ThatOneGuy

Here is a write up of my recent RSAR rental at ORD:

Arrived for my pick up at 4pm on a Sunday and went to gold desk. I asked what vehicle had been reserved for me and the polite and helpful agent said she had a Challenger R/T, as this was my least preferred option of the class i asked if anything else was available. After a few strokes of the keyboard she remarked "I have a 'Camaro' if you prefer?" I replied that would be perfect. So she informed me of the parking bay number and happily I strolled on to find it.

Once I arrived at the car I immediately saw that this was a Camaro RS and not the Camaro SS that would be relevant to the RSAR class. For those who don't know that SS is very easy to identify as soon as you see it thanks it's black hood vents and red SS badges on the front grill, back bumper and seat embroidery. Anyhow as this was not the class I had reserved I went back to the gold desk. Upon arriving at the the desk I informed the agent that the Camaro she had directed me to was of a lower class and so for to make things easy I would just take the Challenger R/T as per my original allocation. The agent apologised for the error and told me where to find the R/T.

Again I headed off to the lot to find the locate the car and unfortunately again there was instant disappointment when I arrived at the space as this time I was greeted by a Ford Fusion Hybrid, oh the irony, so I began the walk back to the gold desk for the third time. Once I arrived the agent looked genuinely concerned to see me and once I informed her what happened this time she began to apologise profusely. As I was not really in any hurry I was not particularly upset by the mix ups and so I replied to her apologies with "It is what it is, lets just hope for third time lucky" and I think it was partly due to this calm response that I got this resolution:

The agent reached under the desk to retrieve a radio and made the following request " VIP call, I need a V4, I repeat V4 for VIP" and then less than 10 seconds later the reply of " got it, en-route" was heard and within a minute a bright red Camaro SS on Pennsylvania plates with just under 2k on the clock, still wet from washing was presented to me at the gold desk and with a final apology for the inconvenience from the agent who had been most helpful all the way through this experience I was on my way.

glostix

D2 aka SSAR class got updated.
Was: Dodge Challenger (or similar)
Now: Ford Mustang (or similar)

Ironic Hertz continues hide the marketing-taboo words "Dodge Challenger" from their sportscar classes (see V4 aka RSAR "Mustang GT/Camaro SS") when in reality both V4/RSAR and D2/SSAR are actually mostly Dodge Challengers... bait and switch!

m907

Interesting. I wonder if they're actually buying more Mustangs, or it's temporary like last year when the Charger was briefly the example for FCAR even though they were (and are) fairly uncommon.

Kateg28

We have booked a D2 out of SFO at end of the month. When we booked it was Dodge Challenger or similar but recently changed to Ford Mustang or similar. We are not actually too worried about the actual car (or should we?) but I looked at the spec today of the mustang and it says SatNav. When we booked I chose not to add Sat Nav as I quite like using maps to get a feel of the location and a sense of direction but admit a sat nav has its uses.
if it says on the spec, does that mean it is included automatically or only if I had paid extra for it?
someone has offered to lend a satnav to us and wondering if it is worth bringing or not?

KevinMD

Don't worry too much about the examples, as they frequently change and mean nothing. Many cars do come with SatNav, but if they do, you will not be charged for it. Since you do not know what car you are getting, if you have access to a SatNav, I would bring it.

Kateg28

Thank you. Probably worth bringing the sat nav, we have plenty of luggage allowance.

clubman

Just download Waze and use your phone?

m907

Not very helpful if you travel through areas without service.

GW McLintock

I took a road trip of sorts to Pennsylvania last month. Since I don't have unlimited data on my phone, I printed out the Google Maps directions and a close-up of the map in one of the trickier areas. Remember when people actually had to use paper maps?

-J.

Kateg28

I am from the U.K. so to use my phone data in the USA is about $7 a day even if I just send one text. SatNav unit is free!

Kateg28

most of my baggage allowance will be on paper maps! I prefer them to SatNav as you can get a sense of direction and location, but I do think a Sat nav can be useful. So I am hoping to do a mixture of both. Maps for route planning, SatNav to enact it with back ups of maps.

srh007

We have also reserved this group (D2) from SFO in April 2020 for a week. As we are headed from the UK it would be really great to hear what options you have when you rent at the end of the month.

Would you please be able to reply back and let us know what you get? Any photos would be a bonus too!

Many thanks for your help 👍🏻

Kateg28

Will do.
5 days and counting. 😁

strickerj

If you have Google Maps on your phone and know in advance where you’ll be, you can download the areas you need in advance for offline use later. On the main menu (top left), there’s an option called “Offline Maps”. Select “Custom Map” in there and you can select the area you want to download. Have a good trip!

glostix

Also eager to see what car Hertz gives you for D2 class.
You might also try going to the Gold counter to ask for a different car if you don't like it, see what they offer you.