FlyerTalk Forums - National

Quicker way to Executive Selection?

Cloudship — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:48:10 GMT

I usually end up doing about 8 or 9 rentals through National a year. That;s not quite enough to get me to Executive Select. My last few rentals have found almost no cars in the Emerald Aisle, and what is there seems ot be getting worse and worse.

I like the idea of choosing my own car, but I seem to get better vehicles through Avis/Budget. Is there a shortcut/fast track to Executive Selection?

Ford Flex Ride Report

dcchi — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:37:47 GMT

Was able to snag a Ford Flex out of ORD ES last week for a 2+ week rental. Was happy for the change, esp. after renting so many Malibus/Impalas. If you're looking for a flexible car with a need for seating up to 7 or just more storage/luggage space, it's a nice option. Although not marketed as an SUV, it essentially is very similar to the Toyota Highlander, in terms of size and capacities, though perhaps the Highlander is slightly wider (at least from my experience; perhaps the actual technical specs are different). The seating position is much like a SUV (good high view of the road), but the entry/exit seems to be easier as it doesn't seem like the floor of the car is as high up.

Thus far, it's been a really nice, smooth and powerful ride (262hp V6, I'm assuming). The rental we have has some nice features, including heated front seats, dual climate control, separate rear climate control, Sirius sat radio, and rear backup sensors. (Looking at the Ford website, my guess is that we have the SEL, which has 18" wheels.)

In our one fillup thus far (mostly suburban mixed local/highway driving), we averaged a tad under 20 mpg.

Ride Report: 2010 Lincoln MKZ

avmba — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:44:54 GMT

Imagine my surprise when I was strolling down the ES in LAS last week and stumbled across a brand new 2010 Lincoln MKZ. I was pretty shocked it was in ES given the rest of the choices and that two people had walked right past it to choose Chargers, Impalas, and the like.

Overall
The MKZ is pretty similar in size to most full-size cars in National's fleet (although it is categorized as a Luxury car in the system). It is a significant upgrade from 300s and other Luxury rentals I've seen as of late (Excluding the Caddys) in terms of the feature set, performance, and overall comfort. If you like the Ford Taurus Limited, you'll likely LOVE the MKZ (unless you have to have a sunroof).

Features
The MKZ comes standard with a lot of stuff which makes for a good rental. Mine was black on black and included leather, wood trim (dash, console, doors, steering wheel), premium sound with SYNC, Bluetooth connectivity for phone, SIRIUS satellite radio, and heated and ventilated seats.

Power is a 3.5L V6 which had a lot of pep (felt similar to the Nissan V6 from the Maxima).

Overall Ride
I was very happy with the ride - quite taut for a Lincoln and absorbed the rough asphalt and bumps on the Vegas streets easily. Steering was tight and conveyed good road feel (again, more similar to sporty Japanese and German counterparts than other Lincolns by far). Engine was powerful without being overly noisy although gas mileage is not good if you have a heavy right foot.

Plusses
- Heated/Ventilated seats - this is the first rental I've had with them and they ROCK. Three separate settings control airflow into the seat. same temp as the cabin
- Bluetooth/SYNC - very nice features and worked flawlessly for me
- Interior fit/finish - a significant upgrade from everything else but Caddys that I see in ES or Luxury aisle at National. Lots of wood, contrasting piping colors the comfy perforated leather seats make this a good looking interior.
- SIRIUS satellite radio

Minuses
- Gas mileage - if you care about this, and are doing lots of city driving, you may want to look elsewhere (although the computer will tell you instant and trip mileage if you scroll to it)
- SYNC Nanny mode - every time I started the car, it told me that some 911 assist feature was turned off...wiould drive me crazy on a longer rental and probably prevent me from using the bluetooth capability with my phone.

Hope this is helpful - the MKZ is a great addition to National's luxury lineup and hopefully will become more common in various markets (maybe at the expense of the 300...please? pretty please?)

MSN Autos Overview of 2010 MKZ

Cars at DFW

peteropny — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:13:53 GMT

I'm actually surprised (don't know why since I'm the mod here) that there wasn't a thread for this location.

Anyways, picked up on Fri 11/13 at 10pm:

ES was several Mercury Grand Marquis, Chevy Impala, 1 Buick Lucerne (that I somehow walked right by), and 1 Kia Amanti that I took.

EA was Ford Fusion and Malibus mostly along with some Impalas and 1 lone Mazda 5.

Luxury was a bunch of Chrysler 300 :td: and 1 Lincoln MKZ.

Nothing stood out in Full & Midsize.

Just a word of warning for people renting cars here - many (most?) freeways in the area are toll (and quite expensive) also supposedly some of the newer freeways are those that don't accept cash but only use those electronic transponder that you can get when you checkout the car - not sure what the cost is or how they bill you for the tolls since I didn't get one because where I was going I could get there with cash tolls (in about 150 miles - I must have spent close to $15 in tolls).

