car review
Chevy Uplander
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Rental car review: Chevy Uplander
The Chevy Uplander is a cross between a mini van and an SUV, but is really just a minivan with an extended nose and a half decent engine. The performance is surprisingly good for a van with hard acceleration and no problem hitting highway passing speeds. The suspension is sort of amusing: the van seems to rock constantly in a kind of reassuring put the baby to sleep kind of way at the smallest bump.
The van has a ton of room and a good stereo. It is fairly comfortable to drive and not particularly fatiguing, but not exactly sporty or fun.
- Quiet – Not too bad but some noise from the huge cabin.
- Comfortable – fairly comfortable.
- Engine – a moderate engine, fairly responsive for the size of the vehicle.
- Suspension – ugh. Wobbles side to side.
- Basic amenities – everything that could be reasonably powered is.
- Stereo – acceptable but nothing great.
- Security – not very – everything inside is visible.
Posted at 13:00:25 GMT-0700
Ford Taurus X Rental
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Rental car review
This week i got a new Ford Taurus X, an interesting rental car. It’s an SUV type vehicle, oversized and overaccesorized, but a surprisingly pleasant vehicle that’s fairly easy to drive and comfortable.
Now the theory is that such a car would be good for off-road use or something since it has four wheel drive, but that’s really not happening. Better to think of it as a minivan with a nose and some extra weight in the drive train. Desipite the foolishness of SUVs in general, and especially given gas prices, the car had some neat features.
- I used the backup sensor in a parking lot – a good thing as the car is long and has poor visibility out the back.
- It has an outside temperature indicator which I like.
- The seat moves all the way back when you take the key out, and then back to where it was for us old people.
- The tailgate opens and closes itself, which is kind of absurd and overkill but fun in a gadgety way.
- The engine is fairly powerful (Canadian rentals seem to be more powerful than US rentals – my .ca Grand Am would spin it’s wheels embarrassingly easily, whereas my .ca.us Grand Am in LA was kind of anemic).
- It’s quiet and comfortable.
- The rear seats fold into the floor of the car – just like a mini-van.
- The stereo had an analog input and a 6 CD MP3 changer
- It has Microsoft Sync – more on that below.
Posted at 23:00:30 GMT-0700
Rental Review Impala LT
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Rental car review. Impala 21:13:39 flex fuel with 37km on the odometer.
The Chevy Impala is a fairly typical American car – actually a little more comfortable than the buick.
- Quiet – Not too bad. The interior is pretty soft so it’s fairly quiet, though very noisy on rough roads.
- Comfortable – Not bad, not as ass fondling as the Volvo…
- Basic amenities – Power everything, but no outside temperature reading. I like knowing the outside temp.
- Stereo – basic and acceptable. This one had a little plug in port for a MP3 player.
- Security – the trunk is big and secure.
Posted at 22:00:31 GMT-0700
Rental Review Buick Allure CX
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Rental car review
A typical American boat – the Buick is big and heavy and squishy and not exactly my type of car. I don’t really like the over-plush seats or squishy suspension. The faux wood interior styling isn’t really my thing either.
- Quiet – It is pretty quiet
- Comfortable – Not terribly comfortable. I don’t like squishy seats, but I suppose for some people it is..
- Basic amenities – Power everything, but no outside temperature reading. I like knowing the outside temp.
- Stereo – surprisingly mediocre for a fancy-ish car. The sound isn’t great and the radio has trouble getting marginal stations. Plus the radio display doesn’t tell you what station you’re listening too, which is helpful in a rental car.
- Security – the trunk is big and secure.
Posted at 22:00:31 GMT-0700