Reserve & Conserve? Hertz Green Collection now available, but what's the fuss?
I have to admit that I stole "Reserve & Conserve" from Hertz itself, as that was the subject line in a targeted email I received pushing the company's new "Green Collection."
Before I clicked through to the site, I expected to see a lineup consisting of vehicles like the Escape/Mariner Hybrid and maybe even the Prius, which goes to show you how strongly linked the terms "green" and "hybrid" are in my head, even though there's more to so-called green motoring than just that kind of vehicle. Imagine my surprise when I saw what the Green collection actually consisted of:
- Toyota Camry (the regular one)
- Ford Fusion
- Buick LaCrosse
- Hyundai Sonata
The company also says that "most of" the Camrys, Fusions, and LaCrosses meet the EPA's SmartWay requirements for lower emissions.
Obviously, whether or not you get the high mileage these cars are capable of delivering depends on where and how you drive them, and truth be told, the models selected by Hertz seem like pretty standard rental fare anyway. I'm just not seeing the big deal here.
[Source: Hertz]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
$0.02 6:11PM (10/23/2006)
Leave to the 'new Hertz' which Ford sold recently. My experience with this company recently has been disappointing. They are priced at the outer margins (expensive) and their customer service is less than acceptable.
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D Man 6:18PM (10/23/2006)
I want to test drive a Nissan Altima Hybrid for a weekend!
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Howard Kerr 6:22PM (10/23/2006)
Something like this Hertz marketing idea, is why I have problems with the term "GREEN". That is, what I consider to be green, is not necessarily what someone else might see as being green. Like the author of this article, I consider GREEN to be a car that gets BETTER than 30 mpg. Hertz and the E.P.A. (through something like SmartWay) consider green to be anything that reduces POLLUTION...no matter how small that reduction might be.
I would love to be able to rent a Prius, Civic Hybrid, and/or any other hybrid, so I can see what MY "real world" gas savings would be or even if there are any gas savings. Hertz and the EPA (through things like SmartWay) apparently think it's whether a car is ULEV or ? ...that is most important.
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Tim UF 7:16PM (10/23/2006)
yea... can you say "marketing gimmick" ?
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fizzandpop 6:57PM (10/23/2006)
Massive generalization alert!
Since when has it become totally accepatable to just SAY something but not actually FOLLOW THROUGH. "Your call is very important to us" No it isn't, or I would be talking to someone by now. "Michael Jackson would never harm his baby" err, but he just dangled it out of the window? "Insert anything coming out of Washington"
Someone has to call people on this crap. 28mpg is not green, it's pitiful. Like the Luxury fleet that includes Hyundais and that other Korean make.
Rant over.
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Greg A. 7:10PM (10/23/2006)
I saw a Web ad for the Green Collection last night and I clicked on it. As I understood it, when you reserve a model in the Green Collection, you're guaranteed to get it and not a substitute. (Or maybe you're guaranteed to get one of the other models in the Green Collection if you are given a substitute — they all seem to be in the same class, sizewise.) Maybe THAT'S really the big deal.
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LMdealer 7:37PM (10/23/2006)
Lets hope Toyota doesnt sell them too many Camrys. Would be a shame to see it go the way of the Taurus!
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Keith 12:06AM (10/24/2006)
2nd. - I would love to rent a Prius for a week and see what my REAL mileage was (as in, fill tank, reset trip meter, drive, refill, and use trip meter mileage/gas put in).
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Prathima 4:17AM (11/15/2007)
I recently came across a review of Hertz Green Collection on SustainLane; http://www.sustainlane.com/reviews/green-collection/BLUXWAI7IWAI7FSDFTSHDCLNPSJ4
It seems for every vehicle rented from the Hertz rental pool of their 35,000-car Green Collection, available at 50 US airports, Hertz will contribute one dollar ($1) to the National Park Foundation through June 13, 2008. Hertz pledges a minimum contribution to NPF of one million dollars ($1,000,000).
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