Elantra Car Rental Review

Last week was a week of weeks. On Monday, I got caught with a flat. After having AAA change to the donut tire, and steering me toward Express Tire for a patch. I found myself Tuesday afternoon staring at the same tire going flat. Ugh! Using my smartphone smartly, I located a Goodyear tire franchise about 5 miles away. Darting over, Daniel’s Goodyear graciously opened its door to handle my tire warranty. Yes, I buy road hazard for tires. The bummer was that the tire had to be brought in. Stress mounted, and I turned to my smartphone again to find a car rental at 3:15PM. Enterprise monopolized search, and there was a location practically right down the road from where I was at.

Now, Enterprise is not my first choice. It’s only because when I have rented previously from Enterprise that warm hugging approach to theirs feels fake. I know that for some folks that it is great; but the employees drink to much of its KoolAid. Just me. Any way, I called and was asked by Enterprise if I had a valid credit card and drivers license. I was like WTF? Responding back of course, I just need a car for 24 hours. The man (I forget his name) who said that Enterprise could accommodate stated also that it would be 30 minutes to pick me up. Ken came from Enterprise, and he must have just sipped on some fresh KoolAid. I wonder if the employees carry a flask of it? JK. Being fair, I did tell him to just be him and stop the KoolAid drip. Enterprise was literally 2 minutes away, and he took care of the reservation straightway at the center. As he brought up my information in their system, I got why they asked about the credit card. The young man next to me was on his third credit card being declined. Yikes! LOL! Jamie (she said that she used to get teased as a teenager, and called HiMe) oversaw Ken, and handled the key turnover. Her and Ken became relaxed off Enterprise’s KoolAid once I said please seek KoolAid AA. I got to make both laugh.

The Elantra was fully loaded. Total gas milage was no better or worse than my car; however, the one thing I had an issue with was the driver’s bucket seat. It had no lower back support or adjustable lumbar bar. I spent a good 15 minutes trying to find a seat position that felt comfortable before leaving the lot. With a two hour plus drive ahead, the last thing I wanted was to be uncomfortable. I found the Elantra performance to be responsive. It hugs the road, and didn’t have a tinny car ride. Its stereo system was strong, and the multi touch interior lighting came in handy too. The center console was okay. Lots of drink space, but the storage box was just stout enough forbidding me the ability to rest my elbow on. An awkward design flaw or under thought strength? You’d have to decide that for yourself. I tried to use the USB port to charge my phone, but it registered as an output on my droid when I plugged it in. That was a bit weird. Upon a closer look once I got home, the Elantra’s technology plugs are auxiliary inputs. So, do remember to bring your phone’s car charger. I’m not sure if I would ever consider buying an Elantra. Its performance as a car rental was better than say a Ford or Chevrolet similar rental. Because of its seating, I would pass on placing it on a second drive test. Yeah, I’m picky. You should be too. Should I have the opportunity to rent one again, I would. You should too.