David613

Is there currently ultimate choice in Jacksonville,Fl airport?

CMK10

Unfortunately there is not

Herb687

Unfortunately? I find it very fortunate. I've consistently been able to receive much better vehicles as a PC at non-Ultimate Choice locations than major airports with UC PC aisles stacked with Kias, Kias, Chrysler 300s and assorted other pieces of junk.

Case in point: my last visit to JAX - went to the PC section at the counter, minimal wait, keys and paperwork all ready for me. I go out to the lot and find that they have pre-assigned me a Cadillac SUV of some sort. I don't like SUVs so I went back in to ask if they would give me an A220 instead since I saw a few of them parked close to the Caddy. No problem. Switched to the A220 and was on my way.

My best upgrade to date (BMW 530i) was also at a non-UC mid-sized airport (ALB) where I asked for something other than the pre-assigned Chrysler 300 on a weekly points rental and was told to take my choice of the 5 Series or various Cadillacs.

Ultimate Choice sucks, in my opinion. Back and forth with counter agents at mid-sized airports is how a PC can score a decent car.

Small sample size of rentals but I would nominate JAX as one of Hertz's best stations.

CMK10

You've had different experiences at JAX than I have. I don't like spending time at the counter, I don't like the vehicles I've received there, and I don't want to spend time walking back to the counter to try and argue for a different vehicle.

Herb687

If the alternative is to go directly to a terrible Korean econo-SUV, a high mileage Altima, or a damaged Chrysler 300, I will gladly stop at a counter staffed with friendly people like the folks at JAX.

In fairness, I probably could have only visited the counter once had I noticed that the Cadillac key fob went with an SUV instead of a sedan. I just assumed I was getting an XTS. Or maybe I even saw XT# and it didn't dawn on me that XT# denotes an SUV.

If I had to make a list of the worst Hertz stations, Ultimate Choice locations would constitute all of the worst offenders.

m907

You hate SUVs, sunroofs, and Ultimate Choice. I don't think most people agree with you. You've also complained about threads where people post what kind of cars they see at UC locations as useless, but you're posting one-off anecdotes about JAX saying it's one of the best. So that shows that location-specific threads are actually useful.

Herb687

Only panoramic ones with no hard partition to completely block light from entering through the roof.
I suppose most people don't. Do you aspire to be "most people"? It is interesting to see how among driving enthusiasts moonroof deletion is one of the most commonly selected options on high performance BMWs.

They are. The average UC station is broadly indistinguishable from any other UC station. The selection is basically the same and it is highly variable by day of week, time of day, season, etc. While I may think that ATL is the worst UC station, the average ones are all the same and the "What Kind of Cars to Expect" threads are useless if one wants to glean actionable information.

And I wouldn't say I "hate" Ultimate Choice. But it certainly overpromises and underdelivers for Presidents Circle members. As posted above, I get my best Hertz upgrades at non-UC stations.

So, I will concede that for non-UC stations, these threads can have some value although based on this one apparently that value is minimal and the anecdotes not actionable seeing as how I have had good experiences at Hertz JAX while CMK10 has had poor ones.

m907

Most people on these forums is what I meant. I'm curious why panoramic ones are a problem. Is it because they let glare in somehow? I've never noticed.

How many UC stations have you been to? I've noticed a lot of tendencies at airports I visit often, usually which ones are generous and which are stingy with their nicer cars.

Herb687

Glare, light generally, and the associated heat. With one exception, every vehicle I've driven that has a panoramic moonroof has only a flimsy thin perforated partition inside the cabin. They're terrible and do not block the light at all on a bright sunny day. They let in lots of light and heat. I believe that the one vehicle that had a panoramic moonroof and a hard, completely opaque partition inside the cabin was a Lincoln SUV that I rented from Hertz. I might be wrong about which vehicle it was though. I do know that this panoramic moonroof problem is pervasive with European luxury brands. While not the sole reason I opted for a different car when I was in the market, I will say that the inability to even order a car without a panoramic moonroof was a factor in deselecting certain models from Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo.

Living in the hot summer climate of Texas, I want to keep as much light and heat out of the cockpit as possible. And, yes, eliminating glare is important too. I just do not understand why some luxury brands do not even offer moonroof deletion as an option.


I'm doing this off the top of my head and restricting it to the calendar years 2018-2020 but in no particular order: ATL, DAL, DFW, IAH, PDX, SFO, SJC, TPA, RIC, CVG, MIA, MCI, PHX, BDL, BWI, EWR, ONT, BUR. There may be a few more UC stations I've visited but those 18 are the ones that immediately come to mind.

Among those, PDX and MCI were decent; ATL/DAL/DFW consistently terrible across multiple visits; and the rest all indistinguishably average.

m907

Interesting. I've rented several cars with panoramic sunroofs and never had an issue with them. I know from experience that any car in the Texas heat is going to roast so I don't know how much worse a sunroof could make it, but wouldn't consistent remote start, even for a few seconds while approaching the car, mitigate whatever extra heat the sunroof lets in?

That's five that you named as being decent or terrible. So it seems you do think the individual location threads have some value.

gooselee

So, uhh, just to add a marginally relevant piece of information here. The reason people ordering high performance BMWs, MBs, Porsches, whatever delete moonroofs (or get models without one) is because that option then allows (or requires) the selection of a carbon fiber roof which reduces overall weight and lowers center of gravity, two very important things for a track car.

For literally every other purpose (and probably for the daily driver vehicles also owned by the moonroof-deleting bunch), the vast majority of people are going to appreciate the extra light and ventilation a moonroofs allows. Also the small fact that people renting cars from mass-market airport rental car agencies aren't exactly expecting track-ready vehicles, and in fact are prohibited from taking said vehicles on to a track.

But what do I know. I'm just a simple owner of a custom-ordered high-performance BMW...with a moonroof.

Herb687

Trimmed for accuracy. Taking weight out of the worst possible place is a good idea for any car.

Avoiding light/heat/glare is one big benefit of avoiding moonroofs. Reducing unneeded motors and moving parts is another. And so is lowering the car's center of gravity.

I haven't tracked my car yet and I don't plan to. But I certainly appreciate every little bit of improved handling I can get in daily driving. A lower CG is never a bad thing.

m907

You took it completely out of context. What is the weight difference between a car with a moonroof and the same model without one?

Herb687

For the BMW F22/F87 2 Series I have seen 45 lbs quoted. It's not just the weight. It's more the fact that the additional weight is at the worst possible place on the car. Even the pro-sunroof poster I was quoting acknowledges that sunroofs have a negative impact on center of gravity.

jason8612

Let's please stay on topic about JAX Hertz, please.

Thank You,
Jason8612 Hertz Mod