First of all, this is a subjective philosophical posting that came from my recent week-long vacation with a rental car on which we racked-up over 650 miles. Feel free to share your feedback based on your own experiences. Thanks.
I just got back from a week in Florida during which my wife and I drove a rented Chevy Captiva SUV (equivalent of Chevy Equinox). After driving the Captiva for over 650 miles, I feel compelled to share my thoughts about this car and how it compares to our pair of Mazda5's (a 2008 Sport and a 2012 Sport). I realize that this may not be an apples-to-apples comparison but read on and hopefully my thought process will make some sense to you.
We got a great weekly rate on a "small SUV" for our trip but did not specifically choose the Chevy Captiva. I always look forward to driving rental cars because it's a new experience and has always been a car I've never driven before. Our SUV was a FWD 2014 Captiva LTZ, the top of the line trim with about 11500 miles on the odometer. It came with heated leather seats, power moon roof, upgraded stereo, 235/55/18, and various other features I've never paid for on a car I've owned (like rain-sensing wipers). The car also had the 2.4L direct injection Ecotec 4-cyl with Hydramatic 6T40 6-speed auto (180hp, 172ft/lb). The MSRP on the LTZ starts at $29,495, over $10,000 more than what I paid for my 2012 Mazda5 Sport.
I was immediately struck by how unrefined the Ecotec engine sounded at startup, especially when cold. It sounded like a blender full of shrapnel. Might this be common to direct-injection engines? It smoothed-out some when warmed-up. I've never experienced anything like this in either of our Mazdas though, even in frozen Vermont when temps reach -15 degrees. My MZR 2.5L sounds velvety by comparison. I was also surprised by how horribly mated the 6-speed auto was to the Ecotec engine. There was never any power at any RPM unless you floored it and kicked it down at least 2 gear ratios. The final drive in the Captiva was so tall that at 75mph, it was only turning at 2250RPM. Absolutely gutless. The tall gearing didn't keep vibrations from entering the cabin though. No wheel balance or alignment issues but the NVH was such that when revving through the 3000-4000RPM range, there was a recurring buzzing noise emanating from a piece of passenger door trim. Not only that, but the rough plastic edges of the turn signal and wiper stalks actually hurt to touch. And the steering was comically heavy, numb and heavy.
For a car that supposedly costs nearly $30,000 I expected better, much better. For as unrefined as the Captiva is, I would not have been willing to pay even the $24,360 that the base LS model lists for. What I'm really getting at here is that I firmly believe, by this comparison, that the level of mechanical refinement and the overall driving experience we get with our much less expensive Mazda5's is superior in every way to some much more expensive vehicles. Not only that, but even the most expensive Mazda5 GT trim only costs about as much as the base LS Captiva trim and you get basically every option the loaded LTZ Captiva offers. Feel free to agree or disagree with me, but I had to get these thoughts out on this forum because I have never felt so glad to come home to my own car.
I just got back from a week in Florida during which my wife and I drove a rented Chevy Captiva SUV (equivalent of Chevy Equinox). After driving the Captiva for over 650 miles, I feel compelled to share my thoughts about this car and how it compares to our pair of Mazda5's (a 2008 Sport and a 2012 Sport). I realize that this may not be an apples-to-apples comparison but read on and hopefully my thought process will make some sense to you.
We got a great weekly rate on a "small SUV" for our trip but did not specifically choose the Chevy Captiva. I always look forward to driving rental cars because it's a new experience and has always been a car I've never driven before. Our SUV was a FWD 2014 Captiva LTZ, the top of the line trim with about 11500 miles on the odometer. It came with heated leather seats, power moon roof, upgraded stereo, 235/55/18, and various other features I've never paid for on a car I've owned (like rain-sensing wipers). The car also had the 2.4L direct injection Ecotec 4-cyl with Hydramatic 6T40 6-speed auto (180hp, 172ft/lb). The MSRP on the LTZ starts at $29,495, over $10,000 more than what I paid for my 2012 Mazda5 Sport.
I was immediately struck by how unrefined the Ecotec engine sounded at startup, especially when cold. It sounded like a blender full of shrapnel. Might this be common to direct-injection engines? It smoothed-out some when warmed-up. I've never experienced anything like this in either of our Mazdas though, even in frozen Vermont when temps reach -15 degrees. My MZR 2.5L sounds velvety by comparison. I was also surprised by how horribly mated the 6-speed auto was to the Ecotec engine. There was never any power at any RPM unless you floored it and kicked it down at least 2 gear ratios. The final drive in the Captiva was so tall that at 75mph, it was only turning at 2250RPM. Absolutely gutless. The tall gearing didn't keep vibrations from entering the cabin though. No wheel balance or alignment issues but the NVH was such that when revving through the 3000-4000RPM range, there was a recurring buzzing noise emanating from a piece of passenger door trim. Not only that, but the rough plastic edges of the turn signal and wiper stalks actually hurt to touch. And the steering was comically heavy, numb and heavy.
For a car that supposedly costs nearly $30,000 I expected better, much better. For as unrefined as the Captiva is, I would not have been willing to pay even the $24,360 that the base LS model lists for. What I'm really getting at here is that I firmly believe, by this comparison, that the level of mechanical refinement and the overall driving experience we get with our much less expensive Mazda5's is superior in every way to some much more expensive vehicles. Not only that, but even the most expensive Mazda5 GT trim only costs about as much as the base LS Captiva trim and you get basically every option the loaded LTZ Captiva offers. Feel free to agree or disagree with me, but I had to get these thoughts out on this forum because I have never felt so glad to come home to my own car.
