"Pistol Whipped Cream" (heynickhere)
07/31/2017 at 14:50 • Filed to: None
3
14|
"Pistol Whipped Cream" (heynickhere)
07/31/2017 at 14:50 • Filed to: None | 3
| 14 |
This last weekend we went to Lake Tahoe and so I rented this…
I PROMISE I didn’t park like this for more than 2 minutes. Just long enough to throw all the junk in the back.
I begged and pleaded for an Expedition or a new Armada, but the woman working the National in Sacramento assured me they were all reserved. I tried telling her I needed at least 6 seats so she smiled and said “I can get you a minivan”. Great, my favorite. It ended up working out great for our needs!
Looks (2 Gold Stars)
I actually do like the look of this Van. I think it looks classier than the outgoing model.
Power/Fuel Economy (3 Thumbs Up)
The 3.6L worked was nice. I averaged about 23MPG over 8 hours of driving total. The van did great on flats and downhills. Uphill, I would have liked a little more. The transmission kept shifting at odd points when cruising at 72 if there was any sort of hill. I think this says more about the Cruise Control than the engine/transmission. Eventually, every time a hill came up I just took it off CC and handled it myself. It struggled a bit climbing the hills between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe but we made it eventually. I think CC could be tweaked a little bit. It worked great in town, but was frustrating on the highway.
Off-Road Ability (3/10)
Don’t go Off-Road with this thing. Approach angle is 14 and departure is at 18.8. With a staggering 5.1 inches of ground clearance you can clear some Coke cans, that’s about it.
Storage/Tech (5 Gold Doubloons)
Storage was plentiful as you would expect in a van. We had 6 peoples worth of clothes, food, and beach stuff with us. We still had plenty of room in the van. I was impressed by all the storage in the front seats as well. I felt that it was laid out extremely well.
Leather seats, Tri-Zone Auto air. It also did have Bluetooth, NAV, SAT Radio. The infotainment system that was really easy to use. I had some problems with the buttons on the screen not responding after plugging in my iPhone. I had to push the “Climate” button and then switch back to “Media” to be able to change songs or browse.
In Closing...
Overall, I found it an enjoyable rental car and it was perfect for our needs. Vans are great at loading stuff and people up and getting you to where you need to be. It wasn’t the sexiest thing I’ve rented, but it sure beats a Nissan Altima.
If you are in the market for a van, cross-shop this thing. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
> Pistol Whipped Cream
07/31/2017 at 15:07 |
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(3 Thumbs Up)
Pics or it didn’t happen. NSFW warning is sufficient, so I can skip.
Takuro Spirit
> Pistol Whipped Cream
07/31/2017 at 15:18 |
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But how many times did you almost shift instead of turning up the radio?
Or vice versa?
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Pistol Whipped Cream
> Takuro Spirit
07/31/2017 at 15:19 |
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this was a real fear of mine. There are volume buttons on the back side of the steering wheel that I forced myself to use.
diplodicus
> Takuro Spirit
07/31/2017 at 15:23 |
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Is there no lockout mechanism for shifting while its moving?
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Takuro Spirit
> diplodicus
07/31/2017 at 15:25 |
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It doesn’t actually “shift”, but 90% of people claiming its a dangerous place to put a shift say so.
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diplodicus
> Takuro Spirit
07/31/2017 at 15:28 |
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Right I meant programming so it doesn’t shift when it shouldn’t, more then a true mechanical lockout. So it won’t let you go to park while moving or it will?
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Takuro Spirit
> diplodicus
07/31/2017 at 15:29 |
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Only below a certain speed... I think... I might have read that in the manual.... I need to try it out for science*
*My RAM is a lease so YOLO
merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
> Pistol Whipped Cream
07/31/2017 at 15:35 |
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We’ve got just under 20k on ours already and pretty much love it. We went with the 8 passenger config and we’ve had 8 in it more than a dozen trips now, three being kids in kids seats. It drives nice, went up to Mackinac island two weekends ago and it drove great, 4 hours of 75mph - 90 the whole way up there and it ran great. The second row seats are crap and they need to be able to be slid sideways like Honda does, but small gripes. And yeah the steering wheel volume controls keep you from reaching over to the console for volume changes. No issue with the shifter, you get used to it. Good review.
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Pistol Whipped Cream
> merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
07/31/2017 at 15:44 |
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Does your CC do okay up hills? This one was driving me crazy. I may just be overly picky though.
Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
> Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
07/31/2017 at 16:05 |
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3 legs up
7:07
> Takuro Spirit
07/31/2017 at 18:00 |
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Never have confused the two after 9 months of driving mine.
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merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
> Pistol Whipped Cream
07/31/2017 at 21:31 |
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I normally don’t have much issue, but our “hills” are nothing compared to out west. I normally just put a boot in it and help it to downshift and it’s all good. I do remember driving a rental 300 in GA back when the pentastar 6 and their new trans was out, either 7 or 8 speed. I was hating it as it was always hunting for gears anytime a hill came. It’s not the same powertrain, but similar, so I can imagine your frustration.
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Pistol Whipped Cream
> merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
07/31/2017 at 21:50 |
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The pass was very aggressive. I would say it is 10/10 great for around town. I just don’t think it liked the 6000+ feet of elevation gain.
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merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
> Pistol Whipped Cream
08/01/2017 at 07:33 |
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Yeah, we have some elevation change here, but it’s nothing compared to that. it’s been serving us well for the past year or so. I was regretting not getting a suburban for a little while, but not anymore. And the sliders are great, especially when my boys run out and open the doors in the garage. No door dings on my car. So I’m sold. Not perfect, but nothing is. I would gladly give up the stow and go for better second row seats though.