Michael In our private lives, as you know, we drive two Japanese cars of the "Acura Integra" type: the aging PERLMAN and the newer "Rocket" with the VTEC engine. When it comes to vehicles, I value sporty acceleration, secure cornering, and stable handling. When we rent a car, I usually choose the cheapest option, as hardly any car rental company offers other models, even for a reasonable surcharge, than those at the lowest level of automotive evolution: the American brands Chevrolet and Dodge. Chevrolet (or "Chevy" for short) produces rattling family cars, while Dodge manufactures intimidating-looking but unfortunately sluggish gas guzzlers. Recently in Hawaii, Alamo didn't have any cheap cars left and therefore offered us a muscle car, a Dodge Charger, at no extra cost.
The robustly designed body is sure to appeal to young Opel Manta enthusiasts, and indeed, the car quickly pulls away from the traffic lights and offers quite stable handling at lower speeds. However, when you hit the gas at 35 mph (50 km/h), nothing happens at first, and if you floor it, the engine revs up because the automatic transmission needs to downshift before you can quickly reach 65 mph (100 km/h). And this is with a 6-cylinder engine with 250 horsepower! I definitely wouldn't buy it; you'd lose to every soccer mom's minivan on the freeway.
And what is generally annoying about Dodge cars is the catastrophically limited visibility from the driver's seat. The hood of the Charger is so high and long that it's impossible to see the front end of the vehicle. The left pillar of the front window is a good 5 cm thick on all Dodge models and obstructs the view when turning. The rear side window is impossibly small for purely aesthetic reasons and prevents the driver from checking the blind spot with a glance over the shoulder when changing lanes. It's no wonder that Americans drive around in these cars like beginners and take 5 minutes to park.
Recently in Las Vegas, I had booked a Toyota Prius with the car rental company "Dollar" for an additional fee, just to try out how this hybrid car drives. In the rental agency's parking garage, it turned out that there was no Prius available. To appease my annoyance, the attendant suggested that they would, of course, refund the difference at the counter. Alternatively, I could simply choose any other car. Angelika was already heading to the counter, but I hesitated: "Hmm... what do they have?" I was assured that I could have any car, including those in the so-called "Hot Row," where a Mercedes E300, some American muscle cars, SUVs, and an unassuming Japanese speedster were parked. Angelika was concerned whether our credit card's limited insurance would cover the Mercedes, so we pointed to the "Infiniti G37," a vehicle with a modest 300 horsepower, as it turned out later. That was quite some car! Rarely have I experienced such a good automatic transmission, which accelerated smoothly and continuously without the engine roaring. Without a doubt, another lead in the Japan vs. USA competition, and the Infiniti could very well become our next car.