Drought in the West/ Pulaski Road Trip
#46
Re: Drought in the West/ Pulaski Road Trip
At the risk of being criticized for taking my own thread off-topic, we've hit the road again, this time in the UK, visiting my mother for Christmas. .... I booked a Volkswagen Tiguan, "or similar". What I have been given is not at all what I was expecting. OMG! Though at least it has a manual transmission, but any thoughts, based on this post, as to what I am driving for the next 10 days?
#47
Re: Drought in the West/ Pulaski Road Trip
At the risk of being criticized for taking my own thread off-topic, we've hit the road again, this time in the UK, visiting my mother for Christmas. .... I booked a Volkswagen Tiguan, "or similar". What I have been given is not at all what I was expecting. OMG! Though at least it has a manual transmission, but any thoughts, based on this post, as to what I am driving for the next 10 days?
#48
Re: Drought in the West/ Pulaski Road Trip
I wish!
Hmm. That would certainly have been interesting, but we'd have definitely have needed a roof rack! 😀 .... I believe that little Miss P would have complained about leg room in the back seat.
That wouldn't have surprised me at all, but I did leave a clue when I posed the question earlier: "OMG!", .... or rather, I should have said: "Oh! MG?"
At the Europcar rental desk, I was handed a contactless key fob with an MG logo on it, and outside was a hideous pale blue, "Carvana blue", I would say, MG HS. That is not what I was expecting!
So far, my experience has been that it is "not as bad as I had feared". There is adequate leg room for the driver, the luggage space is limited - the luggage area is completely filled with two medium-sized suitcases. Luckily, anticipating precisely that situation, we had packed using only two suitcases (and bringing an empty holdall in case we need more room going back), but our carry-ons had to go in the back seat. Thankfully we're not a family of four, as it would be pretty useless, or if we had each brought a suitcase.
In any case, I intend to tell Europcar, that if they think that an MG is "similar to" a VW then I won't be renting from them again.
Hmm. That would certainly have been interesting, but we'd have definitely have needed a roof rack! 😀 .... I believe that little Miss P would have complained about leg room in the back seat.
That wouldn't have surprised me at all, but I did leave a clue when I posed the question earlier: "OMG!", .... or rather, I should have said: "Oh! MG?"
At the Europcar rental desk, I was handed a contactless key fob with an MG logo on it, and outside was a hideous pale blue, "Carvana blue", I would say, MG HS. That is not what I was expecting!
So far, my experience has been that it is "not as bad as I had feared". There is adequate leg room for the driver, the luggage space is limited - the luggage area is completely filled with two medium-sized suitcases. Luckily, anticipating precisely that situation, we had packed using only two suitcases (and bringing an empty holdall in case we need more room going back), but our carry-ons had to go in the back seat. Thankfully we're not a family of four, as it would be pretty useless, or if we had each brought a suitcase.
In any case, I intend to tell Europcar, that if they think that an MG is "similar to" a VW then I won't be renting from them again.
Last edited by Pulaski; Dec 18th 2023 at 12:38 pm.
#49
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: May 2010
Location: San Diego, California
Posts: 9,662
Re: Drought in the West/ Pulaski Road Trip
I wish!
Hmm. That would certainly have been interesting, but we'd have definitely have needed a roof rack! 😀 .... I believe that little Miss P would have complained about leg room in the back seat.
That wouldn't have surprised me at all, but I did leave a clue when I posed the question earlier: "OMG!", .... or rather, I should have said: "Oh! MG?"
At the Europcar rental desk, I was handed a contactless key fob with an MG logo on it, and outside was a hideous pale blue, "Carvana blue", I would say, MG HS. That is not what I was expecting!
So far, my experience has been that it is "not as bad as I had feared". There is adequate leg room for the driver, the luggage space is limited - the luggage area is completely filled with two medium-sized suitcases. Luckily, anticipating precisely that situation, we had packed using only two suitcases (and bringing an empty holdall in case we need more room going back), but our carry-ons had to go in the back seat. Thankfully we're not a family of four, as it would be pretty useless, or if we had each brought a suitcase.
In any case, I intend to tell Europcar, that if they think that an MG is "similar to" a VW then I won't be renting from them again.
Hmm. That would certainly have been interesting, but we'd have definitely have needed a roof rack! 😀 .... I believe that little Miss P would have complained about leg room in the back seat.
That wouldn't have surprised me at all, but I did leave a clue when I posed the question earlier: "OMG!", .... or rather, I should have said: "Oh! MG?"
At the Europcar rental desk, I was handed a contactless key fob with an MG logo on it, and outside was a hideous pale blue, "Carvana blue", I would say, MG HS. That is not what I was expecting!
So far, my experience has been that it is "not as bad as I had feared". There is adequate leg room for the driver, the luggage space is limited - the luggage area is completely filled with two medium-sized suitcases. Luckily, anticipating precisely that situation, we had packed using only two suitcases (and bringing an empty holdall in case we need more room going back), but our carry-ons had to go in the back seat. Thankfully we're not a family of four, as it would be pretty useless, or if we had each brought a suitcase.
In any case, I intend to tell Europcar, that if they think that an MG is "similar to" a VW then I won't be renting from them again.
Had the same experience with Avis at Heathrow. We got an MG SUV as similar to what we had chosen.
