage while delivering 285hp.

[Kaan]

13k miles on a Vegas rental car... I'll net it's a 2010.

And this must have been the 4 banger.... There is no way it had close to 200hp

[D_Eclipse9916]

until I got a few hours into the drive and realized that my CTS probably would have been wayy more competent, torquey, comfortable and better handling (especially once I get better tires on it). I have gotten used to the heavy, commanding, solid road presence of the Caddy.

Wut... Faster? no.

CTS: 0-60 in 6.2-6.4 seconds, exact same times a 328i does
CTS: 15.0 At 96 quarter....328i does it in 14.8

CTS is 600LBS heavier than the bmw....and your saying it handles better :lol: Quoting that the CTS is 50/50 must be why it has better balance....and your saying that with comparison to a bmw 3 series.

Your delusional. The CTS is very competent and is probably more torquey and comfortable (MUCH MORE, I actually find bmws are mostly too stiff on the street), but the bmw is far more competent and better handling, and just as fast with better gas mileage.

Different strokes, CTS is a much better car in my opinion for daily driving, but not a better handler, nor as competent in the twisties. I would think people by now realize I like certain models of cars from companies, not brand loyal.

[WRXtranceformed]

Wut... Faster? no.

CTS: 0-60 in 6.2-6.4 seconds, exact same times a 328i does
CTS: 15.0 At 96 quarter....328i does it in 14.8

CTS is 600LBS heavier than the bmw....and your saying it handles better :lol: Quoting that the CTS is 50/50 must be why it has better balance....and your saying that with comparison to a bmw 3 series.

Your delusional. The CTS is very competent and is probably more torquey and comfortable (MUCH MORE, I actually find bmws are mostly too stiff on the street), but the bmw is far more competent and better handling, and just as fast with better gas mileage.

Different strokes, CTS is a much better car in my opinion for daily driving, but not a better handler, nor as competent in the twisties. I would think people by now realize I like certain models of cars from companies, not brand loyal.

I've seen 1/4 miles identical to and below the 328 (14.7), but I'm telling you the CTS is quicker because of the stronger, earlier torque delivery. Launch vs. launch they might be the same but from a roll in the mountain passes I would put money on my car being noticeably quicker. I also don't think you're giving the CTS w/ FE3 suspension enough credit; this car handles WORLDS better than my TL-S did with an aftermarket sway bar. Cadillac really stepped it up starting in '08...you've seen the commercials now about how Ferrari borrowed the magnetic suspension from the CTS-V.

I also do not take a lot of credence in a lot of those comparisons. Because a lot of those reviews talk about wheelspin with the CTS After flogging my car on the ride home from work it is noticeably stronger in every gear. You just can't always trust comparos until you drive the cars; believe it or not, my TL-S kept up with my buddy's 335i until about 85mph.

[D_Eclipse9916]

Wut... Faster? no.

CTS: 0-60 in 6.2-6.4 seconds, exact same times a 328i does
CTS: 15.0 At 96 quarter....328i does it in 14.8

CTS is 600LBS heavier than the bmw....and your saying it handles better :lol: Quoting that the CTS is 50/50 must be why it has better balance....and your saying that with comparison to a bmw 3 series.

Your delusional. The CTS is very competent and is probably more torquey and comfortable (MUCH MORE, I actually find bmws are mostly too stiff on the street), but the bmw is far more competent and better handling, and just as fast with better gas mileage.

Different strokes, CTS is a much better car in my opinion for daily driving, but not a better handler, nor as competent in the twisties. I would think people by now realize I like certain models of cars from companies, not brand loyal.

I've seen 1/4 miles identical to and below the 328 (14.7), but I'm telling you the CTS is quicker because of the stronger, earlier torque delivery. Launch vs. launch they might be the same but from a roll in the mountain passes I would put money on my car being noticeably quicker. I also don't think you're giving the CTS w/ FE3 suspension enough credit; this car handles WORLDS better than my TL-S did with an aftermarket sway bar. Cadillac really stepped it up starting in '08...you've seen the commercials now about how Ferrari borrowed the magnetic suspension from the CTS-V.

