[redpoint5]

I recently visited Kauai and Oahu and rented a car on both islands.

In Kauai my only options were between a Nissan Frontier or a Chevy Sonic. Since I wasn't doing construction in Kauai, I chose the Sonic. To my surprise, even with speeds not exceeding 50 MPH, the Sonic only averaged 31 MPG. Not very impressive for a gutless econobox.

There were more options in Oahu, so I managed to get a Ford Fusion hybrid. The car is very nice, with plenty of power, low noise in the cabin, smooth riding, and had extras like auto climate control. I spent all day driving probably 60 miles total, often sitting in traffic not moving for many minutes, and the car returned 47 MPG! That's just 3 MPG away from a gen III Prius.

The Fusion hybrid is now my go-to car when renting. I really cannot think of a better car in that class when considering fuel efficiency, comfort, features, and performance.

All that said, I'll probably never visit Oahu again. That place sucks. Glad I visited Pearl Harbor and saw some sites, but vacation to me is not being in a perpetual traffic jam and (almost) being forced to pay $30/night for parking.