I just returned from a business trip that has made a lover of the PT Cruiser.
After flying into Montreal, I needed to rent a car so I could drive to remote upstate New York for a business meeting the next day. The Hertz folks had several different vehicles to choose from but not my old standby of the Chevy Impala (I love the power) so I decided to try something different and drove out with a PT Cruiser. I was reluctant at first as I never much cared for the boxy styling but once inside I was quickly in tune with the contemporary, Starbucks-Coffee house styling and open roomy feel. The power and very sensitive turning wheel also surprised a skeptic like me who always thought the retro styling probably extended to performance as well.
The real test however, was to come that night half-way between Montreal and Lake Placid when I hit a snow storm that could make a grown man cry. The car tunneled through the remote unplowed roads of southern Canada like it was on a mission and I never had the slightest feeling that I was not in control as I drove around some pretty sharp bends and steep inclines once I hit the New York Mountain area.
I've been driving a Camry for the last 7 years but I'm going out to some dealers this weekend to start eyeballing the Cruiser. The model I rented was a 2005 and I read a few negative reviews on Yahoo about the 2006 models (saying they were smaller inside, etc). What are your opinions of the 2006 Cruiser compared to the 2005?