I also do not take a lot of credence in a lot of those comparisons. Because a lot of those reviews talk about wheelspin with the CTS After flogging my car on the ride home from work it is noticeably stronger in every gear. You just can't always trust comparos until you drive the cars; believe it or not, my TL-S kept up with my buddy's 335i until about 85mph.

Anecdotal evidence vs at least SOME numbers out of a magazine.... Trust me ive driven the new CTS...they are worlds better than they used to be, but they simply cant get over a ~600lb weight disadvantage. I have kept up with all sorts of cars street racing and in corners, has nothing to do with the car :wink:

And nice.....taking evidence from marketing in commercials. Ferrari is not borrowing the magnetic suspension from the CTS-V, in fact Ferrari has been licensing and using GM technology (and *technically* its delphi) for the "magnetic" suspension before the CTS-V was even conceived in its current state.
I am not dissing your CTS, in fact I think its worlds better at being a car that you can drive. But to say fanboi things that just are not true, well...thats my job :lol:

[CaptainHenreh]

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

[Apoc]

To be fair, Lee broke his hip a few months ago so nothing but Caddy will be good enough.

[Mike]

you're.

[Evan]

So he likes the CTS better than the BMW, why do you care so much DJ?

[D_Eclipse9916]

So he likes the CTS better than the BMW, why do you care so much DJ?

I guess I dont, but boredom gets the best of me. :lol:

[WRXtranceformed]

The cherry on top of why I wouldn't buy a BMW...douchy people like DJ own them! ZING! jk jk bro, jk

What Chris said holds truth.

[Ryan T]

Not really a rental car, but they finally traded in our busted 2001 Malibu state car for a 2012 silver Impala. 3.6L V6, 300hp, 262lb/ft torque. Power wise I was impressed. Acceleration is strong from any speed. Torque steer likes a king too. I've always been hopeful someone could solve the torque steer problem, but as Rex lovingly pointed out, it's just physics. Transmission takes way too long to downshift, but once you let off at around 3 or 4k rpm it will hold there for about 4 seconds to see if you get back on the gas instead of instantly upshifting. Front seats are roomy, soft and would do well for long periods of driving. As for being supportive in any way during handling, they are not. Stereo and other features are rental car worthy, rear seat leg room seems decent, adequate trunk space. I wouldn't buy one, but it's my top choice of our current selection of state vehicles.

[CaptainHenreh]

First, I just want to apologize to El Jefe for what we are about to recieve.

Here on vacation again. Flew into Tampa and rented another car. Since I brought my parents, I decided to spend the extra cash and reserved a "Full Size"...

I was expecting like a Lincoln or a Charger or maybe a 300 or an Impala or something.

What I got was an import...from Detroit: (Well, Sterling Heights)


A 2011 Chrysler 200.

Dear Chrysler,


Seriously, this is the biggest hunk of shit I've ever had the pleasure to drive. I've driven an HHR, and a Chevy Cobalt and a goddam *old school* Ford Taurus but this thing trumps them all for stankitude.

I would like to bring your attention first to the badge. Or rather, the blank spot where the badge should be. Somewhere in the 35000 miles between the factory floor and the keys being handed to me by the rude Hertz lady, the front badge decided it'd had enough, and committed suicide. I had to get the Hertz guy (pick up the car from a different person I pay of course) to give me a pre-ride inspection, because the beast had scratches and marks all through the paint. I would swear a pack of Star Wars Trading Cards had fewer holograms than this thing. I should have asked for a new car there and then, but how bad could it be? It's only a year old!

