US cars (rental) choices

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Need some suggestions about rental cars in US.

Got Kia Sorento till friday, and need to fill in 2 more weeks. Driving will be mostly in mountainous areas.

I hate that Kia to the full. The seats are not comfortable due to headrests protruding well to the front. MPG is frankly awful (15-18 :gag:), and auto box is completely out of touch with the reality. 5th gear at 25mph, really? :cuckoo: No wonder it is dead slow. The car is barely good for driving to supermarket. When there is a hill it pretty much stops. It has to be constantly driven in manual override mode, and the petrol engine makes horrendous noises. Are all auto cars as bad? I don't think there is anything that will make me like low torque petrol engines.

Ideally diesel and manual are on my list. a 4x4 or a small van (camper van or alike) would be best.

So what is doable in the land that likes big and uneconomical?
 
when I was in the US I hired a Chevrolet, I cannot tell you the model but it was in the same hire band as a jeep cherokee, so big high up and comfortable.

I will be back in the US for another holiday in 2016 and yes I will be hireing another big 4x4. Oh in US a manual?? na never lol, the one I had had a 3.5 v6 engine so loads of power and would sit at 80mph all day

I used Alomo to hire from really reasonable too
 
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What location, dates, and which rental car company will you be picking up the rental car from?
That will determine what is available.

All our rental cars in the USA have been automatics. We have never rented a 4WD (I drive a manual car but have owned an automatic (with a big engine)).
MPG is not really an issue when factored in to the entire cost of the vacation for intermediate or full size (US terms) cars.
The main thing is to be able to keep ahead of the big trucks that may be sitting on your tail so do not rent an "economy car", besides any "comfort" issues.
 
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nilagin said:
That's because the US gallon is smaller than ours.

To the OP, you're in the US, get a Mustang and enjoy yourself.:thumbs:
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I wish that I had done that back in 2005, but instead I quickly hired a Focus.
The next morning I went down to the hotel car park, and sitting next to the Focus was a lovely new dark red Mustang.
You only live once, make the most of it:)
 
Get a Japanese 4x4 or if you want a van get a German van like a VW transporter. Might be easier to find a diesel van than it would be to find a diesel 4x4.
 
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daugirdas said:
Ideally diesel and manual are on my list. a 4x4 or a small van (camper van or alike) would be best.
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You'll be doing well to find manual rentals over there - atleast with the mainstream companies.
 
rjbell said:
Get a Japanese 4x4 or if you want a van get a German van like a VW transporter. Might be easier to find a diesel van than it would be to find a diesel 4x4.
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Where do I look for VW Transporter TDI? That would be perfect.

boyfalldown said:
You'll be doing well to find manual rentals over there - atleast with the mainstream companies.
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So are all auto cars as bad as KIA? I suppose there is only one way to find out.

nilagin said:
To the OP, you're in the US, get a Mustang and enjoy yourself.:thumbs:
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at these speed limits (35-40 usually :cuckoo:) what would I do with one? I just need something that will happily go up the mountains. Let alone I want roof in Arizona sun and more size.

And they are sold out anyway
 
We had the Ford Focus last year, nothing like the British version!

Big engine (2.5 or 3L. I think) and just over 30mpg at freeway speeds.
 
Mikesphotaes said:
We had the Ford Focus last year, nothing like the British version!

Big engine (2.5 or 3L. I think) and just over 30mpg at freeway speeds.
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That would have been the old model, the new Focus is exactly the same as ours now and it would have exactly the same engines as we have over here.
 
daugirdas said:
Where do I look for VW Transporter TDI? That would be perfect.



So are all auto cars as bad as KIA? I suppose there is only one way to find out.



at these speed limits (35-40 usually :cuckoo:) what would I do with one? I just need something that will happily go up the mountains. Let alone I want roof in Arizona sun and more size.

And they are sold out anyway
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Bad luck just wiki'ed it and the do not sell the transporter in the US due to a 25% tax on van imports!

Ive you plan on sleeping in it look at the Chrysler town & Country which is the Grant Voyager over here. Again you will be lucky to find a diesel but you never know. And its got a very clever seating system called stow and go.
 
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rjbell said:
Bad luck just wiki'ed it and the do not sell the transporter in the US due to a 25% tax on van imports!
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I'm surprised it's not available in its minibus derivative. Ford import the Transit Connect into America as a minibus, then some of them are converted to vans at the docks on arrival to avoid having to pay the tax.
 
nilagin said:
I'm surprised it's not available in its minibus derivative. Ford import the Transit Connect into America as a minibus, then some of them are converted to vans at the docks on arrival to avoid having to pay the tax.
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Yeah you might be right i just looked on wiki i have no experience. However the new transit custom is every bit as good as the transporter (i think better) if you can get hold of them in the US.
 
