Every now and then I have to make a run out to the desert that requires me to drive down a dirt road that is not maintained. OK, maybe I'm a bit of a primadonna, but I refuse to drive either my wife's Sonata or my Genesis down a road like that. So when we make that trip we always rent a car, usually a nice full size sedan so that the car we will be driving will be as comfortable as the cars we own.
This time we ended up with a Dodge Charger. I thought that it would be interesting to see the differences between a rental spec base Charger and my Genesis 3.8 Base which was a prior rental. Both of these cars cost about the same new and both of these also cost about the same used, give or take a thousand here or there, so they could be considered as competition.
The Charger is a very good looking car with a definite American look to it while the Genesis is more European, the Charger is much more noticeable and outlandish, my 14 year old daughter loves the looks, but I prefer something more understated.
The Interior of the Charger looks OK at a distance, but you really do not want to drive one over a long period of time. I spent 3 hours in this car and the cloth drivers seat is very uncomfortable. There is no lumbar support as well as a strange bolstering of the shoulders that causes the driver to slouch forward. Add to that the fact that their is no place to rest your right leg and foot. Not a issue if your able to drive with the cruise control on, but if not you end up with a sore ankle after a short period of time. There is no Bluetooth or heated seats, stereo was complete junk and the climate control was manual and took forever to cool the car. What I did enjoy about the interior was the telescoping steering wheel and the way it displayed the actual speed when you set the cruise. Other then that I'll keep my Genny.
Performance wise was also very disappointing, on the way up a large pass I was following a Sonata 2.0T, after being stuck behind slow traffic we finally received a open lane and the Sonata floored it, I did the same but to my dismay the less powerful Sonata completely walked away from the 296HP Charger. For the power this thing had on paper it sure felt very slow and sluggish, maybe the 5 speed trans is to blame. The gas mileage was also very poor and averaged only 24mpg, my Genesis will pull 28mpg over that same drive.
For what I needed the car suited my purpose very well and at only $31 it was also very affordable, but I must say that I am glad that I only had to put up with it for a short period of time. I just have to wonder what people are thinking when they buy these things? For the same amount of money you can have a much better car in every aspect, well, except for one, it did have a telescoping steering wheel.
This time we ended up with a Dodge Charger. I thought that it would be interesting to see the differences between a rental spec base Charger and my Genesis 3.8 Base which was a prior rental. Both of these cars cost about the same new and both of these also cost about the same used, give or take a thousand here or there, so they could be considered as competition.
The Charger is a very good looking car with a definite American look to it while the Genesis is more European, the Charger is much more noticeable and outlandish, my 14 year old daughter loves the looks, but I prefer something more understated.
The Interior of the Charger looks OK at a distance, but you really do not want to drive one over a long period of time. I spent 3 hours in this car and the cloth drivers seat is very uncomfortable. There is no lumbar support as well as a strange bolstering of the shoulders that causes the driver to slouch forward. Add to that the fact that their is no place to rest your right leg and foot. Not a issue if your able to drive with the cruise control on, but if not you end up with a sore ankle after a short period of time. There is no Bluetooth or heated seats, stereo was complete junk and the climate control was manual and took forever to cool the car. What I did enjoy about the interior was the telescoping steering wheel and the way it displayed the actual speed when you set the cruise. Other then that I'll keep my Genny.
Performance wise was also very disappointing, on the way up a large pass I was following a Sonata 2.0T, after being stuck behind slow traffic we finally received a open lane and the Sonata floored it, I did the same but to my dismay the less powerful Sonata completely walked away from the 296HP Charger. For the power this thing had on paper it sure felt very slow and sluggish, maybe the 5 speed trans is to blame. The gas mileage was also very poor and averaged only 24mpg, my Genesis will pull 28mpg over that same drive.
For what I needed the car suited my purpose very well and at only $31 it was also very affordable, but I must say that I am glad that I only had to put up with it for a short period of time. I just have to wonder what people are thinking when they buy these things? For the same amount of money you can have a much better car in every aspect, well, except for one, it did have a telescoping steering wheel.
