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Satellite Radio & Navigation Systems To Pay For It, Yes or No? 
This is a good article. It appeared in the USA Today and it deals with the pluses and minuses of the new technology offered by our Utah car rental agencies. Personally, since Salt Lake is so easy to get around, and Mapquest is free, why pay for this new technology? If you are like me, it may be worth a few bucks a day since I never stop to ask for directions. It's a guy thing! Well, here's the article... Enjoy... Know where you're going - for a fee. Rental cars: Companies have equipped a part of their fleet with satellite navigation systems that help out-of-town visitors find their way. Hertz has installed NeverLost GPS navigation systems in thousands of its rental vehicles. Don't be surprised if the car you rent now includes cutting-edge gadgetry. A growing number of vehicles now come equipped with satellite navigation systems - to help you avoid getting lost - and satellite radio, so you can enjoy sports, tunes or talk along the way. It's the industry's first widespread technological breakthrough since CD players became standard in cars about five years ago. Many travelers welcome the devices, particularly the navigation systems' ability to guide them through unfamiliar cities. Some say they choose which company to use based on the availability of the devices. ''It's a great toy, and it's better than stopping and asking for directions,'' says Jeff MacMillan, in Notre Dame, Ind., who has rented about a dozen cars with navigation systems. ''It's amazingly accurate, a friendly back-seat driver, and it pays for itself when it comes time to return the car at a strange airport.'' Hertz has 50,000 vehicles in the United States and Canada equipped with navigation systems and expects to add 10,000 more by the end of this year, says Richard Broome, a vice president at the rental-car company. Hertz charges renters $9 extra a day for a vehicle with such a system. Only cars midsized and larger are equipped with it, with greatest prevalence in these and luxury vehicles, Broome says. Avis charges $9.95 daily for a portable navigation device that can plug into any car. The gadgets, available in just two locations two years ago, now can be rented in 67 cities, says spokeswoman Susan McGowan. Avis plans to have them in 12 more cities this year and in various Canadian and Puerto Rican cities. National and Alamo, which are controlled by Vanguard Car Rental USA, charge $9.99 each day for a portable unit, says spokesman Charles Pulley. Budget, which is owned by Avis' parent company, Cendant Car Rental Group, will begin renting the navigation equipment later this year, says Avis Vice President Michael Caron. Sue Reiss, a sales manager in Iron River, Mich., says the devices are useful on highways but often don't provide the best directions in cities. Frequent business traveler John Kernitzki of Glendale, Ariz., says he carries his own portable unit, because it is ''superior'' to those offered by car-rental companies. It has better reception and city maps with more up-to-date information, he says. Several road warriors praise the introduction of satellite radio from one of the two big providers - XM and Sirius. Their reasons: no commercials, the ability to listen to the same station without losing reception on a long drive and a wide variety of programming, including Major League Baseball. Royce Myers, a software consultant in South Haven, Mich., who has rented a car with satellite radio about five times, hasn't been won over and prefers local radio stations. ''The main problem with satellite radio is the channels are too specific with their content, and there's no guide,'' he says. ''There are hundreds of channels, and it takes forever to go through them to find one you like when you're driving.'' Hertz and Avis didn't have any vehicles with satellite radio three years ago, but each now has about 20,000. At Hertz, all size classes except subcompact have at least some vehicles with satellite radio, but it's more prevalent in large vehicles, Broome says. Avis has satellite radio, McGowan says, in all premium and luxury cars, including Cadillac Seville and DeVille, Pontiac Bonneville, Buick LeSabre and Hummer H3. Dollar and Thrifty, which are owned by the same company and share cars in various locations, have about 56,000 vehicles with satellite radio, says spokeswoman Terri Snow. It's available in premium and sport-utility vehicles and in minivans. National didn't have any cars with satellite radio in March 2004, but now 10 percent of its and Alamo's vehicle classes - except subcompact - are equipped with it, Pulley says. National, Alamo and Avis provide satellite radio for no additional charge, while Hertz charges $3 a day. At Dollar and Thrifty, either it's free or the price varies by location. back to our car rental page to check prices |