"Best fleet ever"
 

Hertz has been touting in emails lately that they have their "Best fleet ever". I'm wondering if people here think they actually do.

In my experience their UC locations are still very YMMV. Some of them have great selections and are well-run, some of them have bad selections and disengaged employees. As for the fleet itself, they do seem to be making better cars available at on the aisle at UC locations but they still buy too many low trim cars. For example, National seems to only carry the Ford Explorer in Limited trim but it's almost always XLT trim with Hertz in my experience.

What are your anecdotal opinions of the "best fleet ever" claim?

Reserved a Prestige collection at MDW--got a great deal for a week. My name was not on the board (again). After an inquiry, they brought me an Infiniti Q50, still wet from the car wash. Looked pretty, but was the base, base, base model. I think some 'standard' equipment had actually been deleted. And didn't even have EZPass, particularly helpful in Chicago!

I haven't gotten a 'well equipped' vehicle in several years. Pretty on the outside but generally high mileage and plenty of dings and dents. I don't agree with 'best fleet ever.'

I think you're correct with it varying by location, but the same can be said for any rental car company. This year with Hertz the cars have ranged from brand new (literally 7 miles) Charger Hemi R/Ts with the Super Track Pack in BOS all the way to 56,000 (!) mile Mercedes GLE350 at FLL. Mostly UC, although I did several T6 reservations and was always given a well-equipped Yukon XL. In the past, and even this year with National it's been the same variance, though. All the way from brand new, some plastic still on the inside Altimas to well worn Infintis and Audis.

I think the "best fleet ever" is just a marketing pitch. Just how Apple always releases the "best" iPhone every year because technically it's improved internals. Hertz can justify it the same because they have to buy new cars, and new cars will always have incremental equipment additions. Whether that's really "best" is up to you ;)

I know it's just marketing, I just wanted to see if people noticed a real difference.

Ordinarily I'd say no, but last week I rented from Enterprise at LAX and I swear I'll never cheat on Hertz and their 300s in all the colors of the rainbow again.

My anecdotal opinion is that their overall fleet is the same to slightly worse. While I recently had an amazing upgrade to a BMW 530i, that one was an outlier. Looking at one station I frequent (ATL), I used to see quite a few Infiniti Q50s and Cadillacs on the lot. Last few times in the PC area it was basically a sea of Hyundai SUVs.

At too many other stations, when cars (as opposed to SUVs. If I want an SUV, I will reserve one. Do not force me to take a f-ing SUV when I reserved a car) are actually available in 5*/PC, it's the same tired assortment of Impalas, Malibus, Chrysler 300s.

Oh and what is with the proliferation of Chrysler 300s? Only Hertz can find something premium about an Impala or luxurious about a Chrysler 300.

And to add insult to injury, Hertz discontinued fixed upgrade pricing to interesting cars. When I spotted an Infiniti Q60 on the lot at DAL, I would have paid the reasonable former $25/day fixed upgrade fee but now upgrade pricing varies and the counter agent was willing to negotiate with me to give me a great deal: $40/day :rolleyes:

Needless to say the counter agent didn't make that sale.

My last 15 rentals from Hertz are listed below along with the starting mileage. Make what you will of the info. Overall I have been pretty happy but i don't have much as a basis for comparison. Unless otherwise noted all were pulled off the PC aisle at STL.

1) BMW 530i - 8
2) Toyota Prius – 2,134 [One way from ORD so I had to take from the Intermediate area]
3) Dodge Charger R/T – 4,765
4) Dodge Challenger R/T - 24,182
5) Lincoln MKC - 51
6) Chevy Cruze - 35,929 [Intermediate reservation at RST which is not UC]
7) Buick Enclave AWD – 10,819
8) Toyota 4Runner -371
9) Chrysler 300 AWD – 15,923
10) Toyota Camry – 12,204
11) Cadillac XTS – 289
12) Infinity Q70 – 18,151
13) Dodge Challenger R/T – 4,124
14) Infiniti Q50 – 42,596 [Compact reservation at a HLE in MO]
15) Toyota Avalon - 7,300

We're grading on a curve here really. Do I wish Hertz would get rid of the 300's the Malibu's and last of the last Ford Taurus' yes. Absolutely. I hate them.

But at what cost? The way that Hertz grade their vehicles you just know that a Nissan Kicks or Ford EcoSport (classified as a midsize SUV or something else insane) - are just waiting in the wings to take their place and be much, much worse.

I've still never understood why they don't just move the premium upgrade vehicles with higher mileage to PC for the last few thousand miles whilst they're on fleet. At least then you're giving PC customers some decent rentals. I'd take/risk a RR Sport on 34,000 miles over a brand spanking new 300

Soon the 300's, Malubu's and Taurus won't even be sold anymore, I hate to see what Hertz will have in their place. I hate to see the Taurus go, that IMO is a fine car.

*Oprah Gif*

Base model Nissan Rogue's for everyone!

I suspect that we'll be seeing a lot (more) of Korean sedans.

Out of curiosity, and at the risk of veering off-thread, from a European perspective what is wrong with the Chrysler 300?

Objectively it's an excellent car to receive off a midsize reservation. But we've grown tired of them as it is by far the most common car I've seen in PC lots across the country. That or the Impala. One thing I used to appreciate about Avis was the variety of models and variety of trims. Two things Hertz lacks.

I agree. Objectively, is the Chrysler 300 a bad car? well.. yes. But if I can rent one for the same price as a Corolla should I really be complaining? Again yes.. (have you seen the spec of even the base Corolla these days!?)

But I recognize it's because I'm a fussy b!tch. I'm just fatigued by them. Hertz used to get decent spec models with adaptive cruise and hemi engines. You can occasionally find still find them. It's a proper old school American full size and as a European I imagine would add to the excitement of renting whilst on vacation. To me, whilst It can be comfy in the right trim, it feels incredibly claustrophobic. It drives like a mid-size cruise ship and whilst I generally like the UConnect system, it just feels so utterly 2002. I'm over it. I would honestly prefer to take an Equinox over it. Honest to god! An Equinox! quelle horreur!