That's right boys and girls. A devout Ford man driving a Chevy. It had only 76 miles on the odometer. I put 40 very hard miles on it and thought I'd share my impressions.

The dark gray interior is gloomy and very cramped compared to my Lariat SCab. The windshield is tiny and the foward view over the butt ugly hood is poor. Did I mention how depressing the interior is? However, Chevy has found a way to cover the whole drivers side of the windshield with its wipers. This is something Ford has never figured out how to do. The gauges are dated and cheap looking, but easier to read, IMO.

It has been raining here for days, so I wasn't able to perform the traditional "rental car smokey holeshot" testing. Instead I just fishtailed away from every stop like an a$$hole! No traction whatsoever with the 3.73 LS rear on the wet pavement. Downright scary! I will say this about the Chevy 5.3L - Throttle response! Something I miss not having with my F-150. From stoplight to stoplight the Chevy would, without a doubt, eat my lunch. On the open road I would call it a toss up. The truck rode firmly with the Z-71 package, but not as harsh as I thought it would. I can feel the chassis flex on bad roads, something you won't feel in the Ford. Compared to the F-150, the Chevy was almost as quiet on the highway, but the seat, although cushier, quickly started to hurt my back. No adjustable lumbar? What's up with that?

Having never driven a Chevy for any length of time, I have to admit I was curious.

Now, I'm just glad to have my F-150 back!

 

I assume your truck is in for service at a Ford dealership.... do they carry GM products as well or was this an Enterprise rental?

Just interested.

Screwdrive

 

Yes.

Enterprise.

 

No doubt, Ford throttle response blows. My '96 Tahoe 4x4 with similar gear ratios, a 5.7 liter engine, 130,000 miles, and less torque and horsepower would smoke my S-crew 5.4 liter.

Why the heck does Ford design their trucks this way?

Grim

 

hey screwdrive, that is the first thing that popped into my head too when i read that post, GM at a Ford dealership!!?

 

every other truck whoops Ford in throttle response!

 

The Ford dealer here also loans cars through Enterprise. They would NEVER allow them to put you in a GM product. I've had to drive everything from an Escort to a Town Car, but always a ford product.

 

I was given an Isuzu Ascender as a loaner, which is their version of the newer GM SUV. My dealer sells Fords and Isuzus (gasp). Ten miles was enough to convince me I'd never buy one. The steering was very elastic, like a long series of bungy cords that eventually made it to the front wheels. It seemed like you could move the steering wheel 45° before anything happened. Throttle response wasn't anything to get excited about. It didn't seem as good as the Explorer I had a few years ago. The interior looked tacky and felt like a pair of pants that was a size too small...yuck.

 

My dealer uses an Enterprise that only has GM and Toyota cars. Last time it was in the shop I rented a 2003 Pontiac. I think from a marketing stand point it is a horrible idea, my mother bought a Toyota Camry after renting one while her mercury was in the shop.

 

You know, I never thought about that, but I think you're right.

The Enterprise that my dealer uses has a wide range of cars and trucks to select from. Foriegn and domestic, big and small. I kind of feel like a kid in a candy store over there. (Expect for knowing that the brainless guy in the service dept. is currently ripping my truck apart while simultaneously smearing grease everywhere!) I usually choose to drive something other than a Ford, just for fun. Fortunately for Ford, I usually choose a GM or Dodge to flog while they have my truck. I haven't seen anything in either of those brands that would lead me to buy one, but I do wish my Lariat would leap off the line like that Z-71. Sometimes, you just need to burn rubber! Monster smokey burnouts in rental cars are good for the soul......!!

 

I think it's interesting these Dealers are using Enterprise Rent a Car. Because Ford owns Hertz Car Rentals and Hertz Equipment Rentals...

 

Clem I agree with you. I travel a lot with my job and drive a wide variety of rentals on a regular basis. I usually say "F*ck it, it's a rental". This saves the wear and tear on my vehicles.

 

Every time we have had a vehicle in service at a Ford dealership, Enterprise always gave us little crap cars like the Escort or Chevy Cavalier. We did one time get a Dodge Stratus which was actually a very nice car and ran extremely well. Wait a minute...Don't tell me I just said that about a Dodge None of the ones around here even have trucks available.

 

Enterprise... gave me a geo once

 

It helps when you rent from them once / week (at least)... I get my pick of the fleet.

RP