Best road trip vehicles

"PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power" (petarvn) 04/22/2014 at 00:39 • Filed to: None

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There are many comfy cars, and many fast cars, but what are the best overall road trip cars oppo has experienced?

For me, it's got to be the Dodge Durango R/T. This specific one was a 2012.5, so the last of the 5-speed auto ones. It pulled, and it was comfy for 3 1/2 hours, with severe sunburn on my legs.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 04/22/2014 at 00:44

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It would have to be my uncle's 2011 Ram 1500 Laramie. Who knew a truck could ride that well? Plenty of room in the front and back, awesome Alpine audio system, and plenty of amenities to keep comfortable for 5 hours straight.

offroadkarter > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 04/22/2014 at 00:46

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I have had my marauder as far south as VA, as far north as RI and as far west as OH (that was a 9 1/2 hour drive). Panther platform cars are made to eat up the highway, and even though I kind of ruined the ride over shit roads from my lowering coils (which I'm going to fix with new struts that are valved right for the springs) it still is really comfortable over great drives. It also helps that I have enough power to take down anything I might run across over state lines haha

I think my 745i would be a great road trip car but its to old to trust going very far anymore. I drove it 4 1/2 hours from southern maryland to central jersey and it did just fine. I wouldn't drive it 9 hours to ohio though.

Milky > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 04/22/2014 at 00:50

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EDIT: Damn I didn't completely read it. Really though the only cars I've road tripped in are pick ups and my not good at road trip cars …. sooooo my friends impala? it was comfy and got just over 30mpg while sitting 5 easily.

Merkin Muffley > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 04/22/2014 at 00:53

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sm70- why not Duesenberg? > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 04/22/2014 at 00:56

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benjaminW123 > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 04/22/2014 at 01:01

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Mercedes W140 500SEL. Drove it from Alabama to North Dakota and back.

The man in the iron mask > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 04/22/2014 at 01:05

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This mofo, we rented it for a road trip, it was awesome, very comfortable, cool stereo interface nice gps, POWER, awd and room for many. I really dont like how it looks, but it grows on you because the car, you enjoy it.

Arben72 > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 04/22/2014 at 01:21

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The S class is the only car you feel more energized arriving at your destination then when you started. Also I have to say honda pilot because mines been through most of the states and through most of Europe and has never given me an issue.

Jacob > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 04/22/2014 at 01:29

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Minivans. For me specifically, any variety of Chrysler brand minivans because that is what my family has always had. Luxurious? No. But practical and comfortable? Yes.

I honestly did not know discomfort on a road trip until I was probably 8 or so. That year, during our annual family beach trip, I was forced to sit in the middle rear seat of a Grand Marquis between my older sister and my great aunt Ruth. Prior to that, I had always my own "captains chair" in the second row of our family van.

We usually make a 8.5/9 hour trip from our home to the beach but have done 13 hour drives with ease and comfort in the family vans.

MPA > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 04/22/2014 at 01:38

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I've done 1,000+ mile road trips many times. Many 1000+ straight through, some with stops.

'89 Mustang LX 5.0, 5 spd - NY to STL - not bad. car was packed for my move to the midwest. Flawless. I only stopped overnight because I had a cat in a carrier with me. Also did STL to Ft. Lauderdale and back in a different 5.0 that performed effortlessly at 85mph. Both cars has cruise control - very necessary for these trips!

'91 Miata - Did STL to NY and back, STL to Ft. Lauderdale to Deals gap and backl to STL. Not a problem at all, except the trunk was so small that my GF and I ended up just lining the trunk with towels and packing it like a suitcase since a small carry on bag didn't fit. Had cruise control.

'00 Miata - Did the STL to NY and back thing, at a month old I did the STL to Deal's Gap to NY to STL trip. Also did STL to Dallas for a track day, with a set of race tires. Got caught in the pouring rain 3 times going from DG to NY, laughed each time because the rain was so hard that the inside of the windshield was getting wet. Had Cruise Control.

'02 Saturn SC1 - Did STL to Ft. Lauderdale and back - managed a wonderful 37mpg on the ride back while cruising at 85mph most of the way (1200+ miles, did it in 15.5 hours). Car did not have cruise control, which sucked balls.

'06 Solstice - STL to NY and back. It was ok - had cruise control, but I had to pack creatively since the trunk is pretty much useless - my carry on sized back sat in the passenger foot well. Here it is parked at the parking lot of the former Oak Beach Inn.

'03 Miata - Did a nice road trip for some sight seeing - STL to the Louisville Slugger factory (m'eh), to the Corvette Museum (ok), to the Barber Motorsports Museum (fucking awesome) and then spent 3 days at Deals Gap. It was a 5 day, 2000 mile trip.600 Miles of back roads done in the DG area - Cherohala, 129, Devil's Triangle. I need to go back because the area has so many roads that are awesome and not clogged up like 129 is.

