Chrysler and Dodge Sedans vs RX-8 - as seen by Grannies
11-07-2006, 10:59 PM
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Chrysler and Dodge Sedans vs RX-8 - as seen by Grannies
The Grannies are back from Hawaii The Blue 8 was very much missed! We rented a mid sized Chrysler on the Island of Oahu and a mid sized Dodge on the Big Island. The words Sebring and Touring apply.
Both cars had electronic keys but the driving key was separate. The Sebring was a silver hardtop that was selected because it could carry a wheelchair, 5 suitcases, a walker and three plump little old ladies. It sure wasn’t an RX-8! It had a big piston engine and it looked like traffic. Accountants, Grandpas, and managers would feel comfortable and invisible in this car. It looked like everyone else’s car, so it was a devil to find in a large parking lot!
I saw a red, sparkly one that looked pretty spiffy, and two Island ladies driving and grinning inside it – so they knew it looked cool, but our little silver rental car looked “sedate”, “suitable”, and “traditional”. No one noticed it and there was absolutely no temptation to try it against any other car! This is the car to give your teenage kid!
It had nice wide seats so it could hold a fat backside comfortably, but it was harder for Mom to get in and out of than the Blue 8 because it was a little higher off the ground and did not present as many good places to hold onto. It was wider and heavier than the 8, and felt sort of pregnant. It did not have as good a turning radius, and took a little more muscle to control, but had plenty of power on Island roads where 45 MPH is the usual limit. Can’t say what the 0-60 was like because I think we only found one Freeway where 55 was the speed limit.
It handled well in the rain, the brakes worked, and it was nice and dry in really wet conditions. The silver could hold a lot of stuff so grocery shopping in it would be easy. It could run on almost any grade gas, but it sure liked the half a tank of premium I added, just to see if that would make it run smoother. Gas prices in Hawaii were about like California prices during the height of the gas squeeze so there was less sticker shock than usual. I ran it all over the Island for 3 days and only used about 3/4 a tank.
The Dodge Touring seemed to be just a slightly cheaper clone of the Sebring. Same color, same trunk size, (maybe an inch less) same silver gray traffic look. It was sort of a neutral car, it neither gave status nor took status away. The blue-8 definitely confers status, the old Mazda 323 took away status even when it was new – so it was a good car to own if you had to park in a bad neighborhood.
The steering wheel on the Dodge was slightly thinner but felt and handled the same as the Sebring . The gear set up was essentially the same. The interior felt slightly less expensive, but it still had the pregnant Mazda feel, although it may have been a little lighter in weight. Handling was very similar but there seemed to be a little more power, possibly due to the lighter weight or just a good Dodge piston engine. It was a front- heavy engine that could run on anything but smoothed notably when run on Chevron hi-test. I topped the oil off with a little Mobil 1, and it seemed to like it.
There was less traffic on the Big Island so I could play with it a little, but it sure didn’t handle like an 8, and it did not like twisties – it had a tendency to get into motion and then remain in motion, in that same direction, unless hauled into a new position. At night, it did not have the same ability to light up the highway, no nice LED to find the key hole, and I just did not feel that it was as safe to drive as the 8. In fog it was just ghostly – and it is an evil feeling to drive an invisible car, that was slow to respond. Even my 15 year old Mazda 323 was more responsive.
I think the Big Island would be a very fun place to play with an 8 because of the odd dips in the roads and earthquake/liquid lava induced convolutions, however you would really need rain tires – up there on Volcano you get about 400 inches of the wet stuff a year!
Of the two rental cars I think I like the Sebring the best – felt a little more luxurious – but I would prefer it in any color other than white or silver. I would hate to see a spoiler added to either car...It would have a kind of cringe effect!
Both cars had electronic keys but the driving key was separate. The Sebring was a silver hardtop that was selected because it could carry a wheelchair, 5 suitcases, a walker and three plump little old ladies. It sure wasn’t an RX-8! It had a big piston engine and it looked like traffic. Accountants, Grandpas, and managers would feel comfortable and invisible in this car. It looked like everyone else’s car, so it was a devil to find in a large parking lot!
I saw a red, sparkly one that looked pretty spiffy, and two Island ladies driving and grinning inside it – so they knew it looked cool, but our little silver rental car looked “sedate”, “suitable”, and “traditional”. No one noticed it and there was absolutely no temptation to try it against any other car! This is the car to give your teenage kid!
