Current location:	school
Current mood:	calm
Current music:	beep when my program finishes... over and over again...
Entry tags:	cars

The rental car
So for my rental car (which I had to return today), Progressive gave me a silver 2006 VW Jetta :) Sweet.
4 doors; 6 speed automatic transmission; leather seats; power windows, locks and seat; AC; tilt and telescoping steering wheel; CD/MP3 player; cruise control; daytime running lights; airbags all around (including side curtain)

Overall verdict: I don't think I'd buy one (even if I had the $$ which I don't :) )

I liked:

• the autostick! It made the car more fun to drive and the car could show off its 2.2L engine (once I learned how it liked to be shifted - don't let off the gas!). I still like working a clutch though, but an autostick would be acceptable in a pinch ;)
  
• the instrument panel - bold, contrasting, there were only dials for climate control operation which I very much like (sliders break)
  
• the instrument panel colors at night!!! OOOOO, my favorite! The backlighting and numbers were all blue (like a pretty royal blue) and all the needles and little bitty things were all a vibrant red :) AND there were two little red lights on the ceiling that pointed down to the shifter and bathed it in a nice red glow, just enough to see it :) I LIKED!!
  
• the cruise control controls were very intuitive - it was nighttime at the time and I figured them out with no problems
  
• the turn signal would turn on for about 3 clicks if you just hit it a little (for better merging possibilities)
  
• the windows had one-click down AND UP!! I've never had up before. And it wasn't only on the driver's window, it was for all of them (from the driver's panel at least, I never tested from other seats)

I did not like:

• the automatic transmission when not in autostick mode - dude, it popped into 6th gear by like 40 mph!! It missed all the power in each gear. It made the car seemed underpowered.
  
• the turn signal was too quiet
  
• the radio would change the volume for NO reason, sometimes it kinda seemed like a speaker was busted or something... But I would be driving down the interstate, cruise on and it would suddenly get quiet and muffled sounding. Then it would go back after a bit
  
• Gas mileage was okay - ~25 mpg. I need more than that now :)
  
• I didn't like the lumbar support the seats offered...
  
• Perhaps the biggest irritant is that I was right next to the center post - my legs are long enough that I had to move the seat back a bit (and I like to be closer than most people my height) and in doing that, I lined up directly with that post. That post was freaking HUGE too!!! Maybe if it hadn't been silver, but I don't think that would make any difference
  
• My number one complaint and the reason I would not buy this car - it felt too big and also like I was a lumbering fool getting out of it. This Jetta, I swear, was as big as a Passat used to be! This is supposed to be in the same market as the Civic and Corolla and stuff. I suppose all of them are getting bigger and that's why they are introducing new smaller (and cheaper!) cars now... The lumbering fool thing - I guess because the seat was somewhat low and that the seat seemed far away from where I wanted to put my feet down so I had to haul myself out. Down with lumbering!!!

I think the 2006 Jetta would be a good mid-sized car for someone bigger (meatier?) than me but not for me. And Consumer Reports finds the reliability to be sub-par :)

I need a car-related icon... I'll have to create one...