This signs is seen prior to the Cherohala - makes for an awful day ;)

And on 129

The one I am SO looking forward to is STL to NY and back in July - in my C6. I will probably stop on the way there since I plan on making a side trip to the Corvette Museum to see the sink hole cars since they're on display through the end of August, and it'd be cool to have a pic of my car in front of the Museum and the factory. But the car is so fucking comfortable - I did a 290ish mile mostly back road day on Saturday, and another 175 mile day on Sunday. Since it will be July, I'll likely keep the top in since it will most likely be scorching, and even throw the headliner for the glass (it's really lexan) targa to keep it from beating down on me for the long drive.

Caveat: I'm 5'6" and for me, a Miata is ROOMIE, so there hasn't been a car I've driven that's been uncomfortable in really. The only car that made me feel cramped was the Solstice, but I still had =enough room - it was just the interior design. I usually have a cooler full of soda and some snack food, and my road trips are pretty much the only time I stop is for gas and food, I eat on the road, and if I have to use the bathroom

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 04/22/2014 at 01:54

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W140 S600L.

I once take my W140 on a fearsome 1000 miles journey from my home to my parent's house. And it's brilliant!

Plus the V12 is always there to pulls you. The only concern was fuel economy, but all things considered, it's worth it.

99TandC > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 04/22/2014 at 02:12

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Gotta say my 1998 Camaro was awesome. 30 mpg, kind of enough space, and the legroom. Sweet legroom. It was a comfortable seating position as my legs were extended most of the time. Except it always pulled to the right. Other than that it was a blast.

JDMatt > MPA 04/22/2014 at 02:26

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If what you want from a road trip car is comfort, the back seat of a ford edge is a great place to fall asleep. Ask for one next time you're at enterprise.

If you're in the Asia pacific region, an Isuzu Alterra does the same job of comfortably transporting passengers to slumberland. Unless your road trip is 100% off road, the ride, seats, and legroom in an Isuzu Alterra is very good.

Dave Andersen > Merkin Muffley 04/22/2014 at 02:29

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I'm going with this.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 04/22/2014 at 02:36

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My buddy has a loaded 2008 (I think) VW Tuareg V10 TDI that we've taken on a few road trips. Its the best of every world. It's super comfortable, has a great sound system, gets decent MPGs (okay not really, but better than my Jeep which is much lighter and has a V6. Seriously, Jeep. What can you do right?), cruise control, is big enough for people and/or stuff, enough power to overtake the majority of what you will come across on the road, and is basically invisible to police. We drove from Connecticut to South Carolina, which was about a 16 hour drive in a day and a half after stopping in Virginia, and I was totally comfortable the whole trip. And as far as the anonymity goes, at one point we passed a state trooper doing more than 20mph over the limit and he didn't bat an eyelash. Also, I really, really want one an irrational amount. A diesel V10 SUV that can tow basically anything and look good while doing it? Count me in!

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 04/22/2014 at 03:16

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if you liked it with the old tranny, you gotta try it wit the ZF 8 spped.

Dunnik > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 04/22/2014 at 05:07

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This isn't exactly a long road trip - London, ON to Toronto, a distance of 160 km or 100 miles or so - but it's the first thing that came to mind: a rental car Toyota Venza.

Yes, a Venza. I was surprised at how well this Mommy Wagon performed on the highway. Very smooth and quiet power delivery from its GR series V6 engine. Even though it's a Camry on stilts, handling was quite car-like and crisp for a big CUV. Seats were comfortable, unlike other Toyota products, and visibility was excellent. It was a solo trip, but obviously I could have carried 3 others and luggage with ease. Stereo was pretty shitty, but the double moonroof was neat: combined with the white and grey interior colour scheme, the cabin was light and airy. It was also amazingly good on gas, considering its size and its motor.

It would hardly be my first choice for a road-trip car, but I'd happily take it over many of the other typical rental cars for a long trip.

yamahog > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 04/22/2014 at 07:22

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My dad's RV. Powered by a Ford V10 and handles like a yacht, but it can carry a street bike and a dirtbike without a trailer, and being able to go back and take a nap on a queen size bed when it's not your turn to drive? Priceless.

mpa-burner2 > JDMatt 04/22/2014 at 09:26

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I'm usually by myself, so a back seat isn't really needed. but there are the rare trips I need to pull over and grab a quick nap, and from seats usually aren't too comfortable.

The trip to Florida was with a girlfriend though as mentioned - she had a cooler under her legs, but was still pretty comfortable.

Dsscats > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 04/22/2014 at 16:42

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Hands down it was a Chrysler Town and Country from around 2008. It was incredibly comfy, had an alright stereo and since we had 6 people we had 2 people up front, 1 person in the middle with one seat folded down and three in the back . That way we could talk and pass stuff back and forth. The other seat folded flat into the floor (yay stow and go!) and when our destination was too windy to camp we folded everything down and slept in the van! It was amazing.