It had nice wide seats so it could hold a fat backside comfortably, but it was harder for Mom to get in and out of than the Blue 8 because it was a little higher off the ground and did not present as many good places to hold onto. It was wider and heavier than the 8, and felt sort of pregnant. It did not have as good a turning radius, and took a little more muscle to control, but had plenty of power on Island roads where 45 MPH is the usual limit. Can’t say what the 0-60 was like because I think we only found one Freeway where 55 was the speed limit.
It handled well in the rain, the brakes worked, and it was nice and dry in really wet conditions. The silver could hold a lot of stuff so grocery shopping in it would be easy. It could run on almost any grade gas, but it sure liked the half a tank of premium I added, just to see if that would make it run smoother. Gas prices in Hawaii were about like California prices during the height of the gas squeeze so there was less sticker shock than usual. I ran it all over the Island for 3 days and only used about 3/4 a tank.
The Dodge Touring seemed to be just a slightly cheaper clone of the Sebring. Same color, same trunk size, (maybe an inch less) same silver gray traffic look. It was sort of a neutral car, it neither gave status nor took status away. The blue-8 definitely confers status, the old Mazda 323 took away status even when it was new – so it was a good car to own if you had to park in a bad neighborhood.
The steering wheel on the Dodge was slightly thinner but felt and handled the same as the Sebring . The gear set up was essentially the same. The interior felt slightly less expensive, but it still had the pregnant Mazda feel, although it may have been a little lighter in weight. Handling was very similar but there seemed to be a little more power, possibly due to the lighter weight or just a good Dodge piston engine. It was a front- heavy engine that could run on anything but smoothed notably when run on Chevron hi-test. I topped the oil off with a little Mobil 1, and it seemed to like it.
There was less traffic on the Big Island so I could play with it a little, but it sure didn’t handle like an 8, and it did not like twisties – it had a tendency to get into motion and then remain in motion, in that same direction, unless hauled into a new position. At night, it did not have the same ability to light up the highway, no nice LED to find the key hole, and I just did not feel that it was as safe to drive as the 8. In fog it was just ghostly – and it is an evil feeling to drive an invisible car, that was slow to respond. Even my 15 year old Mazda 323 was more responsive.
I think the Big Island would be a very fun place to play with an 8 because of the odd dips in the roads and earthquake/liquid lava induced convolutions, however you would really need rain tires – up there on Volcano you get about 400 inches of the wet stuff a year!
Of the two rental cars I think I like the Sebring the best – felt a little more luxurious – but I would prefer it in any color other than white or silver. I would hate to see a spoiler added to either car...It would have a kind of cringe effect!
11-08-2006, 03:05 PM
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Its all about Style...
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You had Enterprise as a rental company didnt you?
For some reason boring cars are their mainstay or bread and butter if you will. Still wish my Service Dealer used Hertz where they tend to have the top of the line cars were as Enterprise has the base models.
Although just be lucky they didnt try to squeeze you into a Chevy Aveo or Cobalt!
For some reason boring cars are their mainstay or bread and butter if you will. Still wish my Service Dealer used Hertz where they tend to have the top of the line cars were as Enterprise has the base models.
Although just be lucky they didnt try to squeeze you into a Chevy Aveo or Cobalt!
11-08-2006, 11:27 PM
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Book em' Dano
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cars in HI
Spent a couples weeks in HI this summer - 3 different rentals.
Had a Sebring Convertible on Oahu- nothing special about it, but hard to notice when u are in a convertible on the North Shore. Coulda been riding a donkey and wouldn't care.
Explorer SUV also on Oahu - needed the space to haul stuff around when there was a bunch of us. Again, nothing special, but did well and both of these cars were for their functionality.
On big island, upgraded from a tiny box to a Pontiac G6. Nice power and glad to have it driving up and down the elevations. Comfy and stable drive on the windy roads. Nothing special though.
If I lived there, would be great to have my RX for some driving, but for a visit - good power, good visibility was all I cared about.
Had a Sebring Convertible on Oahu- nothing special about it, but hard to notice when u are in a convertible on the North Shore. Coulda been riding a donkey and wouldn't care.
Explorer SUV also on Oahu - needed the space to haul stuff around when there was a bunch of us. Again, nothing special, but did well and both of these cars were for their functionality.
On big island, upgraded from a tiny box to a Pontiac G6. Nice power and glad to have it driving up and down the elevations. Comfy and stable drive on the windy roads. Nothing special though.
If I lived there, would be great to have my RX for some driving, but for a visit - good power, good visibility was all I cared about.
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