It seems like it has been decades since 
As 
For the last couple of years when we head out on large Spring Break road trips like this, we have been renting a vehicle. Sure, we could put the miles on our own vehicles, but when you are racking up 1500 miles or so in a short amount of time, it might be better to put that wear and tear on someone else's car.
Typically we rent through Enterprise Rental and that was the case here. After our recent experience and some issues 
This was the cart that we received as our rental. According to the lady behind the desk, it was the only car they had available in inventory so I didn't even have the option to choose something else.
Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate the 2023 Hyundai Kona, but it probably wouldn't have been my first option.
We were only able to fit our three main bags across the back of the hatchback space. That meant everything else had to be piled into the back seat of the car and there was very little space back there. While the front had quite a bit of room (especially compared to the BMW we rented last year), the back seat would maybe fit a couple of toddlers and not much else.
The positive of being so compact is the fact that you can pretty much get in and out of any spot you want to in the big city. Parallel parking is quite a breeze, and weaving in and out of traffic on the expressway is relatively easy.
This definitely wasn't the ride my wife and I are used to. While some of the amenities were nice (I will get to those in a second), the car itself was a far cry from
While our 2014 Buick Lacrosse has a smooth ride and a 304 horsepower engine that provides plenty of get up and go, the Kona rides more like my 3/4 ton pickup truck. Additionally, it only has a 150 horsepower engine provided by a 4 cylinder turbo, that just can't compete with our 6 cylinder sedan.
Another thing that drove me crazy (see what I did there) with the Kona is the fact that the cruise control felt more like a suggestion than a set convenience. I would set the cruise at 78 MPH only to find someone creeping up behind me and realizing that my speed had tumbled down to 75 or 76.
Eventually, the car would realize the error and accelerate to 80 or 81 before it settled back down to 78. I'm more used to vehicles being fairly rock steady when set on a specific cruise speed.
The rollerskate (as
I did return it with zero scratches, but there is a good chance the engine wasn't ready to work that hard. There were only 5000 miles on the odometer when I got it. I returned it with close to 6500. On top of that engines often need a certain number of miles to break them in before you run them full speed. If the magic number is higher than 6000, the Kona might be in trouble.
This is the first time I have ever driven a vehicle that uses Android Auto. It was a pretty seamless integration with my phone. I did have some issues where my phone kept wanting to connect to WiFi instead of Bluetooth and since there was no WiFi it kept hanging. I think that would have been different if I owned the car and had a WiFi subscription.
The map and music integration was pretty awesome and I can't wait to have Android Auto on my next vehicle. I saw a story the other day that Apple is going to shutter its carplay offering. That kind of sucks for those folks.
Another thing that drove me a little crazy with the Kona was the fact that everything seemed opposite of what I am used to in our car. The steering wheel controls were on opposite sides and levers you usually move up or down were also opposite.
I also wasn't impressed with the hands free driving tech in the car. Maybe the car was just too light or something, but when you are barreling down the expressway at 80 MPH it is a little unnerving watching the car try to keep itself in between the lines without your hands on the wheel.
Finally, my last observation from this trip is the fact that people are wusses. I don't know what it is about rain that makes people feel like they have to drive like a grandmother on her way home from church on Sunday afternoon.
I think people actually drive faster in the snow than they do in the rain. It's pathetic.
In addition to that, throw a semi in the mix and you might as well get out and walk. I don't know if 
They must not realize if they just speed up for a quick second, they can be past the semi quicker. It's like there is this anxiety that makes them freeze when they get next to one. I don't know, but I wish people would get over it.
It has the makings to cause so many accidents.
In case you missed it, I went on a trip recently. I gathered a ton of content and I am going to be sharing that over the next couple of weeks. I hope you come along with me!
All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or