To start, my dad knocked his noggin on the back sill of this "full size" car no fewer than four times before he got the hang of ingress and egress. The bizzare roofline seemed tailor-made to punish my father for being so impudent as to not genuflect before entering the back seat. Throwing our luggage in the trunk (again, NOT a compact car, a "full size") I could not get 4 persons worth of checked luggage plus carry-ons to fit without compressing them. The weirdly shaped trunk opening meant that the two roller bags couldn't fit side by side logitudally, (leaving room on either side) so I had to sort of play tetris with the damned luggage to even get it in the trunk. Once in, I needed a foot to compress the luggage in order to shut the lid. It did, however, shut. Once in the car, the interior was...black. Really the only thing I can say about it it. Utterly unremarkable, scientifically designed to be as inoffensive as possible. It was the lukewarm bathwater of interiors. I insert the key, the car sputters to live, and I set the PRND+- to "D". (Knowing better from my Mustange experience, I don't bother with +-...I will just be disappointed)

I put my foot on the accelerator, and the car revs (going nowhere) then accelerates with a stiff jerk, though the angle of the pedal stays the same. Like the mustang, the engine and transmission do not seem so much as connected to the throttle by pedal as much as telegraph. Or maybe smoke signal. The stecatto messages of (what I can only assume to be) the e-throttle asking the ECU nicely if it may have more torque and the ECU responding in a panic'd "TORQUE? DEAR GOD MAN, GIVE HIM AS MUCH TORQUE AS POSSIBLE" which is about as much as could be mustered by paddling of the average Canada Goose. The engine accelerates through the gearbox to 5k rpm's, resulting in quite a bit of sturm but woefully minute amounts of drang if you catch my meaning.

Once on the highway and at speed, I adjust my mirrors which I am happy to report are both A. present and B. in good working order. Which is a blessing in that while it may not *look* like a full size car it most definitely has full size blind spots. Maybe that's how they measure the "size" of the car at Hertz? Not nearly so bad as the mustang, though. Julie, thankfully, will actually be able to operate this one.

were getting a hint of rain, so I give the wiper stalk a little smack. The "mist" setting obediently operates. Good. The rain sets in heavier, so I firmly grasp the stalk and push it downwards. It resists me. I push harder. The resistance persists. "WHAT THE BLUE HELL" I look down at the stalk and see a dial on the end. Adjusting the dial gets me the wipers. This is exactly the opposite of how it should be. I have no idea which direction I should be turning, nor how much wiper I will get if I turn it. Just gotta turn and hope for the best. I turn through the delay, and find "low". Fine. Whatever, now we wont' die.

I turn on the AC (it's florida, after all) and it works, thank Zeus. But about every 45 seconds it makes a disturbing death rattle that I can actually feel through the steering. Some frost gnome deep within the compressor has had about enough of his servitude, and will soon escape his freon cell, I suspect. As long as his spirit is contained until Saturday, I'll not care what happens after.

Driving the 200 is relatively uneventful. The radio is tinny, the steering wheel controls for it being utterly unlabeled, their function discovered only through experimentation. The vents resist being angled towards any such location as a passenger might reside, instead opting to cool the spaces in between. While the air was cold, the fan left a great deal to be desired. More a baby's breath than a icy nor'easter.

The engine, it shall be no surprise, is a turd. The transmission for some odd reason decides to periodically give a thunk, lest you ignore it. The upshifts are so jarring as to almost upset the car. The engine is pretty quiet, though maybe not as much as one would think as road noise seems to be transmitted from every surface in the cabin.

The doors lock when you accelerate beyond 15mph, but do not unlock when the PRND is placed in "P", nor when a passenger opens their door. It is only when the driver opens the door that the rest unlock, although presumably this is programmable. The key, hilariously, has a trunk button AND a convertible top button, though they both operate the trunk. The car honks when locked, but gives no obvious sign when unlocked, leaving me to press the button 10 times to make sure my passenger can enter the car.

It does appear to get good fuel economy, somewhere in the low 30's. So there's that.

I also want to talk about the styling for a minute. I really like the Chrysler 'Neuvo Art Deco' styling of the 300 and the crossfire and the like. It's not for everyone sure, but the large wings and chrome and BIGness of the styling do speak to me, and I like it. Except, of course, with this car, where it's painfully obvious the styling is just a poor quality veneer over a pretty awful car. A Dodge Avenger is at least honest in being a humble economy car, but this car puts on airs, reminding me vaguely of the Caddilac Cimaroon in that respect.

