m907

I don't know what they'll give you in that class, but I do know that most Ford Explorers and Mazda CX-9s in the fleet have those features.

pll9394

Thanks for the insight. I have EE status, unsure if I should book the full-size SUV to be certain or take my chances to book aisle and hoping they have a 7-seater.

xienon

Also, the Explorers that National have are all 6 seaters.

m907

Adaptive cruise control is hard to find in some rental classes. It's very dependent on the model of car you get.

m907

IAD had several Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrids.

TravelLawyer

I'm not sure why the moderator's reluctance to have an updated fleet list thread. All the other major car rental subforums have them on here. It makes looking up information really difficult. I am renting a "Premium Specialty" car next month and have no idea what I'll be getting. Old threads (2018/2019) seem to indicate that this will be a Chevrolet Impala (discontinued 2019), Ford Taurus (discontinued 2019), or Chrysler 300 (only model not discontinued for over 2 years). Are there any other current cars in this category? (For whatever reason, the Premium Specialty category was cheaper than the Standard or Full Size cars that I was initially looking at.)

dwbf11

Hi! Moderator here. No reluctance at all, not sure where you're getting that. Our content is all member-driven, so anyone is welcome to update that thread with ride reports or fleet sightings. Unfortunately, with travel way down over the past 18 months, our little corner of Flyertalk has also quieted down a bit. The way we typically do things in this forum is to give information based on specific locations, because unlike many other brands, National lets you choose your own car so most folks are interested to see what sorts of choices they'll have at any given station. Many stations have a reputation for being stingy with what they make available while others have very premium offerings, so that's the type of information people tend to want to see. Fewer folks here are booking specific class vehicles, because a mid-size or full-size reservation gets you access to the Emerald Aisle / Executive Selection which usually has a variety of vehicle types available. And, if there's something special you want, you can usually upgrade for a few bucks more on-site.

Edit: I will also add that, perhaps with National moreso than other brands, the actual class of car is not really as relevant. Especially as fleets are so tight right now. So you may not get a "Premium Specialty" but whatever other cars they have in close approximation - could be a luxury, could be a premium, could be a full-size premium SUV - there's really no way to know. So I wouldn't focus as much on the reserved class as the fact that you've reserved a more upper-tier class, so you have some basis to argue for a nicer car if you arrive and they try to give you something lesser.

Thanks and welcome to the National FT subforum!

dwbf11
National Mod

Pahloco

Did you end up booking the Premium crossover, and if so, what did you get?

I'm planning on booking at MCO in december and there are limited options, the crossover being one of them. Curious to know if anyone has insight as to what cars they might actually have in this category or will I end up with a SUV any way?

m907

I was quite surprised to see a Kia Stinger on the ES aisle at BWI. It was in GT AWD trim with a red interior and looked to be brand new.

I laughed to myself at the thought of the BMW X1s available for an upcharge while the exponentially more sporty and luxurious Stinger was there for the taking in ES.

There was also a Ford Edge ST-Line, a trim I didn't know existed but apparently means the appearance and interior of an ST but without the upgraded powertrain. It sounds silly but it was better than all the other generic SUVs available.

m907

PIT had a couple new Chrysler Pacifica Hybrids. The car shortage has definitely made some unique and interesting cars available.

aww3583

Was offered a $15/day upgrade from a midsize reservation to get into an A5 S-Line Sedan.

Drove exceptionally well. Put 1,400 miles on it.
One of, if not the best looking sedans on the market.
Wireless CarPlay was great, but failed to initialize 20% of the time.
No radar cruise control or lane departure assistance.
No keyless entry. Must use fob to unlock car.
Huge trunk for a “fastback” sedan.

m907

I spotted a Jeep Wagoneer at PIT. It was in Series II trim - I don't know what that means but it had 8 seats and no sunroof.

hourglass

The Audi Q5 I got last time had blind spot for sure. I believe they are all in the premium plus trim since it had 360 cameras.

hourglass

Spotted a Kona Electric at a local enterprise. Does anyone know if EHI got any other EVs/Plug Ins beside Polestar?
EDIT: nvm I found there is a dedicate thread for that

funnyfarm299

Premium selection works because lots of people care about how their car "looks" over how it performs. Let them take all the base model lux brands and leave all the truly cool cars in the aisles for the gear heads to experience.