I rented this vehicle for a week of intensive driving during a trip in and around Colorado (mountain terrain, city, desert). Good mileage, very roomy, and the engine was as quiet and powerful as one could ask. But the model I got was filled with `options' of the sort that I would prefer to do without. Electronic gizmos which seek to do the thinking for the driver, like rear-view mirrors which automatically tilt down while you're in reverse (the assumption, I suppose, is that you have to look at the rear wheels more than anything else), car locks that sometime unlock en masse, sometimes don't, seats that automatically adjust to your supposed body type, and a digital status readout that even after a week or so I still couldn't figure out. Call me a Luddite, but all that electronics for me just represents more to go wrong and need fixing. Then there's the automatic transmission, a new innovation that turns 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear into horizontal arrow directions on the shift lever. I had to use it a lot in driving up and down steep mountain grades. It takes some getting used to; may be more intuitive to drivers accustomed to a stick shift, if only for the superficial resemblance of the movements. I do not know the cost of this car; beyond my means, that's for sure!

Amount Paid (US$): 275
Model Year: 2000