My wife's Maxima is in the shop getting the driver's side door repaired so she got this from Enterprise for a few days.
I was curious how the car drove so I took it for a spin tonight.
The steering is better than some of the horrible GM cars I've driven recently and the brakes were also much better than I expected. The car was predictable and I didn't really notice any torque steer even though it's FWD but then it isn't all that powerful either.
I wasn't too keen on the CVT though. I was always waiting for it to shift and it just feels like there is a point where it should shift but the revs just go down along with responsiveness. It just feels mushy and slow to respond to throttle inputs.
Interior was cavernous and the layout was fairly easy to get used to. The seats are comfortable but offer no lateral support whatsoever. There was a rattle coming from the rear passenger side but that may have been some of the junk my wife transfered from the Maxima rattling around. Also, there was an annoying whine from the dash whenever you turn the steering wheel. It was very faint but noticeable when the radio was off (this might be attributed to the typical rental car beatings though). The radio was typical Ford rental car fare. It plays tunes and that's about it. Oh, the turn signals were really quite annoying as they make a ding ding sound that would eventually drive me nuts. They get 2 thumbs way down.
Outward visibility is good and the car has very large mirrors, probably the largest I've ever seen on a car. The trunk is huge also. You could probably fit 7 or 8 bodies in there with little trouble.
Overall I was pleased with it. It would be a great car for a road trip but I prefer something a little more sporty for everyday driving. Lose the annoying turn signals, put in some better bolstered seats and get rid of the CVT. Oh, and more power would be nice.
I was curious how the car drove so I took it for a spin tonight.
The steering is better than some of the horrible GM cars I've driven recently and the brakes were also much better than I expected. The car was predictable and I didn't really notice any torque steer even though it's FWD but then it isn't all that powerful either.
I wasn't too keen on the CVT though. I was always waiting for it to shift and it just feels like there is a point where it should shift but the revs just go down along with responsiveness. It just feels mushy and slow to respond to throttle inputs.
Interior was cavernous and the layout was fairly easy to get used to. The seats are comfortable but offer no lateral support whatsoever. There was a rattle coming from the rear passenger side but that may have been some of the junk my wife transfered from the Maxima rattling around. Also, there was an annoying whine from the dash whenever you turn the steering wheel. It was very faint but noticeable when the radio was off (this might be attributed to the typical rental car beatings though). The radio was typical Ford rental car fare. It plays tunes and that's about it. Oh, the turn signals were really quite annoying as they make a ding ding sound that would eventually drive me nuts. They get 2 thumbs way down.
Outward visibility is good and the car has very large mirrors, probably the largest I've ever seen on a car. The trunk is huge also. You could probably fit 7 or 8 bodies in there with little trouble.
Overall I was pleased with it. It would be a great car for a road trip but I prefer something a little more sporty for everyday driving. Lose the annoying turn signals, put in some better bolstered seats and get rid of the CVT. Oh, and more power would be nice.