Recently, my wife's Subaru got totaled, and we were put into a rental car for three weeks. We actually ended up with two different rental cars during the rental period due to contaminated fuel in the first one. Since I got to know the ins and outs of these vehicles during this time, I figured I'd post a little "rental car review" for those who end up travelling or their cars get damaged and need rentals. Feel free to add to this if you've had a rental you loved or hated.
First was a 2014 Toyota Camry. I understand why this is the best selling car in the US. It was comfortable and had decent options for the SE package. Amenities included your typical cruise, power windows/locks, stereo with bluetooth, and the 17 inch alloy wheels...beyond that it was no frills really. It drove fine but I felt it was a tad underpowered with the 4 cylinder engine. Fuel economy also could have been better. With about 1000 miles of 40% city and 60% highway, it averaged around 27.3mpg. Handling was sub par with little steering feedback. This is what a commuter car is geared towards, and it did not disappoint.
Second was a 2014 Ford Fusion SE with the 2.0 Ecoboost. That car was a bit overwhelming at first with buttons everywhere, but it was pretty well optioned; power windows/locks/moonroof, homelink garage door opener, Sync with bluetooth, 6 speed auto with paddleshift functions, 18 inch alloys, dual exhaust, heated seats, etc. We put over 5000 miles on this one averaging 29.5mpg with the same 60% highway 40% city driving. It was comfortable to a point...the "sport" leather(?) seats were rock hard on the ass. It handled pretty well but could've been far better if it had larger sway bars. Braking was phenomenal, and power from the 2.0 Ecoboost was pretty amazing. It was really easy to find yourself speeding if you weren't careful. Downsides to this car included the overwhelmingness of all the buttons, the lack of physical door locks (battery goes dead and you get trapped in the car if the doors were locked,) Ford's desire to hide the tilt steering adjustment lever, and when cruising it didn't want to shift out of 6th gear to a lower gear until the engine had A LOT of load...the car would actually shudder because there was so much strain on the engine.
Overall, the Camry was a great commuter car...for those who just get in and go to work or whatever. The Fusion actually seemed to be a little bit more of a driver's car with lots of features but some get up and go if pushed. If I were actually in the market for a new sedan, I'd probably buy a manual version of the Fusion if it exists.
