Connect by Hertz

“It’s like a time machine,” Andrew said, peering over my shoulder to get a better look at the glowing dashboard.

Sitting behind the wheel of the BMW Mini Cooper, I couldn’t have described the car better myself.

Honestly, it took me a good five minutes to figure out how to work the keyless push-button ignition.  First you stick the fat disc-shaped key fob into the slot by the steering column, then you press down the start button and the brake pedal.  This I learned from reading the laminated "How to Start a Mini Coop" instructions tied to the gear shift.

Once we got the wheels rolling, though, the Mini Coop was a blast.  We hooked my I-Pod up to the stereo and pointed the little car toward Baltimore.  While I enjoyed the car's smooth ride and tight turning radius (at home when I drive, I'm usually behind the wheel of my dad's big, long F-250), Holly and Andrew experimented with the switch that opened the sun roof.

My friends and I got ahold of the Mini Coop through the Connnect by Hertz car rental program.  Connect by Hertz provides Susquehanna students and employees with easy access to high fuel efficiency vehicles.

Students participating in the program can go online and reserve a car days in advance or just hours before their trip, choosing between the eco-friendly Toyota Prius or the also-eco-friendly BMW Mini Cooper.  Both cars, when they're not in use, are parked between Weber Chapel and the campus center.

Hertz offers both daily and hourly rates, so the cars can really be used for anything—short errands or long road trips. It only cost us $81 to take the car to Baltimore for the day, which isn’t bad at all if you divide the cost by three or four people.  Plus the rental fee covers the cost of gas and insurance.  There’s a fueling card just above the visor that you swipe at the pump like a credit card whenever you stop to fill up.

You're not going to spend much time filling up, though.  These cars really are fuel efficient. Holly, Andrew, and I took the Mini the whole way to Baltimore, but we didn’t have to stop for gas until we got back to Selinsgrove. I spent more time enjoying the breeze coming in through the windows and the Dave Matthews Band coming in through the speakers, watching the needle on the humungous speedometer waver between 60 and 80, than I did worrying about where the next gas station is.

If you don't have a car on campus or a girlfriend who has a car on campus (like I do), the Hertz Connect Program is a really great way to explore the world that exists beyond SU's campus.

We spent the day in Baltimore hanging out at the aquarium, but really you could take the car anymore—catch a concert in Scranton,  spend a day at the hands-on science center in Harrisburg, watch a hockey game in Hershey, maybe eat some chocolate too, visit friends at another university, catch a Broadway Show in New York City, head to Philly, D.C., or wherever.  With Connect by Hertz, it's really up to you.

• Learn more about Connect by Hertz at connectbyhertz.com.