Hertz - Hertz in Germany - which car?

Well, I lucked out and I get to do international travel on the company dime finally. (of course, I'll be working 16x7 for the 10 days I'm there). For now, I'm booked into my usual corporate midsize rental, which according to Hertz's site is a VW Passat w/ stick shift. (no problem - I drove a stick for 4 years)

I'm a 5*, so in theory I should be able to get a 1-class upgrade, which at the renting location (Hannover airport) is apparently either a Mercedes C-Class or a BMW 3-series, again both stick shift.

For anyone who's driven one or (preferably) both of these cars, which would you recommend? I'm going to get to do some Autobahn driving, so that's a consideration.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

I looked at Hertz's website .. it looks like the BMW is an automatic.

I have driven both:

C-Class .. I had a car with the smallest engine, I guess 4-cylinder?!? was O.K., but not powerful :-: :-:

BMW 3 ... more sporty & more powerful, a little "smaller" .. I believe their is now a new model :-: :-: :-:

BTW, the (new) Passat should be a nice car too.

All 3 cars are going 200+ km/h ^

Do you have to take a Hertz? I guess you would get a nicer car for the same money from another company.... Sixt or else. I had once a BMW 530d from AVIS, which was great, I believe it's a turbo-diesel .. very powerful, very economic

I looked at Hertz's website .. it looks like the BMW is an automatic.

I have driven both:

C-Class .. I had a car with the smallest engine, I guess 4-cylinder?!? was O.K., but not powerful :-: :-:

BMW 3 ... more sporty & more powerful, a little "smaller" .. I believe their is now a new model :-: :-: :-:

BTW, the (new) Passat should be a nice car too.

All 3 cars are going 200+ km/h ^

Do you have to take a Hertz? I guess you would get a nicer car for the same money from another company.... Sixt or else. I had once a BMW 530d from AVIS, which was great, I believe it's a turbo-diesel .. very powerful, very economic


I thought I saw a manual BMW 3-series listed as an option if I attempted to modify my reservation. Somehow I doubt I'll get the double/triple types of upgrades I get in the US though, so the 7-series might be out of the picture. :)

I'm not too worried about size since I'm going solo - if they want to give me a Z4 roadster, I'm not going to turn them down!

And, I do have to stick with Hertz - they're the corporate preferred agency. I think we technically can do Avis, but I'm not even set up with them, and Hertz has treated me well so far, so I don't have a strong desire to switch.

>200 km/h is just what I had in mind. Now I can finally do it legally :)

I'll throw in a Ride Report after I get back!

..... Somehow I doubt I'll get the double/triple types of upgrades I get in the US though, so the 7-series might be out of the picture. :) ...

You may get a 5-series, I don't think a 7-series.
Unfortunately Hertz does not show on the web what engine each rental car has .. a C-model with a small engine would be a little "under-powered". Note: Mercedes is selling (also) cars with lesser hp in Germany (than in the US)
They start with a (lousy) 4-cylinder, 1.8 L , 148 hp :td:
And Hertz may actually give you a better car (Z4!?!) during weekends.
Sixt does this ...!

They start with a (lousy) 4-cylinder, 1.8 L , 148 hp

To be honest, even the smallest C-class with "only" 143 HP out of 1.8L should satisfy more than basic needs as it runs more than 220km/h.
Also the smallest Diesel with 122 HP is as fast as nearly 210 km/h.
The other "lousy" 4-cylinders, the C220 CDI and the C200 compressor run as fast 224km/h and 234 respectively.

This week I am in the US and I am having a full size Taurus from Hertz. This car gives 153 HP out of 3 litres and 6 cylinders. This nice piece of "high tech" has even brum brakes on the rear axle. I wouldn't really try to run with it on higher speeds (in Montana...) for safety reasons. I would also be afraid if the engine would like to run with high speed over hundreds of miles. No problem with a Mercedes.

In Europe, what also counts is fuel consumption, and what we achieve is high performance with good mpg especially when it comes to up to date direct injection diesels.

Just have a try and enjoy german autobahn on early Sunday mornings with little traffic. You may get a Diesel and not even notice it...

This week I am in the US and I am having a full size Taurus from Hertz. This car gives 153 HP out of 3 litres and 6 cylinders. This nice piece of "high tech" has even brum brakes on the rear axle. I wouldn't really try to run with it on higher speeds (in Montana...) for safety reasons. I would also be afraid if the engine would like to run with high speed over hundreds of miles. No problem with a Mercedes.


I feel sorry for you. The Taurus is the sorriest excuse for a rental car in Hertz's fleet. I've actually taken a voluntary downgrade to a mid-size car to avoid a Taurus. It's underpowered, has lousy acceleration, and is quite honestly the most boring car I've ever had the displeasure of driving.

And, as a kicker, for being a big car, it has god-awful front legroom - the "dead pedal" is located all wrong for anyone over 6'0".

I feel sorry for you. The Taurus is the sorriest excuse for a rental car in Hertz's fleet. I've actually taken a voluntary downgrade to a mid-size car to avoid a Taurus. It's underpowered, has lousy acceleration, and is quite honestly the most boring car I've ever had the displeasure of driving.

My 4 cyl Toyota Camry has more power (160 hp) than this car. My Camry gets 35 mpg at 70mph and I can never get more than 20-21 mpg on the Taurus. I will switch out the Taurus/Sable. I got a Sable at my HLE recently & it pulled to the right. It also smelled of smoke. :td: Not good for taking the car on a 1200 mile trip! I went to LAX & switched out to a GM. Much larger & more comfortable car. (I really wanted an Impala but no dice!). I got 26-27 mpg at 70-75 mph. Not bad for a large car.