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You're best just getting a Ford Escape, JEEP Grand Cherokee, or a Chevy Traverse. The Dodge Caravan/Chrysler Town & Country drives like a barge. They are comfortable and great for a family, but they're just pig slow and handle like crap.

I had a Transverse when we drove from Sonoma to Santa Barbara last year. A surprisingly nice drive for a large SUV. Seated 5 comfortably with loads of room for luggage. Good AWD system, and cruised nice down the highway.

And no, all automatics are not horrible to drive. You just happened to rent a KIA! What's the mileage on the Kia? We also rented a Cadillac SRX (gutless, absolutely gutless) on the same trip, and it had close to 30,000 miles on and it was being taken out of service after our trip. You may well have an old, beaten up rental.
 
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Well I will have to make do with KIA. They want a lot more for ANY other car, so I am stuck with this for good.

I learnt to drive it completely in manual over-ride mode, that way it at least makes sense (i.e. not 6th gear no matter what) and feels fairly responsive. It is rental so can be taken to the redline etc when needed. It even overtook a Mustang at traffic lights [driven by an elderly couple :) :lol: they then overtook me at well over the speed limit]

The seats are still terrible, but they feel slightly better when pulled and bent back a little bit more. The cruise control is pointless as there is nowhere to rest the right foot.

I hope KIA people do see this for their own benefit. I just couldn't buy or recommend it until they sort it out.
 
Steve Smith said:
Not that much different that 18 mpg can be considered good.


Steve.
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A US gallon is near enough 17% smaller than a UK gallon (3.78 litres compared to our 4.54). So if you were talking UK equivalent for the purposes of comparison, it's about 21.6 mpg.

Still shockingly poor, but the much cheaper fuel out there is what makes it a bit more palatable. Saying that, fuel prices have gone up so much in the States in the last few years, it's not anywhere near the advantage it used to be.
 
rjbell said:
Bad luck just wiki'ed it and the do not sell the transporter in the US due to a 25% tax on van imports!
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Ah that explains why I've seen vans that are obviously Mercedes sprinters but they've got a dodge badge on them
 
Shine On said:
Still shockingly poor, but the much cheaper fuel out there is what makes it a bit more palatable. Saying that, fuel prices have gone up so much in the States in the last few years, it's not anywhere near the advantage it used to be.
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American fuel is around half what we pay for it when you do the currency and gallon size conversion.

However, if you go on American forums you will see that they moan about "the high cost of gas" more than anyone else!


Steve.
 
Steve Smith said:
American fuel is around half what we pay for it when you do the currency and gallon size conversion.

However, if you go on American forums you will see that they moan about "the high cost of gas" more than anyone else!

Steve.
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They also have to drive more often and usually over farther distances than here, so any rise in costs has a greater impact than it would here.
 
skysh4rk said:
They also have to drive more often and usually over farther distances than here,
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Do they? Don't see why the average American should have to drive more often than the average British person, or that their journey would be a great distance neither.
 
nilagin said:
Do they? Don't see why the average American should have to drive more often than the average British person, or that their journey would be a great distance neither.
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It is a rather bigger place than our sacred isle :)
 
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Mikesphotaes said:
It is a rather bigger place than out sacred isle :)
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That doesn't mean they have to drive all over it everyday though does it. I bet their average commute is no further than what someone over here would do.
 
:bang:

Thirty seconds on Google gets me a Pulitzer prize for discovering the bleeding obvious! UK average annual car mileage [2010] = 8,430 US average annual car mileage [2011] = 13,576
 
nilagin said:
That doesn't mean they have to drive all over it everyday though does it. I bet their average commute is no further than what someone over here would do.
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I refer you to my rite onourable pal, Yves.

If you do go over the pond, you will understand!
 
Yves Geza said:
:bang:

Thirty seconds on Google gets me a Pulitzer prize for discovering the bleeding obvious! UK average annual car mileage [2010] = 8,430 US average annual car mileage [2011] = 13,576
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That doesn't prove they have to drive further though does it. In 2010 I did 18k miles, last year I did 15k miles, the difference has nothing to do with the cost of fuel.:thumbs:
 
nilagin said:
That doesn't mean they have to drive all over it everyday though does it. I bet their average commute is no further than what someone over here would do.
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nilagin said:
That doesn't prove they have to drive further though does it. In 2010 I did 18k miles, last year I did 15k miles, the difference has nothing to do with the cost of fuel.:thumbs:
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However it does have a lot to do with where you are !
 
There are also a lot more cars in the US, which will also factor in the figures. It's hardly a good comparison.
 
nilagin said:
That doesn't mean they have to drive all over it everyday though does it. I bet their average commute is no further than what someone over here would do.
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Well, I would be surprised if this were true, as it certainly doesn't reflect my own experiences, but I'm unable to look up any data at the moment.

The USA is 35x bigger than the UK in land area and public transport is non-existent in many places though, so it's not hard to believe they drive more.

