It’s fun renting lots of different cars. You get a good feel for cars in general; as well learn what you really like. I’m pretty sure I’ll never be buying a Renault but a Ford Focus might be okay (not a Fiesta!).
But we drove Toyotas in Japan and in Kinmen. The Toyota Roomy is a model not available outside Japan, it was only 850cc engine. But surprisingly spacious and comfortable to drive.
Ford Focus (2019), Mondeo (2005), and Fiesta (2023) were all driven in the UK over various years. I think the Focus was the nicest of the three. The Fiesta was just a city car, and its puny little engine really started making excess noise after being driven more than 80 miles a day. We think it was the distributor. Not sure.
Toyota Tercel (2003), Roomy, Yaris. I’d like to try the Prius: we drove all of those in Taiwan or Japan. The Roomy was the only right-hander but it was the most fun to drive. The Yaris felt a little small but it was fine. On Kinmen, the distances weren’t large.
Oh, goodness, the Toyota Tercel that I learned on with the spongy gears and soft brakes… which was miraculously tuned up for the test day and I still passed. I don’t have a photo of that car, but I think the training center probably STILL has a few Tercels in its stock. I still see quite a few of them on the road here.
Kinmen transport was a Toyota Yaris, so quite small but ideal for Kinmen which isn’t very big but with no public transport. Generally, though Toyota are quite reliable and well-built. Manual or automatic?
Nissan March we drove on Penghu. Not well-maintained, it was probably a private car being rented. But the Nissan March was seriously underpowered. I didn’t enjoy driving that car, but at least it was reliable as are all the Japanese cars I’ve driven.
The Skoda Octavia was a nice car, spacious and comfortable. The Volvo, too. But it was TOO long for an inexperienced driver like myself. I nearly nailed a fence with the car because I underestimated how long it was.
Then there’s the Vauxhall Zefira. I nearly died in a Zefira. It had the same engine size as my Mazda, but double the weight. The acceleration, or to be precise, lack of acceleration left me in a bad spot in 2012. It still sends shivers down my spine, how close I came to being rear-handed by an idiot Aberdonian driver in a Range Rover.
I’ve driven a couple of Renaults: Megane, plus one other. I’d rather walk than drive a Renault. Poor interiors, unpleasant environment. That’s a NO.
The Mercedes was great, once you got used to the automatic cut-out at stops; and it was a highly polluting DIESEL! I think I’ve driven a few others…