Car Talk Thread

drzoidberg — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:37:09 GMT

Since most of us (I assume) are car buffs, I thought we could start a thread to discuss some new and upcoming cars that might hit the EA/ES, or just to discuss current ones.

I'll start; the ES has a fair number of Volvo S60s. Pam aka "Queen of the Board" suggested that the Volvos are high maintenance. If National continues to buy Volvos, I hope they purchase the new 2010 S60s. Front has a bit of Opel/Vauxhall to them, but better looking than the current generation.

And what about that new 2010 Rondo?:)

Just minor revisions for 2010. Nothing major dear Tuneman.

Cars at OMA

Exiled in Express — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:59:31 GMT

Not an aisle location but a great selection and choice picks for Club members.
I picked up Friday afternoon, would guess about 200 cars on the lot, they seemed to be on the larger end of the spectrum, a lot of SUVs and larger sedans. I was hoping for a Volvo as I have come to like the interior layout but was given a 2010 Dodge Charger (<3000 miles).

On return Sunday evening I saw the fleet had a smaller section as well including Kias and Hyundai Sonatas. If you book Intermediate or higher you should be pleased with the result.

Modifying Reservation at Time of Rental

john93711 — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:50:01 GMT

After reading the comments about the poor selection at some EAs, I'm considering making an Emerald Reserve reservation for a Full-Size SUV or maybe a Premium to make sure I get a decent car.

However, if something on the EA catches my eye, can I call reservations and modify the reservation, have the reservation modified at the gate, or am I unable to modify the reservation without more advance notice?

Thanks for your insight.

A sign of things to come?

drzoidberg — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:23:24 GMT

Avis is readying no-show fees. National has the prerogative to charge for cancellations within a 24 hour window, but historically, has never done so. Are we going to see a change in policy enforcement?

http://www.management.travel/news.ph...fees.Nov-09.05

Got a lesser car than what I book, opinion?

neuro0 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:02:44 GMT

Last two times, one at SYR and one at TUS, I got a lower class car than what I booked. What people recommend I should do before leaving the lot? Both instances, they claimed they are out of the class I booked. (A full and a Premium).

Can you add an additional driver with a photocopy of their driver's license?

sts603 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:23:59 GMT

Would like to add a driver at check-out who isn't going to be there. Can I just show them a copy of his driver's license?

Cars at MEM

elCheapoDeluxe — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:11:12 GMT

I'm surprised that I can't find a page for Memphis car selection, so I'll throw in the first observation.

Tuesday morning (27-Oct-2009) I observed in ES:

several Toyota Siennas
Lincoln Town Car
Chevy Malibu

It was POURING rain, so if there was anything else I may have missed it, but the ES and EA aisles were mostly empty. I took the Malibu and was plenty pleased with it.

Over in EA I observed a Chevy HHR and a Saturn Aura. Again, the torrential downpour prevented further investigation.

Which Full & Mid Size should one pick

SimpleManToo — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:36:06 GMT

I have owned the new Malibu and loved it. I am going to be renting a national car either Midsized or Full Sized and would like to read the FT community comments on National's full sized and mid sized cars.

I will be hauling people (4 or them most likely) and I want to try something else out than the Malibu since I know how much I Love the Malibu. Would love to read some opinions about other cars in those classes of cars.

National Still Have XM

zdcatc12 — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:56:56 GMT

Has National cut back on XM over the last couple of months. Until the car I have now, none of the XM equipped cars that I have gotten over the last couple of months have been activated (only got Ch 1 and the emerg channel). The last one that did have it at the start of the rental, actually deactivated halfway through my rental. I have also noticed the XM sticker no longer appears to be on the keys and I have not seen it advertised on the bus lately.

One of the main reasons that I have stayed with National is because I can pick a car and usually go for the one with XM. Now when I do that, I have to physically check the radio to see if it is still activated, I used to just look for the antenna. Actually, on Monday I had 2 Aura's to pick from, both with an XM antenna. However, one was activated and the other wasn't. Do they just let the 3-month free subscription run out and not keep it active?

Ride Report - 2009 Kia Rondo

Tuneman1984 — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:51:50 GMT

This had to happen eventually. And I figure what better way to celebrate my honourary 1,000th post on FlyerTalk? :D

Overview

The only model I've seen on fleet is the mid-range EX model (LX in USA) in 7-passenger configuration. However, for a mid-range model, it only comes one way: loaded. Power windows and locks, cruise control, ABS, ESC, Bluetooth, heated seats, USB port, and Sirius radio for 3 months in US models. I presume the reason National picked a loaded model was that the base model previously did not offer air conditioning. Kia has changed this, so there might be some more spartan-equipped models in the aisles shortly. Just a speculation, as I've yet to see one. Base models still come with the power options and safety features, however.

