I got to LA on Tuesday, got hosed on the Miata rental! My name wasn't on the #1 Gold board, so I figured something was up. Went like this:
- Got my contract, go to space #xxx for the Miata
- Space #xxx has a Magnum in it
- Go back inside, ask WTF, after some confusion they tell me they are out of Miatas
- Offered a Caddy CTS or Mustang. Took the CTS
- Go to space #yyy - no keys in the car!
- Go back inside, ask WTF? Said they keys must have been pulled for mechanical trouble
- Have to take either the Mustang ragtop or something boring like a Taurus, etc. so I take the Mustang.
When I left, a lot boy told me that all the premium and sporty cars were taken because of all the people in town for the GRAMMYS.
The good, the bad and the ugly:
Overall, it was an OK car, just OK, not exciting.
Ride C+: Felt every bump on the 405 North freeway, I expected a LITTLE better than that. It had BFG Traction tires on it, so that probably contributed to the rough ride.
Handling C+: Totally, completely AVERAGE. For the relatively stiff ride, I would have expected better handling, again, the BFG tires didn't help in this area.
Comfort B+: At 6'-3" some cars are just too small for me. And sometimes the seats are built for smaller people. I was pleasantly surprised with the seats and legroom. I could completely stretch my legs straight out under the dash. The power seat had plenty of adjustment. The seats were firm but comfortable, somewhat similar to a BMW. Nice high seat backs that actually fit a tall person. I drove about 500 miles, with 2 legs of 200 miles. I never got tired, stiff, sore butt, etc.
Performance B: Compared to the previous gen Mustang I rented, this one actually had some balls. Not a ton of power, but plenty to have fun with, pass on 2 lane roads, etc. The former gen V6 performed more like a 4 banger, took forever to spin up, and was labored at 70 mph. This V6 spun up reasonably fast, and had a fairly consistent power band above 2000 rpm. It happily ran at 80 - 90 mph. I didn't go faster only because the tires were not up to it. It does have a nice, but not loud, exhaust tone.
Interior C-: Very reminiscent of the '60s Mustang. The car had 25K miles on it. The seats showed wear, the door panels showed wear, the black plastic was dull looking. There was a noticeable annoying rattle from the passenger door. The driver's seat belt latch was screwed up, 3 times it would NOT release! I had to slide out/under the belt, and the WHACK it with my hand or foot to get it to release! This actually happened when I returned the car, so at least the lot boy saw it first hand.
Summary: Overwhelmingly OK and average. But it was interesting enough to make me wonder about how much better the GT would be....
But no matter what car, it still was a great ride for SO CAL. I had the top down, and crusing down the coastal highway through San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, etc. was a blast. Carving through the canyons was fun, but with a better suspension, OR THE MIATA!! it would have been awesome.
I did see a new SALEEN. He pulled up next to me in a traffic jam. Damn nice looking muscle car, great exhaust sound.
Here is a pic at Ventura (used my Treo phone, so quality is blah):
![[:D]](/images/smilies/biggrin.png "Big Grin [:D]")
![[rofl]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_rofl.gif "ROFL [rofl]"){kind=icon}
. Long trip go with jag, less than 300 miles, go with the mustang.