The 200 has dramatic aspirations but doesn't back them up, instead being a pathetic attempt to badge engineer a car to ride on the 300's coat tails, and is nothing but an underline in red of everything that is wrong with Traditional American Car Manufacturing.

I'll be glad to be free of it tomorrow.

[WRXtranceformed]

Well played sir.

We rented a hemi 300 a few weeks ago and that thing was awesome. Too bad the 200 is such a POS

[Evan]

lol Full Size.

the 200 is small even for a midsize.
the 300 is chryslers full size.

[Jake]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[NTIman]

A 2011 Chrysler 200.

I'm sorry.

Speaking of Chrysler, I've seen a couple Dodge Darts around. Definitely one of those cars that looks a lot better in .jpeg format over .reallife format. I mean, gauging it by the Neon and the Caliber (what were they thinking?) it's a huge improvement. I just hope it drives better than it looks.

[Mike]

you had me at chrysler.

[Dave]

Dammit, I had a 200 a few weeks ago on business and meant to put up a review. Rex covered it pretty well, but here's a few extra bullets from my experience.
-clearly it doesn't hold up too well as a rental car. Rex's experience sounds a bit worse than mine, but mine had significantly fewer miles. I think some of these things can also be programmed out - I wonder if Hertz told them to load yours up with the most annoying possible combination .
-i despised the steering buttons. They're not clearly labeled, and literally all over the place (both hands had controls for their thumbs and index fingers), and to top it all off their sensitivity to touch was a mixed bag of responsiveness.
-Timex called, they wanted their 1990s indiglo watch back. The silly little analog clock was certainly an attempt at feeling classy, but left me totally underwhelmed.
-I also hated the remote. It felt enormous & bulky in hand, and the trunk button (ie least used on the fob) was bigger than the door lock/unlock buttons.
-awful transmission is awful

-One feature I liked: radio keeps playing until you open a door. Not a big redeeming quality - seriously, how do you manage this but not have auto-up to complement your window's auto-down feature?

Rex: were your turn signal stalks really resistant too? I had to seriously push mine, almost like the car was 2nd guessing me or suggesting "Dave, why bother; nobody else uses me or pays attention when they see these things blinking."

[Jewels]

Dammit, I had a 200 a few weeks ago on business and meant to put up a review. Rex covered it pretty well, but here's a few extra bullets from my experience.
-clearly it doesn't hold up too well as a rental car. Rex's experience sounds a bit worse than mine, but mine had significantly fewer miles. I think some of these things can also be programmed out - I wonder if Hertz told them to load yours up with the most annoying possible combination .
-i despised the steering buttons. They're not clearly labeled, and literally all over the place (both hands had controls for their thumbs and index fingers), and to top it all off their sensitivity to touch was a mixed bag of responsiveness.
-Timex called, they wanted their 1990s indiglo watch back. The silly little analog clock was certainly an attempt at feeling classy, but left me totally underwhelmed.
-I also hated the remote. It felt enormous & bulky in hand, and the trunk button (ie least used on the fob) was bigger than the door lock/unlock buttons.
-awful transmission is awful

-One feature I liked: radio keeps playing until you open a door. Not a big redeeming quality - seriously, how do you manage this but not have auto-up to complement your window's auto-down feature?

Rex: were your turn signal stalks really resistant too? I had to seriously push mine, almost like the car was 2nd guessing me or suggesting "Dave, why bother; nobody else uses me or pays attention when they see these things blinking."

You pretty much summed up my hatred of the car, the clock was laaaammmmeee. I commented about the remote also, it was a pain.

Awful transmission was definitely awful.

And those fucking signal stalks. I felt the exact same way, except we were in the land of really, really old people. So while they don't use their signals at all. I want to draw as much attention to myself as possible so those old fuckers can see me changing lanes. But yeah, the car basically wanted us to die.