Also, in sheer money terms, a rise in fuel costs hurts the average American more than the average Briton as they drive more miles yearly.
 
nilagin said:
There are also a lot more cars in the US, which will also factor in the figures. It's hardly a good comparison.
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So you mean the average US commuter does 27,000 miles p.a. but changes car halfway through his journey! :suspect:

You've been watching too many Wells Fargo Stagecoach movies! :lol:
 
nilagin said:
There are also a lot more cars in the US, which will also factor in the figures. It's hardly a good comparison.
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The figures given are an average, so the number of cars won't make a difference. If it was a total figure then it would.

American cities sprawl a lot more than British cities. Their housing density is generally a lot less than ours because they have bigger houses, large garages and much bigger gardens (some of the benefits of the space). The cumulative effect of this is that everything is further away. There are other cultural factors that have an influence on this as well such as a greater acceptance of travelling what to us are long distances for mundane things.

Mike
 
I'd be intrigued to know how the figures are derived. I'd imagine that ours must come from MOT's but seeing as America does not have an equivalent in all states, how do they come up with their figures.
There is a difference between average miles covered by a car and average motorist, I'd include myself in the latter and I have always averaged 13-18k per year over the 33 years of driving which includes my daily commute as well as social use.
When buying second hand cars in this country average mileage is considered as 12k per year for the valuation of a car. Cars in America don't seem to suffer the same depreciation levels as they do in the UK and mileage doesn't seem to be much of a factor in the cost of a car.
You'd be surprised at the number of new cars with speedo cables being detached at the gearbox especially when bought on purchase plans such as Ford Options where at the end of the "hire" term more money could be owed or trying to improve on the minimum future value as stated in the loan terms. (I've known of cars showing less than 24k at the end of the 2 year agreement which would have actually done nearer 50k. This and clocking of older cars, although probably only a small reduction. would artificially lower mileage figures in the UK that they wouldn't have in the US.
 
This reminds me of when we were in the USA some years ago. We had pre booked our car as part and parcel of a drive/package holiday.
Arrived at Sandford and proceeded to the car hire desk, I presented them with our documentation.
The clerk says to me how far were we going, so I said down as far as Key West. He looked dumfounded that we were going that far in a manual drive car. He said this car is no good for you going all that way you need an automatic car, I said but we will have an automatic car as it will only go when I put my right foot down.

He never said anymore but just gave me the keys.
 
Last time we went argot a mustang convertible. Drove it for 1600 miles, comfortable, good spec, fun, tiny boot.
 
daugirdas said:
at these speed limits (35-40 usually :cuckoo:)
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:thinking: speed limit was 75 mph when I was in Montana in 2003 and current limit in Texas can be 85 mph, the idea that all America has a 55 mph speed limit is just wrong, in fact no state has a daytime rural interstate limit less than 65 mph (excluding Hawaii)

http://www.iihs.org/laws/speedlimits.aspx

We had a Chevy blazer 4x4 and cruising at 75 was easy, and got way above 15-18 mpg, more in the 30 or slightly above range.
 
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It's great driving through Montana. They've actually spent a fair bit of money on the roads, so getting from the Canadian border through Montana is a breeze. Which is handy when Browning is one of the towns you have to pass!! I do think they've brought the limit down to 60mph now, but as long as you don't abuse the speed limit too much, the coppers don't mind.

And fuel economy of American cars is brutal. On the highway with my 3.8 V6, I can go about 700kms, at a push on a full 60 litre tank. Pottering around town, back and forwards to work which is a 30km round trip, I get around 450kms to a tank; I fill up every 2 weeks; so around 21 mpg.
 
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I got 32mpg US (~38mpg UK) from the Dodge Charger V6 i drove for 5,700 miles across the US a couple of months back. I got ~24mpg US (29mpg UK) from the Corvette i drove 800 miles in.

Their cars aren't actually that bad on fuel (especially when you take into account the fuel cost).
 
Matt. said:
I got 32mpg US (~38mpg UK) from the Dodge Charger V6 i drove for 5,700 miles across the US a couple of months back. I got ~24mpg US (29mpg UK) from the Corvette i drove 800 miles in.

Their cars aren't actually that bad on fuel (especially when you take into account the fuel cost).
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Those are tiny compact cars in american terms. No bootspace, nothing...

Take a full size SUV (2 tones +), add a stupid 2.5L petrol engine and you have the worst combination possible. I got 15mpg in cities and 22-26 on motorways depending how hard I tried to save fuel driving at night (can't fill up w/o US CC)

The same KIA sorento here in EU with sensible 2.2 turbo diesel gets great reviews. I wonder why it is so difficult for some people to realise 70s are over and it is time to move on from horrific petrol engines :shrug:. Up the hills it would slow down to 40-50mph unless driven in 3rd gear (4mpg). Compare that with my 1.9TDI that can accelerate past 80mph in 5th (top) gear and similar steep m-way hill.
 
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