2001 Dodge Stratus

I rented a Dodge Stratus for a week while my Saturn SL1 was in the body shop (accident was NOT my fault--hit and run while in a parking lot). I was very pleased with the treatment and service I got from Enterprise Rent-a-Car but the Dodge Stratus left a lot to be desired.

The car was roomy enough with all the power options: seats, windows, door locks,side mirrors, etc., but it was terrible on gas mileage. I drive 35 miles round trip from home to work each day with "normal" side trips (food shopping, movie, etc.). I had to put gas in that pig every three days.

The sound system was excellent. I had an old tape that had been made from a record. It sounded very good in that car. Visibility was not as good as the Saturn. I could not see all four fenders.

The car looks like so many others that it's easy to lose it in a parking lot. My Saturn has a keyless remote entry system and the Dodge does not. I could have done without a lot of the bells and whistles (power locks, windows, mirrors) in favor of the remote entry, which also can sound the horn and enable you to find it easier in the dark or in a large lot when you forget where you parked.

The dashboard lights up like, as my wife put it, The Starship Enterprise. It was very readable but I don't care for orange dials. The radio and tape player were mounted a bit low for me. I'm not a tall man at all and I had trouble reaching them.

The temperature/AC/defroster/fan controls were mounted below the radio and were even tougher to get at. The clock was inaccurate. Most cars have clocks that are self-evident when you want to set the time. I had to pull over and break out the book in order to reset this one.

The ride was soft and fairly comfortable. The car handled poorly due to the excessive weight of it. It had a six-cylinder engine because of the weight. Both these things together caused the car to handle sloppily and consume an inordinate amount of gas. I thought it was 30 years ago and I was driving an eight-cylinder Cadillac.

Rear visibility with the inside rear view mirror was sharply limited. The two side mirrors did not make up for the lack of visibility, resulting in a blind spot on either side of the car which can be deadly when driving on a three-or four-lane expressway/highway.

Small details were overlooked and small details make all the difference in every day driving. For instance, the two cup holders were very low and in front of the gear shift lever. The result was that with any cup sitting there, if you put the car into PARK you could--and I did--jam fingers. A utility tray was forward of the cup holders and so out of the way as to be useless.

I had two Toyotas that would open the driver's door with one twist of the key and the other three with a quick, second turn. This car was equipped so that you opened the driver's door, then had to reach inside to open the other doors with the door switch.

One nice touch: all doors locked automatically when the car accelerated to 15mph. A thoughtful touch if you have small children. However, when the car is put into PARK, the doors do not unlock again. Oops.

In all, I would use the car only if two conditions were met: a. I was desperate and b. someone else paid for the fuel.