As for rental cars in Europe, I agree that their cars have very good power. I rented a 4 cyl Opel Astra with a 16 valve & I went 200 km/hr on the autobahn. :D ^ That was 5 yrs ago so the cars may have more power today.

I've actually taken a voluntary downgrade to a mid-size car to avoid a Taurus.



Well, if this gets you something like a Buick Century, I would rather prefer even a Taurus

Well, if this gets you something like a Buick Century, I would rather prefer even a Taurus

I had a Taurus in my spot on my last rental. (booked midsize). I asked what I can change to. My choices were Hyundai, more Tauruses, & Century. I took the Century.

I drove it around 800 miles & I averaged over 30 mpg on the highway at 70-75 mph. I am lucky to get 20-22 on the Taurus. :mad:

Although the Century would not be my first choice for a F car, I like it much better than a Taurus. The Century had 20 more horses than the Taurus. (of course, I would take an Impala over these cars!).

Well, I ended up in a 1.8L VW Passat wagon (no TDi, unfortunately). I was able to get it up to about 190-195 km/h on a flat stretch of the A2 west of Hannover. I was hoping for a MB or BMW, but alas, it was not to be.

Still, the VW was a nice ride - comfortable interior, logical controls (although the interval control for the wipers was a little odd), and even at 160-180 km/h, very smooth riding, with no steering vibrations, excessive noise, etc.

Gas mileage at those speeds wasn't the greatest though - instant fuel usage was around 12 l/100 km = 19 miles/gallon, according to the trip computer. Overall of the trip (mixed town/autobahn) was around 9 l/100km = 26 miles/gallon, which was respectable.

I had a couple of down days while I was over there, and one of the days I went to the Autostadt over in Wolfsburg to see the VW assembly plant, and to do the off-road driving course in the Touraeg - that was a fun little bit of driving.

Congratulations on the upgrade to a station wagon.

It should be noted that the PC and 5* upgrade subject to availability is up to a maximum of group D (intermediate) from group C (compact) in Europe. The BMW 3 series and Mercedes C-class are group G (premium) cars, if you expect an upgrade from group D rental (intermediate) to those premium cars you may be disappointed :(

[QUOTE=bdjohns1] I'm a 5*, so in theory I should be able to get a 1-class upgrade QUOTE]

I'm a 5*, so in theory I should be able to get a 1-class upgrade, which at the renting location (Hannover airport) is apparently either a Mercedes C-Class or a BMW 3-series, again both stick shift.

For anyone who's driven one or (preferably) both of these cars, which would you recommend? I'm going to get to do some Autobahn driving, so that's a consideration.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

The MERC has better road holding if you are into speed. I have driven at 160 mph on those roads & i would say take the merc .Also the cars in EUROPE do not have a limit on them as they do have in th USA, like i have experienced the last few times: JAG X type 125 mph AUDI A6 130 mph LINCOLN & CADE 110 mph, but in europe the same cars go faster. ENJOY

Well, I just found out that in a fluke, I get to repeat my trip next week, which means another chance for upgrade. I may see if I can talk my way into something better (ie TDi - hey, diesel's cheaper!) in the VW family or if the price is right something better.

I am planning a three week trip to Germany and will be covering Munich and the area, Salzburg, Vienna and Berlin. I need an automatic and the best deal I can get from Hertz is on a VW GOLF. I do not intend to drive much over 120KM/hour. Any experience with this or a 'similar' car as Hertz may assigne a similar car.?

I am planning a three week trip to Germany and will be covering Munich and the area, Salzburg, Vienna and Berlin. I need an automatic and the best deal I can get from Hertz is on a VW GOLF. I do not intend to drive much over 120KM/hour. Any experience with this or a 'similar' car as Hertz may assigne a similar car.?

You should be fine with a Golf. It is not as big as the standard american car, but ideal for the places you will visit. Note that automatics are definitely not standard in germany and you will find them available only in airport locations. Make sure to call ahead to the actual pick up location and ensure they stock a automatic golf ahead of time!

You should be fine with a Golf. It is not as big as the standard american car, but ideal for the places you will visit. Note that automatics are definitely not standard in germany and you will find them available only in airport locations. Make sure to call ahead to the actual pick up location and ensure they stock a automatic golf ahead of time!

Thanks for pointing this out. I wll confirm ahead of time...

Got an upgrade from the compact VW Gold I booked using the http://hertz.de/lufthansa/ offer for 55EUR/weekend plus 1500 LH miles last weekend:

A BMW 525 D Automatic with navigation system and inbuilt digital TV!!! (Group J). Definitely a good ride with decent fuel consumption (30lit for 450 km). Excellent pickup, lots of space. My 5*G is paying off. :)

[QUOTE=Retired FF]I do not intend to drive much over 120KM/hour. Any experience with this


I nomally pass people like you, thats my experience ;)

The BMW 5XX series and up has a dynamic "neverlost" system... meaning that it's continuously updated with current traffic conditions, and inturn updates the mapping of your fastest route. This is the best feature I have ever experienced in any product. Getting around Europe with zero traffic is a luxury!

As a 5* or higher, you should be upgraded to this model.

Onboard navigational systems have been around europe since 7 years already. Most rental cars full size and up have these as a standard as it raises their resale value when the rental car companies try to sell them.

Be careful to reset the system before you let it calculate your route. Some previous users may have set it to go ahead using/not using highways as much as possible which changes the calculated tremendously sometimes ;)