Volvo

Hz Toyota Camry SE

Monday, November 23, 2009 

It’s a pretty nice rental car. Pure white seems to be a bird poop magnet, but the car is fast, comfortable, and quiet.

it ranks as one of the better rentals so far; below Volvo, Audi, and (of course) the Mercedes, but still quite nice.

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Posted at 05:02:27 GMT-0700

Category: photoPositiveRental carsReviews

Rental Chick Magnet

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 

Everyone knows nothing attracts the ladies like a powder blue camary! The guys in the black thing and the midnight blue Volvo, they’re going to have to pay for it, but in a baby blue camary you pretty much have to keep the windows up and the doors locked, at least at intersections.

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Posted at 12:53:50 GMT-0700

Category: photoRental cars

volvo v50

Wednesday, July 30, 2008 

Volvo v50 rental car review

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A really lovely car, very pleasant to drive and exceptionally comfortable, competent, and solid.
Posted at 22:00:33 GMT-0700

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Ford Mustang

Tuesday, July 22, 2008 

Rental car review: Ford Mustang

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I got this car with plastic on the steering wheel, the back seat belts buckled, and 5 miles on the odometer.  I very much enjoy mustangs: they’re fast and throaty and fun to drive and equipped with loud and amusing stereos.

They are small in the trunk and the back seats are pretty useless – definitely not where you want to stuff an large, elderly coworker.  But the car is fun.  Fast and fun.

The engine has more show than go – the sound of the engine is one of big power and extreme performance.  While the car handles much better than most rental cars, it does not live up to the sound of the exhaust.  A nice Audi or Volvo, for example, will accelerate faster, harder, and longer and take turns better, but never call attention to themselves while doing it.

On the other hand, actually going really fast is not always relevant: having fun is more to the point and the mustang is fun.  It feels spry and agile and powerful and serves well to take years off the driver’s age.  It’s the prefect car to cruise suburban malls, especially if one dye’s one’s hair or wears a toupee.  If chicks aren’t the goal, then it certainly makes getting to work an exercise in regression therapy.

Aside from the throaty roar and sporty performance, road noise is poorly isolated but well compensated for by a loud, bass-heavy stereo typically equipped with a CD-MP3 changer that can hold 6 CDs (or maybe 60 albums) which means on older cars one can often find heavy metal compilations forgotten in the changer.  Not so much classical.

  • Quiet – Not very quiet.
  • Comfortable – fairly comfortable.
  • Engine – a great engine for a rental car, a lot of fun.
  • Suspension – very good for a rental car.
  • Basic amenities – everything that could be reasonably powered is.
  • Stereo – killer stereo: loud and plays MP3s off a 6 CD changer.
  • Security – small but secure trunk.
Posted at 15:00:26 GMT-0700

Category: photoRental carsReviews

Rental review Pontiac Grand Am

Wednesday, May 14, 2008 

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The Pontiac Grand-Am is actually kind of fun.  It handles fairly well and has a powerful engine that makes it a little too easy to spin the back wheels.  Not the quietest car I’ve driven, but the stereo was loud and sounded fine.
  1. Quiet – Not the quietest – a lot of road noise gets through on rough roads like the post-winter 401.
  2. Comfortable – Not bad, not as ass fondling as the Volvo
  3. Basic amenities – Power everything, but no outside temperature reading. I like knowing the outside temp.
  4. Stereo – loud and sounded fine.
  5. Security – the trunk is big and secure.
Posted at 22:00:21 GMT-0700

Category: Rental carsReviews

Rental Review Impala LT

Wednesday, May 7, 2008 

Rental car review. Impala 21:13:39 flex fuel with 37km on the odometer.

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The Chevy Impala is a fairly typical American car – actually a little more comfortable than the buick.
  1. Quiet – Not too bad. The interior is pretty soft so it’s fairly quiet, though very noisy on rough roads.
  2. Comfortable – Not bad, not as ass fondling as the Volvo
  3. Basic amenities – Power everything, but no outside temperature reading. I like knowing the outside temp.
  4. Stereo – basic and acceptable. This one had a little plug in port for a MP3 player.
  5. Security – the trunk is big and secure.
Posted at 22:00:31 GMT-0700

Category: photoRental carsReviews

Volvo v50 08 wagon

Wednesday, April 23, 2008 

Rental review

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I rent a lot of cars, and sometimes Hertz gives me something a little more interesting – like this Volvo V50. It’s a lot more comfortable than the usual Tauri, faster, and has a better stereo. The key features of a rental car are:
  1. Quiet – this car is about as quiet as any I’ve rented except perhaps the Audi A4.
  2. Comfortable – the V50 is a little less roomy than a torus, but I find the layout fits very well and doesn’t feel at all cramped.
  3. Basic amenities – I’ve gotten rental cars with manual windows or manual seats and mirror adjustments. It would matter less in one’s own car or just driving around, but realizing the mirrors are out of wack as you try to merge onto the freeway that is probably taking you the right direction before the GPS has locked satellites and discovering that you have to reach over, unroll the window, and poke at the mirror is sub optimal. The Volvo has everything you’d expect.
  4. Stereo – up here in Canada I listen to CBC-R2. Good classical and some funky music too. It’s nice when it sounds good. The Volvo has a great stereo that performs well at any volume and isn’t absurdly bass heavy like a Scion. On the other hand, the Volvo doesn’t have an iPod port like the Audi or a MP3 compatible CD player like a lot of Mustangs have.
  5. Security – I usually have a computer with me and sometimes it is convenient or necessary to leave it in the car. A trunk is a lot more secure than a wagon, and while the Volvo has a pull-out cover to hide what’s in the back, it’s not as confidence inspiring as having a solid trunk.
Posted at 22:00:27 GMT-0700

Category: photoRental carsTravel