From compact city cars and luxury sedans, to off-road machines and supercharged sports cars, rental cars can take many different forms.
Earlier on, we asked what your favorite rental cars to drive have been. Here are some of your answers.
“When I was 12, my father and I flew into Vegas and drove up to Utah to visit some national parks. We rented a ‘compact SUV’ which ended up being a PT Cruiser.
“After seeing no other cars for an hour, my dad looks over and says ‘you want to drive?’
Still one of my best memories.”
The much maligned PT Cruiser turned out to be the perfect ride for this road trip. Marketed between 2001 and 2010, the PT Cruiser could be ordered with a 1.6-, 2.0- or 2.4-liter engine.
Suggested by: @IAmGaroott
“I processed out of active duty from the Far East at Joint Base Pearl Harbor in 1999. While I was there, I took some time off to cruise Oahu with my girlfriend. It was September, and we had clear skies every day on Oahu. Since it was a big event for me, I splurged, and rented a special convertible Mustang. We had a blast. Surfing, scuba... the whole nine yards.”
While 90s Mustangs may not go down in history as the design classics that their older counterparts are viewed as, they do make a great road trip car.
Suggested by: doctornine
“In Greece, when the 15-year-old Peugeot 307 convertible we were given decided to spontaneously combust in the middle of the motorway, the rental company gave us a brand new Citroen Cactus as a replacement, right around the time they launched. I adored everything about it.”
The compact Cactus SUV was produced for three years by French car maker Citroen. The car features “air bump panels” along its doors and sides to protect its paint work in parking lots.
Suggested by: @stephengribbin
“When my wife was pregnant with our first child we took a ‘last fling’ trip to England and for a few days I rented a Land Rover Defender 90. While we didn’t do any serious off-road driving it was great fun to rumble around the countryside with the vents open and my arm stuck out the window.”
Despite their drawbacks, the Land Rover Defender is perfect for rumbling round the countryside. Throw in a few muddy trails and it would be the perfect trip.
Suggested by: geoff-vader
“I got a Fiesta ST six speed manual in Nebraska one time. It was amazing.”
Ford’s hot hatch first came to America in 2011 and the automaker marketed the car here until 2019.
Suggested by: Tyler Smith (Facebook)
“Best rental I ever drove was a 2-liter, 6-speed, diesel Jaguar XE in Scotland. I’d requested a manual on the form and the woman at the desk was a bit confused that an American hadn’t accidentally chosen that option.
“The XE was tremendously fun, and if it had been available in that configuration in the USA I would have bought one in an instant.”
This four-door sedan from Jaguar was penned by the hands that brought you the Aston Martin DB9, Ian Callum. The diesel variant came with a 2-liter engine and a 6-speed manual gearbox.
Suggested by: theschrat
“Arrived in Hawaii to find no rental cars available even though we had a reservation. We reserved a standard convertible. After hours of waiting, we were offered a no-cost upgrade for a convertible that had just been returned. We walked out into the garage to see a silver Camaro. As I loaded our bags into the back, I noticed the ‘SS’ logo on the driver’s seat. Punching the gas peddle confirmed the roaring V8 sound we came to love. That car was a blast.”
A nice upgrade for these travelers in Hawaii! The latest iteration of the Camaro SS comes with a 6.2-liter V8 engine that produces 455 horsepower.
Suggested by: Jim Hiner (Facebook)
“I was in Melbourne Australia and they didn’t have any compact four doors left for my reservation. The guy smiles and says but we can upgrade you for free. Go down to the garage and a brand new 2016 Holden Commodore ss-v with 250 miles on it is unlocking with my key fob. Ls3, 6-speed will always make it a memorable moment.”
Australia’s high-performance sedan was produced between 1978 and 2020. The 2016 model came with a 3.6-liter V6 engine that churned out 282hp.
Suggested by: Gabe Desantis (Facebook)
“One time, late on a Wednesday night after the track setup had been completed, I drove the Monaco Grand Prix circuit in a rental Citroen C1. Having a slow car (with a manual) meant I could pretty much go all-out without technically doing anything illegal, and this is without question the most fun I’ve ever had in a rental car.”
Another fun, little city car, the Citroen C1 was produced under a joint venture between Toyota and Peugeot Citroen. It might not be the best car in its class, but a lap of the Monaco Grand Prix circuit is bound to make any car’s performance shine.
Suggested by: nakam
“I was out of college and working at my first job in a shipping company. They sent me to San Pedro, and let me rent a car for the weekend to drive around. Lo and behold. The rental company had a spanking brand new red 1997 Mazda Miata!!!! I took that baby and drove straight to Disneyland. It was a dream come true, and the reason a 2020 red Miata sits on my garage today!”
The Mazda Miata is always the answer, it seems. The 1997 Miata was the final year the first generation car was marketed. Mazda sold 431,506 examples of the NA Miata.
Suggested by: Javier Huerta (Facebook)