Rental car review

[Diaphone Jim]

I have rented only a few cars over the years, but recently I have to go to San Francisco (three hours away) several times and my 1992 Nissan Pathfinder with its five speed, no AC and not too good fuel economy, while a very satisfactory ride in the hinterland, is not at its best there.
So far I have gotten a Chevy Impala, a base model Hyundai, a Ford Focus Hybrid and a Toyota Camry.
Six hours in each of these in stop and go freeway traffic, gridlocked city hills and the hottest day in SF history actually turned out to make renting a good plan, especially with Enterprise foolishly picking up the fuel tab.
What it did not do was show me a car that I would want to own.
At times they were noisy, underpowered, uncomfortable, had poor visibility, vague handling and incredibly complex and confusing displays and geegaws.
For between $60 and $80 for 24 hours they seemed a fair deal and made for telling, but disappointing, test drives.
It felt good to get back in my Pathy each time.