Hertz - The 2 door YARIS; aka the Clown Car

:confused: Has anyone had the pleasure of receiving the Clown Car?

rented at PNS a few weeks ago; booked compact with double upgrade certificate, which normally nets me a midsize vehicle. (Yes, I realize that I am taking my chances, but the website lists compact as a Focus or similar, which is just fine with me)

Arrived at 10pm to Gold Counter Service; was handed keys to the car. When I asked for a description of the Yaris, I was told that it was the new Toyota, just added to the fleet (and coincidentally, the last car available that night)

I placed my laptop and handbag in the 'trunkette' and it was filled - had to put my duffle on the back seat and suitcase on the front seat. Apparently that angered the car; the seatbelt indicator beeped all the way to Mobile.

Turned in the car at MOB 2 days later and was told that this car is 'one step up from full size'!!!! :rolleyes: I beg to differ!!!

Somehow I doubt it. I will be following up with CS, but just wanted to give readers a heads up...

One step up from fullsize (F) would be a premium (G)... if a 2-door subcompact like the Yaris is considered a premium, I think someone from Hertz needs to be fired!

I'm on hold with Hertz CS - they DO classify it as one level above a compact :confused: ie a midsize.

Even Toyota calls it a subcompact Say hello to the all-new 2007 Yaris, and kiss goodbye all preconceived notions about sub-compact cars I fail to see how a 2 door subcompact can be considered an upgrade from a four door Focus or similar...

This would classify it as a 'midsize' on par with a Corolla. Someone at Hertz has really messed up with this one!

I'm on hold with Hertz CS - they DO classify it as one level above a compact :confused: ie a midsize.

Even Toyota calls it a subcompact I fail to see how a 2 door subcompact can be considered an upgrade from a four door Focus or similar...

This would classify it as a 'midsize' on par with a Corolla. Someone at Hertz has really messed up with this one!

not that I condone this practice, but it could be classed a 'YB,' and thus be an upgrade from a 'B'. (This is the case with the Focus hatchback, for instance)

what class does the receipt say it was?

charged B
rented YB
reserved B

BUT this is in reference to the Mazda 3 which I received when I exchanged the vehicle, and which was significantly larger than the Yaris

Focus hatchback passenger volume 94
Yaris hatchback passenger volume 85

http://autos.yahoo.com/toyota_yaris_3_door_liftback-specs/?p=cap

I placed my laptop and handbag in the 'trunkette' and it was filled - had to put my duffle on the back seat and suitcase on the front seat. Apparently that angered the car; the seatbelt indicator beeped all the way to Mobile.



This happend to me recently in a Corolla I rented from Enterprise. The easy way to get it to stop beeping is to simply buckle the seatbelt.

I placed my laptop and handbag in the 'trunkette' and it was filled - had to put my duffle on the back seat and suitcase on the front seat.Picture of Yaris trunk (http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/02/Yaris-sedan-trunk-detail.JPG).

If a 2-door Yaris is a compact they'd have to get a SMART in to be economy. :D

I wouldn't mind trying one out on a rental, but I'd better be renting economy. I know that the Yaris and some other similar small cars are made to be small but well-appointed inside, but still, to classify it as B or YB seems quite wrong compared to the other things that are still often classified there.

Is there new car class creep going on at Hertz? I last rented a C and the PIT folks gave me a Hyundai Santa Fe, so I really don't know what's going on with the B/C/D/F cars....

Picture of Yaris trunk (http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/02/Yaris-sedan-trunk-detail.JPG).

This is from the 4 door which is much bigger than the other thing they call Yaris.

You people that say Toyota is like God is why they consider this car the way they do. I dislike most Toyotas since all they make is boring vehicles. I miss the MR2, Celica, Supra.

Got to say I would take a Ford over the Yaris anyday of the weak. I mean if you buy a Focus is they even come standard with a 100K warranty. The only Ford to offer that for free.

Maybe I'm alone here, but I would actually like to drive a Yaris! I'm not really a fan of big boats like the Kia Amanti, and having a spartan underpowered econocar will give me fond memories of my '96 Civic in college... :D

Hmm, for a clown car I would nominate the HHR or the PT Cruiser - very embarrassing to emerge from it in front of others!

at least one can fit 3 clowns into the HHR and Cruiser! only 2 clowns fit into the 2 door Yaris... :)

what was the verdict? what happened when you called CS? if they consider the yaris coupe a midsize then what do they consider the corolla? there is no way this could be a midsize

this car is cheaper than the hyundai accent and the honda fit with a msrp at $11.5K

it is 8 inches shorter than both the honda fit and hyundai accent. the car is 150 inches bumper to bumper and smaller in every dimensiion.

and both the fit and the accent are economy or sub compact cars.


I dont see how this car can be justified as a midsize.

Well look on the positive side. you probally saved money on gas. LOL

what was the verdict? what happened when you called CS?

Somewhere there is a CS Manager at Hertz with coffee sprayed all over her monitor :)

I actually received a call back late yesterday from someone who was very pleasant. Initially she thought that I was saying 'Taurus', not 'Yaris', and as she was not familiar with the car, went online to look it up.

She literally started to stammer, and apologized, telling me that she had just seen the car for herself on line, and understood my concern.

Apparently she is submitting a ticket asking that they reevaulate the classificaiton of the 2 door.

I also had the Gold desk put 'no Yaris' in my profile...

what about compensation for receiving less car than what you should have

Somewhere there is a CS Manager at Hertz with coffee sprayed all over her monitor :)

I actually received a call back late yesterday from someone who was very pleasant. Initially she thought that I was saying 'Taurus', not 'Yaris', and as she was not familiar with the car, went online to look it up.

She literally started to stammer, and apologized, telling me that she had just seen the car for herself on line, and understood my concern.

Apparently she is submitting a ticket asking that they reevaulate the classificaiton of the 2 door.

I also had the Gold desk put 'no Yaris' in my profile...

The first supervisor I spoke with was a real jerk, and refused to even hear me. When I asked for his manager, he claimed that he would bring 'all my past rental complaints to her attention'. Go right ahead - for 2006 I rented almost every other week and my only issue was arriving in MUC during World Cup and being told 'we have no cars - try and come back tomorrow'- not an option when I needed to drive 2 hours to get home.

The manager DID offer to take off $25 (the counter at PNS took off $25 on return as they too were shocked at the car) but I told her not to bother for that amount.

Hertz still has the car classified at YB, therefore they saw no need to compensation for a 'downgrade' as it was not a 'downgrade' in their eyes.

Was the double-upgrade certificate a paper coupon? If so, I'd ask Hertz CS to send you a new one, since regardless of whether a YB is an upgrade or not, you did not get the two-class upgrade as the coupon dictates.

I think the Yaris is such a neat car and would be very happy to get one. I hope to get one in the future.

Here's another thread on a different forum re somebody's experience in a rental Yaris. The pictures seem to be gone.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2818967