m907

it was clear from the moment he said "shift paddlers" he didn't really know what he was talking about.

bocastephen

It looks like the Fusion Hybrids are being rotated out, serviced for the recall, and going back out for rentals, which is good news and thankfully different from the Prius fiasco where no hybrids were available for months.

SouthernBanker

I am not willing to go that far.

But, I think if he had a Fusion Hybrid that got less than 30 mpg then there is a malfunction in that particular car. I have rented a number of vehicles with the dial shifting, and while I don't particularly care for them, I see no way that they can have any effect on fuel mileage.

If you don't like a car that's fine say I don't like it. I don't like Buick Lacrosses' and I have no particular reason why, I just don't like them. I also had a Volvo XC90 the other day and I didn't like it, again no particular reason why just didn't care for it. Maybe he just dosen't like the Fusion and has no particular reason why. If that's the case, that's ok too.

qs933

Whether you were a fan or not, looks like the Fusion is not long for this world, at least in North American markets.

https://www.autoblog.com/2018/04/25/...-focus-active/

pezzy669

Have had ~50 rentals in the past 1 year and was mixing them up as much as possible to "test drive" as many cars as possible, have finally gotten to a point that there really is nothing new to drive anymore unless I get extremely lucky.

Least favorites - would never choose again if given the option.
Any Hyundai or Kia - nothing spectacular and its a chore to even hit the highway fuel economy numbers in any of them. The 4 cylinder AWD crossovers are painfully slow too.
Malibu 1.5t - The engine looks good on paper but in real world its just painfully slow.
Toyota Camry - The new generation with the 2.5 sounds like a buzz bomb, the last generation was like a Lexus in comparison. Was excited to try the new generation, won't rent one voluntarily again.

Favorites - In order I would choose on the Aisle or Executive Aisle.
Infiniti Q50 - Only available at larger stations
Nissan Maxima
Nissan Altima 3.5
Dodge Charger
Nissan Altima 2.5 (but this is my first pick if I am paying for gas - thirsty 6 cylinders get preference if expensed)

Guilty Pleasure
Dodge Grand Caravan - was forced into one in MCO last year sometime when didn't have Executive. Holy crap the comfort was superb, it got surprisingly good fuel economy on the freeway and driving it I almost immediately had that comfort level of knowing the van like a car I had owned for years.

All the other typical fleet queens (Fusion, Cruze, Impala, Escape, Focus, Sentra, etc.) are so easily forgettable.

dabeags

I've had a CX5 GT 3 times in a row now and am liking it quite a bit if it is just going to be myself. Has radar cruise control and in sport mode it is quite fun to drive. I also think the interior feels like it is pretty premium. Still would choose a Jeep GC Limited over it every time, but the CX5 seems like it is becoming far more common that the GC.

manohman

Which Hyundai? Are you using cruise control on the highway or not?

2017 Hyundai Elantra LE easily gets down to 5.2 liters to 100km on cruise control. I also took the 20117 Hyundai Sonata GL down to 6.1 liters to 100km on cruise control.

There is no way it's a chore to get them down unless you're constantly accelerating and decelerating or in stop and go traffic.

pezzy669

First was a 2016 Sonata 2.4 that I drove ~97% freeway from Fort Myers to Orlando for work. Even with cruise set at 75 MPH pretty much the entire way (slowing to about 50-55 non-cruise) once I got into the thick of Orlando I-4 traffic I ended that trip at only ~34 MPG per the trip computer. EPA hwy is 36 MPG.

Second trip was a 2017 Elantra 2.0 that I drove ~50% interstate freeway (75 MPH cruise), ~45% state hwy (50-65 cruise) and the rest "city" traffic in a super small town in South Georgia. This was a trip from Atlanta -> Brunswick -> Jacksonville -> Waycross -> Atlanta that I finished in 2 days and ~13 hours of driving. This one I still ended up at 1 MPG under hwy estimate (36 MPG vs 37) despite the mileage boosting state hwy speeds.

The Sonata was the most disappointing, the Elantra was within a margin of error it may have just matched EPA hwy.

My complaint is that any other car I have run on the same route (Have done the Orlando-Fort Myers or reverse 4 times now) typically beat their HWY EPA estimates. Grand Caravan I had on that route (MCO - RSW) beat it's MPG estimates by ~1 MPG, Charger (RSW-MCO) ~1 MPG, Q50 3.0T (MCO-RSW) a whopping 2 MPG. Maxima I have driven on a similar type drive (CLE - BUF) beat its MPG estimate by ~1 MPG. I drive pretty much the same on all my work trips and the Hyundai's have just underwhelmed by not meeting or barely meeting their fuel economy estimates.

m907

EPA highway ratings are based on 60 mph. The other cars you mentioned (Grand Caravan, Charger, etc.) all have bigger powertrains that can handle 75 mph without breaking a sweat (or even do better, as you observed). The Sonata and Elantra are smaller engines and have to work harder to get to 75 mph. Thus you get lower mileage.

pezzy669

Must be a Hyundai issue then. Few years back when I would have to drive Atlanta to Nashville every 2 months (which includes the climb over the mountains on I-24) I always had either a Camry 2.5 or Altima 2.5 that had no issues meeting their EPA hwy #'s (Camry) or exceeding them (Altima). Had a Sentra 2.0 once on that route and it exceeded its hwy MPG like its big brother, wasn't a fan of the Sentra so my friendly neighborhood National location who knew me well made sure I had Altima or Camry from then forward.

murphyUA

Although it's always fun to get something fun/unique, I seem to never have any complaints with an X/CTS or Grand Cherokee.

Mercedes GLA by far my least favorite. Probably the world's worst vehicle.

pezzy669

^LOL

Big brother to the CLA which is just awful if you have never had one. Front wheel drive Mercedes should have never been brought over here......its that chase for "luxury" market share.

ElmhurstNick

I'm seeing too many Rogues on the ES now, and no GM crossovers/SUVs. This makes me unhappy. The Rogue isn't a terrible ride, but it's short on both headroom and legroom compared to an Equinox/Terrain.

whistler814

I'm am planning to take a cross country trip in July, just me and my dog (medium size, 30lbs). Will be in the car 8-12 hours a day for 4-5 days on the most direct (minimal sightseeing) route from East to West (about 2800 miles). I'm thinking a Jeep Grand Cherokee might be a good car for the journey. Any other cars I should consider or avoid? I don't mind smaller or larger cars as long as it's reasonably comfortable and not horrible with fuel economy. Thanks!

dabeags

I'd pick any of the midsize SUVs with Turbo 4 Cylinders as a good mix of room and gas mileage. I'd probably pass on the GC even if you can get on the aisle due to it's poor gas mileage. The Mazda CX-5 is pretty small but gets great gas mileage and looks like National only has the GT trim that has Radar Cruise and Lane Keeping which would be nice for a long trip. Outside of that the Rogue is plentiful as is the Equinox. I have a Terrain which is the GMC equivalent and it is surprisingly roomy and gets nearly 30 MPG on the Highway.