Rental Car Thread

[GreatBigAbyss]

We don't have one of these, so I'm starting one. 

The Mazda CX-5 went in to get its hail damage repaired.  Under our insurance policy, we are entitled to a rental car (compact class) for the duration.  What we actually got was an upgrade, under the 'fullsize SUV' class. 

Behold:  The majestic Hyundai Santa-Fe hybrid.  It's actually really nice.  3 rows, plenty of room in the back seat, really well equipped with pano sunroof, dual wireless charging pads, fake leather, etc.  I think the trim must be 'Santa Fe Hybrid AWD Preferred with Trend pkg', which would be 2nd from base.  Anyway, I'm looking forward to spending a week with it.  My spouse is looking forward because she typically carpools a bunch of girls for my daughters' volleyball games at various schools. 

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Note:  I would never buy one, but Hyundai's are great as rental cars. 

[Gurgie]

A buddy of mine bought one of those last year. He's not really a car guy, needed a family hauler and wanted something hybrid & not too expensive. It seems to do the trick for him, his wife, their 2yr old and their 2 dogs as well. Though I think the dogs mainly get transported in their old Mitsubishi Outlander 

[Bridgecity]

Had a Sante Fe Uber a couple months ago.  Must have been the base trim.  The door armrests looked and felt like the foam from a cheap office chair from the 80's.  That's all I remember. 

Regardless, hope you enjoy your week with it.

[GreatBigAbyss]

First impressions are positive.  It drives well (as a new car should) and it has a smooth drivetrain thanks to the hybridization.  Power isn't lacking, although it's no RAV4 PHEV lol.  Everything in it has a nice solid heavy feel, from the doors to everything in the interior.  The interior, while it isn't as nice as a Mazda product, is way ahead of something like a RAV4. 

Fuel economy on my drive home was 7.8l/100km, which is respectable for a large vehicle.  The Mazda would have achieved 10l/100km on the same drive, and it's lighter, with less power.

Overall, it just seems like an easy vehicle to like.  It's not particularly exciting, but it's well appointed and would make a great daily for a family.

For my purposes, the meagre 2000lb tow rating is bested by the Rav's 3500lbs, and would knock it out of contention.  I want to be able to tow a small pop up trailer.

[Fobroader]

While looks are subjective, I hate the tailights on that thing. Slightest bit of snow and they are completely covered.

[Firm]

Tailights give me Soviet styling vibes for whatever reason. People love them though, and I get why, practical, spacious and cheap. Rental or lease, fine, anything longer term, forget it. I love that they keep the aftermarket auto parts business well supported with early failures though.

[Seafoam]

Those dogbone tail lights.

[GreatBigAbyss]

Yes, the rear end and taillights are kinda ugly. But the boxiness of the thing makes for a ton of room inside.

Also,

I saw 4.9l/100km as an average this afternoon driving my kid 8km to badminton through stop and go traffic.

This is a 3-row, 7 passenger SUV and it's capable of achieving 4.9l/100kms.   

I think that's pretty impressive

[GreatBigAbyss]

The Mazda is partially ready - all the dents in the body are out and the windshield is replaced.  They've ordered a new hood, and I'll have to drop the car off in a few weeks when it comes in to be painted and blended.  So in the meantime, we have to give back the Santa Fe. 

I'm actually a little sad about this.  I really, really like it.  Mrs GBA loved it.  Yesterday she drove my daughter and 4 other teen girls across town for a volleyball game.  The 3rd row came in handy. 

I also really enjoyed driving it.  Neat touches abound, such as the paddle shifters;  In Sport mode, they control what gear the transmission is in.  IN Eco mode, they control the regen level.  It's quite a neat touch.

Speaking of Sport mode and Eco mode, Eco was my preferred method of travel.  Sport mode kept the engine revs up much higher, and rarely shut off the engine.  Fuel economy suffered significantly as a result, and the entire drive just wasn't as refined.  Eco mode, however, prioritized EV-only mode, the engine stayed at lower revs when it was on, and the drivetrain just felt far smoother.  The one big criticism of ECO mode is that I didn't like the throttle calibration, and creep from a stop felt weird. 

Overall, the hybrid drivetrain is a gem, though.  It's got a conventional 6spd transmission, and the EV motor is run through it.  Unlike the Mazda CX-90 PHEV, in this application, it feels completely natural. 

Aside from a few niggles, I would probably consider buying one.

1.  Tow capacity is only 2000lbs.  This precludes you from towing something like a pop-up trailer.  Not an issue for most families, but it's a concern for myself.
2.  Overall quality is questionable.  I don't mean the interior, which was very nice, but rather more longterm items, like the underpinnings of the vehicle. 
3.  Steering is incredibly numb and lifeless.  Zero feedback at all. 

Anyway, I consider this an extended test drive.  I really enjoyed our week with it, as did the entire family. 

[Bridgecity]

Nice summary.  I was going to ask if you'd consider cancelling the Rav order, but you answered that in the end I believe.

[GreatBigAbyss]

Nice summary.  I was going to ask if you'd consider cancelling the Rav order, but you answered that in the end I believe.

Oh, I've been thinking about, believe me.  Tow capacity, and quality are the two main things holding me back.  There's probably also a part of me that is comparing it the Mazda CX-5, which is starting to feel long-in-tooth.  Compared to something like a new Rav4, I think the differences would be smaller.  Especially considering we're getting the PHEV. 

As far as the usefulness of a 3rd row, well that's kind of fallacious.  We don't have a big enough family to need one, and as far as transporting my daughter's friends and teammates, well we only just did it because we could.  Kind of like induced demand by adding more lanes on a road. 

[RRocket]

Nice summary.  I was going to ask if you'd consider cancelling the Rav order, but you answered that in the end I believe.

Oh, I've been thinking about, believe me.  Tow capacity, and quality are the two main things holding me back.  There's probably also a part of me that is comparing it the Mazda CX-5, which is starting to feel long-in-tooth.  Compared to something like a new Rav4, I think the differences would be smaller.  Especially considering we're getting the PHEV. 

As far as the usefulness of a 3rd row, well that's kind of fallacious.  We don't have a big enough family to need one, and as far as transporting my daughter's friends and teammates, well we only just did it because we could.  Kind of like induced demand by adding more lanes on a road. 

I like some of the KIA/Hyundai stuff too but I have my doubts they'd have the longevity and problem free nature of the Toyotas