Car Rental Review: 2013 Chevrolet Malibu 2LT

National's 2013 Chevrolet Mailbu 2LT

• Rented From: Stamford, CT
• Car Class: Full Size (FCAR)
• Miles Out: 18,992
• Miles In: 19,561
• Fuel Economy: 22 city/34 highway with 2.5L Ecotec 4-cylinder engine and 6 speed automatic
• MSRP as rented: $24,890

Pros:

• Cute little storage cubby behind the MyLink screen.
• Good gas mileage with nice highway cruising range
• LED lighting accents are nice.
• Liked the color trip computer. 

Cons:

• Mileage a bit on the high side, and it felt like it.
• Engine could use a bit more pep.
• XM trial subscription was up, although the MyLink system worked nicely with iPhone and Spotify.

On a weekend road trip to Boston during the early days of Spring, I was offered one of these as a free upgrade at my usual local National location. Having never rented one, I figured I might as well try it out.

This silver Malibu with Ohio plates came with a black cloth and leatherette interior, and is a mid-level 2LT model. Some standard features on the 2LT include MyLink, remote start, dual zone automatic climate control, 6-speed automatic transmission with manual mode, electric parking brake, 17" wheels, and 8-way power driver's seat with 4 way lumbar support. Equipped with no other options, this Malibu's MSRP is $24,890.

While the Malibu was comfortable, it could use a few improvements. The engine felt a bit sluggish for the size of this car, and sometimes merging onto the highway took a bit of work. The engine seemed buzzy and lacked refinement. Transmission shifts were smooth and seamless. 

All in all, it was a pretty good rental. I ended up driving almost 600 miles between Connecticut, Boston and Rhode Island. I wouldn't mind renting another one...perhaps a LTZ with the 2.0 liter turbo.

Car Rental Review: 2014 Chrysler 300C AWD

2014 Chrysler 300C AWD

National's 2014 Chrysler 300C All-Wheel-Drive

• Rented From: Philadelphia 30th Street Station
• Car Class: Premium Special (PXAR)
• Miles Out: 20,359
• Miles In: 20,496
• Fuel Economy: 15 city, 23 highway with 5.7L Hemi V8 engine and 5 speed auto
• MSRP as rented: $40,195

Pros:

• Almost fully equipped...leather, heated and ventilated seats, heated and ventilated cup holders, heated mirrors and steering wheel, 10-way power driver seat with lumbar, Keyless ignition, the works.
• V8 engine is powerful, not too bad on gas.
• Garmin-based factory navigation is standard and sweet - also shows the next turn in the trip computer on the dash!
• Plush leather seats are comfortable.
• Roomy trunk.
• Working SiriusXM with Traffic! (Chrysler usually gives a 1 year trial subscription.)

Cons:

• While V8 was not too bad on gas, it's still thirsty with a 19 gallon tank.
• AWD makes vehicle a bit heavier. Can easily squeal rear tires in full RWD mode.
• No sunroof in this particular vehicle.
• Mileage was on the high side for the year only being half-over...it had Ohio plates so chances are it was one-wayed to the PHL area at some point.

"That thing got a Hemi?"

Why, yes it does!

Taking advantage of a Free Day I had, I figured I'd try to score one of these on a recent day trip to Philadelphia. National allows you to use a Free Day on a reservation up to a Premium (due to the way the Emerald Club works, the system downgrades the reservation to a Full Size, and then applies the Free Day coupon to that price.). When the girl at the counter offered a 300C, I immediately jumped at the chance....it's definitely a lot better than the last Premium rental I received there - which was a base trim Nissan Maxima.

The V8 was very, very peppy. The engine is still paired with an older 5-speed automatic (the 3.6L V6 version comes with a new 8-speed), but it doesn't impair performance too much.

This is one of the most technologically advanced cars out there. It has almost everything...and most of it is controlled from the 8.4 inch Uconnect screen on the dash. You can control things like the dual zone automatic climate control, radio, rear sunshade, the heated steering wheel, and lots of other stuff. It can actually get a bit overwhelming.

While I probably wouldn't pay to upgrade to this, I definitely wouldn't mind a free upgrade!