Yeah, I could drive an Infiniti

Since The Big Green Monster is on it's last leg (uh, wheel), I've been paying extra-special attention to the cars I rent. Even as someone who hates driving, I have to say that it's been kind of fun experiencing different vehicles.

Here's what I've played with in the last few months:


Luxury: 2009 Infiniti G37x

Pros:
SOMEONE BUY ME THIS. Not surprisingly, I fell in love with this car. Smooth ride, comfy leather seats, great sound system, convenient nav system, bluetooth, plenty of room, heated seats, AWD -- what's not to love?

Cons:
Nothing. Seriously. I would live in this car if I could. And if I were made of money, I'd rent it every single time I go out of town. California? Hop in the G37, friends, it's a short 35 hours away! Love, love, love.


Mid-Size: 2009 Toyota Corolla

Pros:
Everyone talks about the great gas mileage on this car, but seeing it in action is a whole new level of amazing. We made it from Chicago to Cleveland without even filling up!

Cons:
This bad boy didn't have cruise control. THAT made for a fun 5 hours on the highway. Also, there was no real room in the back seat. If we had been traveling with my brother or anyone else, it would have been totally uncomfortable.


Full-Size: 2009 Hyundai Sonata

Pros:
Holy gas mileage. Maybe I just have super-low expectations after driving an old school SUV for years, but this Sonata was awesome. Went from Chicago to St. Louis on a little over half a tank of gas. Also, it had a USB port and aux input for my iPhone, plenty of room in the back seat and a relatively smooth ride.

Cons:
No navigation system. My sense of direction is horseshit and the Goog sometimes steers me wrong.


Big-Time Luxury: 2010 Acura MDX

Pros: This is mom's new car -- since I met her in STL, we used her car for everything. I couldn't stop driving it. Awesome nav system made for confused drivers like me, USB, aux input, heated seats, comfy leather, sunroof, back-up camera... even the seat remembered my settings and automatically adjusted itself before I turned the car on. It's a far cry from her minivan, for sure.

Cons: Gas mileage, duh. And you can't change the navigation voice accent to something fun like Australian. It also felt a tad too big to drive in the city, but, believe me, I could get over that hurdle. Ya know, if mom wanted to gift me another vehicle sometime in the near future...



Anyway, the next car I'm renting is another full-size for our road trip to Virginia Beach in T-minus 11 days.

As much as I'd love to get the Infiniti again, it's dangerously close to costing the same as a month's rent for the week, so... no. The Corolla's out, since the lack of cruise control and space is way too big of an issue for a 15-hour trip. And the Sonata, well, that'd be a great ride, actually. We're not renting from the same company though, so god only knows what they'll give us. Here's hoping for a lucky upgrade.