Consolidated "Renting at PHX; What Kind of Cars to Expect?" Thread
 

Does anyone know what sort of car you would get in intermediate to full size at Phoenix airport?

Thinking of reserving a group D as should be sufficient for my needs, as am tall and need space for 2 suitcases etc.

Also have Hertz stopped charging one way drop fees?

PHX in June
 

We have two reservations with hertz phx in June. One is for the H4 Mercedes glc/range rover evoque or similar and one for the Z4 infiniti qx60/range rover discovery sport or similar. Does anyone have a good guess on what we might get? I'm not a fan of the infiniti. My wife is worried that the H4 line will be to small so I made the Z4 reservation. I'm just not sure which one to take. Thanks in advance.

June is too far away to know what will by by then.

However, I am in PHX at present and have been to collect 3 cars in the last 4 days. They've been pretty well supplied with cars, so should have a reasonable idea of what is on fleet. I have to advise that I have only seen 1 Merc GLC, and no Evoques or R-R Disco Sports. They do have quite a few Infiniti QX60s, so my guess is that unless something changes (and don't forget that a lot of the fleet will leave Hertz for cooler climes in a few weeks time), you're most like to get a QX60.

They've also got a few Range-Rover Sports......... same price as a Macan (ie you need to negotiate!).

Thanks Red Scorpion. I didn't know about the fleet moving to cooler climates, but it makes sense. I guess we will just see how it goes and hope for no infiniti. I will post what I see in the lot and what vehicle or vehicles they offer us.

Consolidated "Renting at PHX; What Kind of Cars to Expect?" Thread
 

Just saw this message from Hertz when I booked a rental for PHX in a few weeks:

"From June 13, 2017, NEW AT HERTZ PHOENIX-SKY HARBOR AIRPORT: Hertz Ultimate Choice™."

Glad to see there's finally a launch date, and it's when I'm picking up the car. Can't wait to try it out.

I was just there this weekend, and the PC/5* sections were already labeled and appeared to be operating as UC. I had a specific rental from several months ago, so didn't spend much time looking, but the PC rows looked promising.

Just stopped by PHX to check it out. I saw temporary signs for UC covering the old digital signage, and an agent said they're on track for next week's launch. Premium Upgrades (which occupy the spot where Gold Choice once stood) had a bunch of Infiniti Q50's, Q60, QX30, CLA, ATS and an A4. 5* had Sonata Hybrids, Altimas, Rogues, a Journey and a Sportage. Didn't get a chance to see PC or Gold because a lot attendant kept asking me if I was lost.

Just picked up at PHX, first week of Ultimate Choice. There were agents galore to help customers find a car, even at 9:30 at night. True to AutoSlash's word, the 5 Star cars generally had lower miles and were in better shape than those in Gold and non-member areas.

President's Circle: Cadillac XTS, Toyota Avalon and Camry, Nissan Maxima and Pathfinder, Kia Sorento, GMC Acadia, Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and Sonata, Buick Envision.
5 Star: Kia Sportage and Optima, VW Passat and Tiguan, Hyundai Sonata, Nissan Sentra and Altima, Chevy Cruze, Ford Fusion and Escape, Jeep Compass (old style).
Gold: Chevy Malibu and Cruze, VW Jetta, Mazda 3, Nissan Sentra and Altima, Kia Sportage and Optima, Jeep Renegade, Hyundai Sonata and Elantra.
Premium Upgrades: Infiniti Q50 and Q70, Mercedes CLA and C300, Audi A4, Cadillac XTS.
Compact, Midsize and Full Size were class typical selections.
Other interesting finds: Nissan NV cargo van and Toyota RAV4 in Midsize, Dodge Charger R/T in Full Size.

I first took a loaded Ford Escape Titanium with 4K miles, but found out it was checked out by an employee. Was about to take a VW Tiguan with 3K miles, but ended up taking a Hyundai Sonata Hybrid with 9K miles and active XM (gotta save on gas). So far, I'm liking UC at PHX. There was plenty to choose from.

When returning the car, PHX had pretty much the same selection as when I picked it up. However, 5 Star had several Ford Fusion Hybrids and a single Mercedes SLK300 roadster. No, that's not a typo. I asked the Hertz rep and she responded, "If it's in 5 Star, you can take it." If that was there when I picked up the Hyundai earlier, this weekend would've been that much more fun.

President's Circle had a Ford Edge, a Camaro Convertible and an Infiniti Q50 that was already occupied.

Picked up a car last night, and PHX was next to empty.

President's Circle: Infiniti Q60, Toyota RAV4, Ford Edge.
5 Star: Nissan Rogue and Altima, Toyota RAV4 and Camry, Kia Sportage and Soul (with 4 miles!), Toyota Sienna, Dodge Grand Caravan and Journey.
Gold: Same as above, but also VW Passat, Chevrolet Malibu and Impala (old style), Hyundai Sonata. There was a Nissan Altima SL with leather hidden in the sea of Altima S's.
Full Size, Midsize and Compact were class typical.
There was a single Infiniti QX30 in Premium Upgrades.

Was torn between the 4 mile Soul, Altima SL and a RAV4 XLE. Initially chose the RAV4 (black leather + desert heat = hot, hot, hot!), but ended up exchanging it within 10 minutes due to a defective driver's door that let wind noise and rain seep in. Chose a GMC Acadia that pulled up to the 5 Star section.

Picked up on Aug 26 (SAT) 2pm, there were two GMC Yukon XLs, one Chevy Suburban and one Ford Explorer among the cars in PC, pretty good selection.

Picked up on Tuesday 22 Aug. Not a single car anywhere in Ultimate Choice. A lot of frustrated customers around in a 100f garage.

Last weekend in 5 Star and Gold, PHX had dozens (and I mean dozens) of brand new Impalas. There were also a few Sonatas and Optimas mixed in with a Subaru hatchback and a Toyota RAV4.

But, I chose the only interesting car in 5* area: a Camaro with ~800 miles on it

To add another datapoint:

Had a Wednesday night reservation for an Intermediate (C), and got an Ultimate Choice/5* notification a few hours before arrival.

PC area had a low-spec Camaro, a couple generic Altimas and Elantras, one Maxima, and, oddly, a Nissan NV Cargo van. Nothing else.

5* had several base spec Altimas, several base spec Elantras, one Cruze, one older Impala, and several Malibus. I took a "younger" Malibu - fairly base trim but with working XM. Area was maybe 15-20% full, at best.

I was hoping for some kind of small SUV.. the only thing they had in the "fallback" zones was a really tired looking Jeep Compass.

I am renting at PHX on Dec 29th. President's Circle member with a reservation for a group Q4 (IFAR Mid-sized SUV).

First time usinh Ultimate Choice and the wording seems to suggest it's all about paid upgrades ?

I don't want to pay extra, so how would I ensure I was choosing a car from Q4 or equivalent/lower ?

Thanks !