Best cars I've rented in 2009
So I travel a lot, and as a result get to drive a new model or type of car practically every week. This isn't going to be long, but I was ruminating today about last year and the cars I've driven, and came up with a surprising conclusion, or maybe an impression, I wanted to share with you.
The best brand? by far, Ford. Every single car I've driven made by these folks exceeded my expectations. The company has really gotten its shit together, people. I was most impressed by the Flex, which is head and shoulders above anything in and around its segment, that when we do replace our Honda Odyssey minivan, I'm buying one of those. Talk about a shift in attitude.
The best car? this was my biggest shock. I've been a huge fan of german brands for years, and have been driving either a Bimmer, Audi or Benz as my main car for a long time now (haven't owned a Porsche yet). I despise the luxury Japanese segment, and Lexus in particular, as they are completely soulless and at least in my view no more than toasters on wheels. I could go with a Jaguar, but those folks had lost their way for a while now. Koreans? who?
So imagine my surprise when the car that delighted me most in 2009 was... the Hyundai Genesis. Somehow, somewhere, someone out there in Seoul has managed to figure out how to merge Toyota and Mercedes. They have taken the former's inspiring sense of simplicity, quietness and confidence, and the latter's even more inspiring sense of luxury, comfort, and... soul. The Genesis manages to be like... like a sub-Lexus-priced Benz that actually still knows how to speak to you.
I've heard that the folks at Hyundai plan to make a premium car (Equos?) that will attempt to do the same but going after the S-class, much as the Genesis tries to go after the E-class. If they make it as good as - dare I say better than? - the Genesis, I may well end up with one down the road. Hyundai should really be commended; I remember my first experience with their cars, a 97 Hyundai Accent, which was horrendous. I hated every moment I spent in it, and when I was scheduled to receive a company car later that year, I ended up choosing to contribute an extra $100 a month out of my salary towards a Peugeot 206 instead of having to drive the Accent. The Genesis simply blew me away.
The best brand? by far, Ford. Every single car I've driven made by these folks exceeded my expectations. The company has really gotten its shit together, people. I was most impressed by the Flex, which is head and shoulders above anything in and around its segment, that when we do replace our Honda Odyssey minivan, I'm buying one of those. Talk about a shift in attitude.
The best car? this was my biggest shock. I've been a huge fan of german brands for years, and have been driving either a Bimmer, Audi or Benz as my main car for a long time now (haven't owned a Porsche yet). I despise the luxury Japanese segment, and Lexus in particular, as they are completely soulless and at least in my view no more than toasters on wheels. I could go with a Jaguar, but those folks had lost their way for a while now. Koreans? who?
So imagine my surprise when the car that delighted me most in 2009 was... the Hyundai Genesis. Somehow, somewhere, someone out there in Seoul has managed to figure out how to merge Toyota and Mercedes. They have taken the former's inspiring sense of simplicity, quietness and confidence, and the latter's even more inspiring sense of luxury, comfort, and... soul. The Genesis manages to be like... like a sub-Lexus-priced Benz that actually still knows how to speak to you.
I've heard that the folks at Hyundai plan to make a premium car (Equos?) that will attempt to do the same but going after the S-class, much as the Genesis tries to go after the E-class. If they make it as good as - dare I say better than? - the Genesis, I may well end up with one down the road. Hyundai should really be commended; I remember my first experience with their cars, a 97 Hyundai Accent, which was horrendous. I hated every moment I spent in it, and when I was scheduled to receive a company car later that year, I ended up choosing to contribute an extra $100 a month out of my salary towards a Peugeot 206 instead of having to drive the Accent. The Genesis simply blew me away.
posted by Blinkered at 1:53 PM
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