Performance

The Rondo is equipped with either a 175 hp 2.4L 4-cylinder or a 192 hp 2.7L V6. That being said, I've only seen and driven the 4-cylinder version. It's not a performance vehicle by any stretch of the imagination, but acceleration is more than adequate around the city and getting onto the highway. The Rondo is also a much better handler than one might expect given its shape; I've found it to be a stable contender at freeway speeds, unlike the Mazda5 which I found particularly wobbly over 60 MPH. All Rondos are equipped with anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control. In some extremely snowy conditions when I've driven the car, the ESC system is almost too intrusive; thankfully this is remedied by a lockout switch.

Fuel Economy

The Rondo 4-cylinder is rated 20 city/27 highway. Fuel economy is certainly not the car's strongest suit, as it fares worse than even some fullsize cars in National's fleet. Against it's direct competition on the aisle however, it falls just short of the Mazda5 (21/27), but WELL ahead of the PT Cruiser (19/24). Also consider this, the Rondo has more total room than some SUVs, all while walking away from them in fuel efficiency.

Entertainment

US renters can consider themselves lucky that a new Rondo will be equipped with a Sirius sat radio, whereas in Canada it's limited to the top-of-the-line V6 model. However, the Rondo makes up for this with the standard USB port, allowing iPod/mp3 player control through the car radio. Hook-up was very simple and the interface was easy to use. The Rondo also comes with Bluetooth, which unfortunately wasn't as easy to use. If I remember correctly, you aren't even told the code to enter to sync your phone with the car (I believe it's 1234). This caused some confusion initially. Also, once I got using it, I found the connection wasn't nearly as clear as either the Toyota Handsfree system or Ford's SYNC. It's still a nice feature to have, but it could use a bit more refinement.

Comfort

The driver's seating position is more upright than a regular intermediate car, which makes for a clear view of the road. The seat adjusts 6-ways so I found it very easy to find a comfortable position. The 2nd row seats appear to be adequate for two adults at best, but maybe 3 in a pinch. The 3rd row seats are mostly for show unfortunately, as to be expected in a car of this size. They're fine for small children (making this car a possible alternative to a Grand Caravan), but for adults it's best to limit the 3rd row seat usage to short trips only. Also, when the 3rd row is up, cargo space is limited to toiletry cases and maybe, just maybe, a few staples from the grocery. Fold the 3rd row down, however, and you've got more than enough room for 4 passengers and their gear. Fold down the 2nd row seats as well, and you've got an astonishing 73 cubic feet of cargo space behind the front seats. That's more than the PT Cruiser, Escape, and even the Grand Cherokee. It's for this reason I got to love this car for weekend errand running.

Convenience

As I mentioned in the overview, the Rondo is amazingly equipped for such a basic vehicle in nature. One great feature found on Canadian models is the heated windshield, which makes early winter mornings a cinch for getting defrosted. As well, Canadian Rondos also have heated seats standard on the EX model, effectively making this one of my favourite winter cars. Standard cruise control is nice to have, since it can be hit or miss on rental models these days. As well, most Rondos have steering wheel controls for the radio and Bluetooth connection.

Summary

In short, here is my impression of the 2009 Rondo:

Pros

Standard ESC
The most cargo room of any regular car in the fleet
Comes loaded!
Heated seats and windshield (Canada) for cold winter mornings
Comfortable driver's position

Cons

Would like to try the V6 model for more passing power
Fuel economy not the greatest
No Sirius in Canadian models
Bluetooth system needs improvement

If I have to get stuck with the same car rental after rental, I usually hope for a Rondo. It's a handy little vehicle that I've really grown to like more every time I rent it. However, I wouldn't choose it over something like a Fusion unless I absolutely needed the extra room. Thus, the Rondo represents a gem of a find on the aisle and a great SUV alternative.

Chrysler 300 - Luxury Rental?

memoses — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:34:59 GMT

This car has always preturbed me, and here is an example why.

I rented a Premium from MKE last week, and the only car available was a 300. Thinking that would be OK, I entered it to find cloth seats, no Sat, nothing, just an entry level 300.

When I pulled to the gate, in her super friendly midwestern manner, the agent told me "Wow, you are lucky. Normally that is a Luxury car."

Really? I would be mega :mad: if I actually rented a Luxury car, and instead of a Caddy or Infiniti, I was shown a 300, even with leather.

So here is where my confusion goes into overdrive. Gate agent says it is a Luxury car. Contract says I wanted a Premium and this is what was parked there. Key fob indicantes it's an FCAR.

My question then, what is a 300? Is it like the Taurus, where the Limited is a PCAR, but SEL or SL is an FCAR? How can it ever have enough options to get to luxury status? Can I assume that the car's "ranking" is established by the guy who checks in the new shipment of cars. If he thinks something is a Full-Size, he enters it into the system as such. If a Premium or Luxury, the same is true.

Note: This is not the first time I've experienced "Luxury Envy" from a 300. In EWR the agent also mentioned that I could get an upgrade to a Premium car, only to be given keys to a cloth 300 with, yet again, FCAR written on the key tag. The same happened with an Avalon in ORD, which with leather seats, I would consider a PCAR, but with cloth, just an FCAR (as this one indicated being).