This MG is a Japanese manufacturer and nothing to do with the British MG brand. Horrible car. No power at all and only just took our 2 cases.
We suspect that rental companies are getting cars 'built' to their specifications, as nothing we have had the last few times we have rented been anything like a standard car you would buy in the dealership.
#50
Re: Drought in the West/ Pulaski Road Trip
Also, legally SAIC owns the brand name for British MG sports cars - SAIC bought the rights from the liquidator of Rover Cars, as well as the production lines and equipment (which they promptly ripped out and shipped China despite reportedly promising not to do so ) when Rover Cars (the final incarnation of British Leyland) finally collapsed in the inevitable and undignified mess that it did. 😢
Last edited by Pulaski; Dec 18th 2023 at 11:17 pm.
#51
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Dec 2013
Location: Consolacion,Cebu
Posts: 1,931
Re: Drought in the West/ Pulaski Road Trip
It's Chinese, not Japanese, and the HS I have (rented) has "SAIC Motors" molded into the edge of the headlight covers. SAIC is a Chinese state-owned corporation.
Also, legally SAIC owns the brand name for British MG sports cars - SAIC bought the rights from the liquidator of Rover Cars, as well as the production lines and equipment (which they promptly ripped out and shipped China despite reportedly promising not to do so ) when Rover Cars (the final incarnation of British Leyland) finally collapsed in the inevitable and undignified mess that it did. 😢
Also, legally SAIC owns the brand name for British MG sports cars - SAIC bought the rights from the liquidator of Rover Cars, as well as the production lines and equipment (which they promptly ripped out and shipped China despite reportedly promising not to do so ) when Rover Cars (the final incarnation of British Leyland) finally collapsed in the inevitable and undignified mess that it did. 😢
#52
Re: Drought in the West/ Pulaski Road Trip
I know the owner of Volvo is Chinese, but I don't remember and have never cared enough to look into who the owner is. ... And I wasn't aware that Renault had owned any part of Volvo. I thought that Ford had owned 100% of Volvo, and I can't imagine that Ford would have wanted a JV with Renault. 🤔
#54
Re: Drought in the West/ Pulaski Road Trip
At the risk of being criticized for taking my own thread off-topic, we've hit the road again, this time in the UK, visiting my mother for Christmas. .... I booked a Volkswagen Tiguan, "or similar". What I have been given is not at all what I was expecting. OMG! Though at least it has a manual transmission, but any thoughts, based on this post, as to what I am driving for the next 10 days?
#55
Re: Drought in the West/ Pulaski Road Trip
Anyway, I am warming to the driving experience of this MG. I still hate "the idea of it", but it has taken a couple of days to learn how to get the most of the engine - keep the revs up, and shift often! 😃
If it was a small sports car, it would be great. I took it over to Monmouth and Raglan today, out on the A40 via Ross-on-Wye, and back through the Forest of Dean.
Last edited by Pulaski; Dec 20th 2023 at 8:13 pm.
#56
Re: Drought in the West/ Pulaski Road Trip
I had the opposite experience, in several ways, the first time we rented in the UK in about 2014. I didn't drive much before I got to the US, so when my wife and I booked a car for our week trip starting from Inverness airport, we booked a standard automatic. They provided us with what I think was the only automatic they had available, a Mercedes estate. I forget exactly which model, but it was much nicer than we were expecting and a lot of fun to drive along the Great Glen.
Of course, we had payback the only other time we've rented in the UK since, trying to fit a minivan around flocks of sheep in Snowdonia.
Of course, we had payback the only other time we've rented in the UK since, trying to fit a minivan around flocks of sheep in Snowdonia.
#57
DE-UK-NZ-IE-US... the TYP
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 2,855
Re: Drought in the West/ Pulaski Road Trip
I had the opposite experience, in several ways, the first time we rented in the UK in about 2014. I didn't drive much before I got to the US, so when my wife and I booked a car for our week trip starting from Inverness airport, we booked a standard automatic. They provided us with what I think was the only automatic they had available, a Mercedes estate. I forget exactly which model, but it was much nicer than we were expecting and a lot of fun to drive along the Great Glen.
Of course, we had payback the only other time we've rented in the UK since, trying to fit a minivan around flocks of sheep in Snowdonia.
Of course, we had payback the only other time we've rented in the UK since, trying to fit a minivan around flocks of sheep in Snowdonia.
#58
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: May 2010
Location: San Diego, California
Posts: 9,662
Re: Drought in the West/ Pulaski Road Trip
It's Chinese, not Japanese, and the HS I have (rented) has "SAIC Motors" molded into the edge of the headlight covers. SAIC is a Chinese state-owned corporation.
Also, legally SAIC owns the brand name for British MG sports cars - SAIC bought the rights from the liquidator of Rover Cars, as well as the production lines and equipment (which they promptly ripped out and shipped China despite reportedly promising not to do so ) when Rover Cars (the final incarnation of British Leyland) finally collapsed in the inevitable and undignified mess that it did. 😢
Also, legally SAIC owns the brand name for British MG sports cars - SAIC bought the rights from the liquidator of Rover Cars, as well as the production lines and equipment (which they promptly ripped out and shipped China despite reportedly promising not to do so ) when Rover Cars (the final incarnation of British Leyland) finally collapsed in the inevitable and undignified mess that it did. 😢