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I travel for work a few times a year. This week I took part in Product Plus Training for GM.
I've driven a number of different rental vehicles. I usually enjoy driving the competition. Not this time.
I was given the keys to a Nissan Sentra. The back seat was roomy, it's not a bad looking car, and the truck room was ample. The centre stack controls were simple and plain, easy to use. Most of the interior material seemed like good quality. That's about it.
The Sentra has to be one of the most boring cars I have ever driven. Usually small cars are fun to drive, not the Sentra. The ride was ok but it handled poorly. The CVT was loud to the point of annoyance. It was underpowered as well. I tried the ECO button just to say I did but I quickly turned it off. Upon acceleration from a stop, the car wanted to dart to the left for some reason. More than you would expect from a front wheel drive. Maybe it was the tires, I'm not sure.
Every time I turned in or out of a parking spot, I hit the steering wheel radio controls and changed the channel. A number of times I accidentally turned off the overdrive when I shifted into drive. The button was too easy to hit when I shifted. No worries, you'll notice very quickly when the whining noise sounds like the car is about to explode.
The interior lighting is horrible. This feature alone turned me off completely. It was dark when I took the car. I started it, none of the dash lights came on. I couldn't see any of the buttons. I turned on the map lights but they were too dim to be of any use. I searched but eventually gave up. When I stopped at the hotel, I had a hard time unlocking the door to get out. For some reason, most times the doors didn't unlock when I turned the car off or put it into park. Maybe I did something wrong. It did have push button start.
The next day I was determined to find the lighting controls. In the daylight, I found the dial on the turn signal lever. However, the controls in the door never did light up. I couldn't see the buttons to unlock the door or power down the drivers window at the drive thru. Why would these controls not light up? GM do a much better job with auto lighting.
The seat belt was also a pain. The buckle kept dropping between the seat and the door. I had to reach down every time and search for it to buckle up.
On the way back to the airport I had to fill up. It was raining and blowing really hard. I had to hold onto my hat to keep it on my head so I wanted fill up quickly. The filler door is on the passenger side ( I hate that ). When I attempted to open the fuel door I realized I had to release it from the inside. ( I hate that as well) However, I couldn't find the release control. Eventually I got down on one knee and found it under the dash next to the hood release control. Finally, I filled up. Then I noticed the gas cap was gone. The cable had fallen off and it rolled under the car. Lucky for me it was just within reach so I didn't have to move the car to get it.
I also didn't like the placement of the USB port. It took me a minute to find it but it was situated inside the centre bin on the back. It was a nuisance trying to attach the cable. Plus, in the dark, it's hard to see. It was covered by a little flap that added to the difficulty.
I found the seating uncomfortable. After 10 minutes, my left hip started to hurt. I'm a big guy, it's a small car. Maybe other people would be fine with the seats.
Over the last couple of years, I've rented the Focus, Corolla, Fusion, Altima, Caravan, and numerous GMs. This is the first time I've hated my rental. The interior lighting issue alone is a deal breaker. I think Nissan can do a better job in that department.
I've driven a number of different rental vehicles. I usually enjoy driving the competition. Not this time.
I was given the keys to a Nissan Sentra. The back seat was roomy, it's not a bad looking car, and the truck room was ample. The centre stack controls were simple and plain, easy to use. Most of the interior material seemed like good quality. That's about it.
The Sentra has to be one of the most boring cars I have ever driven. Usually small cars are fun to drive, not the Sentra. The ride was ok but it handled poorly. The CVT was loud to the point of annoyance. It was underpowered as well. I tried the ECO button just to say I did but I quickly turned it off. Upon acceleration from a stop, the car wanted to dart to the left for some reason. More than you would expect from a front wheel drive. Maybe it was the tires, I'm not sure.
Every time I turned in or out of a parking spot, I hit the steering wheel radio controls and changed the channel. A number of times I accidentally turned off the overdrive when I shifted into drive. The button was too easy to hit when I shifted. No worries, you'll notice very quickly when the whining noise sounds like the car is about to explode.
The interior lighting is horrible. This feature alone turned me off completely. It was dark when I took the car. I started it, none of the dash lights came on. I couldn't see any of the buttons. I turned on the map lights but they were too dim to be of any use. I searched but eventually gave up. When I stopped at the hotel, I had a hard time unlocking the door to get out. For some reason, most times the doors didn't unlock when I turned the car off or put it into park. Maybe I did something wrong. It did have push button start.
The next day I was determined to find the lighting controls. In the daylight, I found the dial on the turn signal lever. However, the controls in the door never did light up. I couldn't see the buttons to unlock the door or power down the drivers window at the drive thru. Why would these controls not light up? GM do a much better job with auto lighting.
The seat belt was also a pain. The buckle kept dropping between the seat and the door. I had to reach down every time and search for it to buckle up.
On the way back to the airport I had to fill up. It was raining and blowing really hard. I had to hold onto my hat to keep it on my head so I wanted fill up quickly. The filler door is on the passenger side ( I hate that ). When I attempted to open the fuel door I realized I had to release it from the inside. ( I hate that as well) However, I couldn't find the release control. Eventually I got down on one knee and found it under the dash next to the hood release control. Finally, I filled up. Then I noticed the gas cap was gone. The cable had fallen off and it rolled under the car. Lucky for me it was just within reach so I didn't have to move the car to get it.
I also didn't like the placement of the USB port. It took me a minute to find it but it was situated inside the centre bin on the back. It was a nuisance trying to attach the cable. Plus, in the dark, it's hard to see. It was covered by a little flap that added to the difficulty.
I found the seating uncomfortable. After 10 minutes, my left hip started to hurt. I'm a big guy, it's a small car. Maybe other people would be fine with the seats.
Over the last couple of years, I've rented the Focus, Corolla, Fusion, Altima, Caravan, and numerous GMs. This is the first time I've hated my rental. The interior lighting issue alone is a deal breaker. I think Nissan can do a better job in that department.
) for years just because Nissan was "willing to deal" and I was not really impressed with any of them except the quietness of the interior. The handling on both their Altimas leave a lot to be desired and the turning circle is HUGE on every Nissan I have driven.
