Catching up on auto reviews

I know Aunt Donna looks forward to my car comments but not sure about anyone else. I've been getting repeat cars so I fell off the review band wagon.

My last three rentals:

Chrysler Sebring - I've reviewed this one fairly recently so nothing new to report.

Toyota Avalon - this is a kind of luxury car for Toyota I believe. I'm not sure if they still make it. The one I had seemed old and tired. Not much in the way of luxury to be honest.

I don't recall much about it which is usually a bad sign. I find Toyota's for the most part boring and bland.

Volkswagen Bug - now this one was definitely a change. I've never had a Bug as a rental or even had a ride in one. The Bug is fun. Really nice pick up and with its wide stance, it takes turns and bumps very nicely.

There is tons of room for the driver and front passenger. I didn't get in the back but it looked pretty small. The Bug is a hatchback and the trunk space was small.

Everyone knows I like good-sized side mirrors. The Bug's are a tad too small I believe. But the side mirrors have the lighted blinkers on them which is a brilliant idea and should be on all vehicles. It makes seeing blinker on easier and, as another driver on the road, I think they are a fantastic safety feature.

Everyone also knows I kind of like the bells and whistles when it comes to gauges and controls. The Bug is German simplicity at its best. I rather appreciated the simpleness of the gauges.

There is one really big speedometer in the middle of the driver's console accompanied by a small tachometer on one side and fuel gauge on the other. The AC and radio were also simple to use and easy to reach.

With the big round top the bottom of the front windshield is about a mile away which makes the front dashboard really, really wide but you can see everywhere very nicely.

The Bug is definitely worth a try out. I bet a manual transmission would be a kick.

Chrysler Sebring

Last week's vehicle was a Chrysler Sebring. I don't recall ever having rented one before.

It has what I would call a very masculine look. The front hood has grooves like pinstripes with raised edge in the center like a back bone. May be that steel luggage is a good analogy. I kind of liked it.

The car feels heavy but not necessarily in a good way. Pick-up, especially accelerating up to highway speed, is not good. The handling is confident though.

Spring is definitely springing in Dallas. And so the trees at the hotel were dripping sap or pollen or both. The car was kind of mess. The Sebring gets high ratings for its windshield wipers and washer spray. The tree mess came completely off with the full washer spray and wipers. The side and rear windows were another story.

The gauges are white faced with black lettering in day time and blue background with black lettering at night. Kind of neat and easy to read. There was an analog clock in the center of the dash...throw back to the old days. The driver's seat was very comfortable.

Overall a good car but the weight and engine size need to be addressed.