dwbf11

Yes, you read it in the thread where a few folks reported charges (which were later reversed), and again, none of this is confirmed, but all second hand or unique, market-specific situations.

The terms and conditions could not be clearer on this point, that unless in case of a rental being FBO there is absolutely no basis for a no-show charge. (From Section B(2)):

Emphasis mine. So again, I ask that you please do not spread unconfirmed rumors as fact, which are clearly refuted by the plain language of the master rental agreement. Feel free to PM me if you'd like to discuss this further but let's not further go off topic in this thread.

NCLSEA123

What can I expect at DEN in the Executive Aisle this time of year? Going skiing but don't feel like wasting regular free days on a SUV. Weather doesn't look too bad for the weekend, so I will be fine with the full size if that's all they put out because of the large vehicle demand I imagine they have right now.

blufish312

Saw this late, but hopefully helps people in the future -

DEN is pretty hit or miss in my experience. You can usually find one or two 4wd options, and a lot of uninspiring sedans. The two times I can remember needing 4wd I asked for it specifically and ended up with a Compass and a Ram.

toumei64

I flew in on Friday night 3/17 and arrived around 10pm. It must have been a slow weekend because the lot was jam packed (it was hard to get out). Executive had a pretty mediocre mix of Sonata, Camry, Altima, Rogue, Santa Fe, etc. Most of the vehicles were 4WD. There was a Challenger (hate that car), a Charger SXT and a Charger R/T, and surprisingly a bunch of Fusion Hybrids in SE and Titanium trim. I like to take the hybrids when available, but since we were going into the mountains, I opted for some power with the Charger R/T. The next morning in daylight, I discovered that the car was scraped to hell and had lots of paint chips and damage, and on our first drive into the mountains, I found that it handled very poorly--it pulled hard to one side and made strange noises. I think it had been wrecked or had axle damage or something. I called them and they told me to bring it back.

I went back and swapped the Charger. Their selection was mostly the same, except they had added a few 300C to the mix. I like the 300C, but since the Fusion Hybrid Titanium had a sunroof, I opted for that instead just to see how it would do.

The rest of this post is more about the car than National or the selection:

It was a fantastic decision: it's a really smooth, comfortable ride and it had a sunroof which was good for the weather. It's also eerily silent in EV mode, which is great for cruising through the mountains. If I were going to be driving 100% flat highways, I probably would've taken the 300C because the Fusion Hybrid has a really weak combustion engine combined with a really weak electric motor that combine to make for mediocre acceleration at high speeds. However, with the benefit of hills and valleys in the area, the Fusion performed far better than I expected. I managed 40+ MPG on just about all of my drives, and the 50ish mile drive into Rocky Mountain National Park gave me about 45 MPG going in and about 90 MPG going out. My MPG for the rental (about 450 miles total) was around 45 MPG (vs. 18-22 average on the Charger R/T lol). It had no trouble with the mountains, and if you drive gently and follow the "coaching" to maximize your EV usage, you can really utilize the ups and downs.

That said, you probably wouldn't want to take it in the snow and your mileage may vary (literally ) in terms of taking it into the mountains.

TL;DR: Got Charger R/T for mountains out of an otherwise dull and typical selection, found out the next morning in daylight that car had lots of body damage and drove like it had been wrecked. National service was great and swapping the car out was easy. Ford Fusion Hybrid drives surprisingly well (and great gas mileage) in the mountains, just not for snow or offroading.

zhaofa90

How was the SUV selection when you were there?

E221b

Grabbed an BMW X3 with the free promotion for Executive members. Lots of Nissan Rogues, Hyundai Santa Fes, an Explorer or two, and a few of whatever that Dodge SUV is that I probably wouldn't get in if you paid me...

geoadventurer

Hi everyone! I am heading to Denver on Wednesday and have a Mercedes GL450 reserved. I have a couple of questions. First, is NAV/XM standard in it? Second, if I decide I am not crazy about it, what can I upgrade to without an (or just a few dollars more) additional charge? Thanks so much for your help!

dwbf11

National doesn't have (at least to my knowledge) the option to reserve a specific vehicle. Are you sure you don't have a Hertz reservation? They do allow for specific model reservations (including for the Mercedes GL class).

nbxguru

April 5, late 11PM, had Audio A3, convertible mustang, challengers.

April 17, late 11PM, lots of white suburbans like 6-10, some tahoes, and bunch of minivans. Got a Tahoe with 1000 miles. Suburban seemed dumb for 1 person.

Brandinho1

Well seems that now Executive elites can take just about any car on the lot now. I currently have a Range Rover Sport for the midsize price. I always wondered how many people were willing to pay $100 a day extra for those indulge upgrades. Can't imagine that with someone who is renting for a week or more. But it is welcome to see that they are letting their top tier members take what they want. The gentleman helping me did mention that those specialty vehicles wouldn't be avail for emerald club level members unless they paid the upgrade. I hadn't been to Denver since last year so this seems to be a recent change; and a recent one that may be sweeping the nation as many of my colleagues are reporting this at other National locations as well. Good sign 🙂

chrisrozon

Arrived around 8pm Wednesday 5/3, scored a very cherry Infiniti QX30 with a grand total of THREE miles on in the Executive aisle.

Brandinho1

Nice. I think 18 is the lowest mileage rental I have ever had.

shan23

I'm a emerald exec (via Amex Plat), and have booked a rental using a contract code. Would they ask to prove that i qualify for the contract code before i can pick up the car? (Also, seems like the exec aisle has a lot of SUVs - so i can pick any of them up as I've booked a midsize)?

grza36

Yes, if you are an executive member, you can select any automobile in the executive section if you book a midsize or higher. It's very well labeled at Denver and a fairly large section.

Log into your National account to see if it lists you as executive--if so, you should be good to go. You may have had to enroll through a link from your credit card.

grza36

Picked up Monday afternoon 5/8 - good selection. SUVs included Tahoes/Yukons, Nissan Armadas, Rogues, Hyundai sedans, Dodge Sedans, Explorers, Altimas, Assorted full size pickups. I took one of a couple Jeep Grand Cherokee Limiteds (600 miles).

Second pickup, Saturday 5/13 afternoon - many of the same cars. Also 2 Infiniti QX30s and a Challenger RT (not sure if that was in executive section as an employee was in it), Chrysler 300S. Think I saw a mustang, as well. I took the lone BMW X3.