Best Car for Road Trips
There are few things more liberating and more quintessentially American than the cross country road trip. Who hasn’t during some point in their life jumped into their car on a whim (or occasionally by design) just to see all the wonderful things our positively huge country has to offer? Come on now, don’t tell me you have never wanted to see the world’s largest ball of yarn or visit the world famous “Mystery Spot” near Santa Cruz, California. (What is the Mystery Spot? I can’t tell you that as that would ruin the “mystery.” Oh, fine. Just Google it.)
You can always tell when a person has never attempted a long trip as these are the same individuals who love to comment on what a “small world” it is. Small? You try driving across Montana, Wyoming, Iowa or Nebraska in the dead of winter and you tell me how “small” you think the world really is. While muscle cars like the Mustang or Camaro used to be the road trip cars of choice in their heyday, isn’t it really a vehicle with a long cruising distance ideal for this kind of travel? (If you don’t know there are sometimes hundreds of miles between gas stations on the open road. Or Rest Stops for that matter.)
In addition to wanting a vehicle that is fuel efficient there is much to be said about taking your road trip in a hatchback. Modern five door hatchbacks offer space for four (five in a pinch) and can easily swallow oddly shaped cargo like that huge wood carving of Sitting Bull you might decide to invest in on that trip through New Mexico.
But there is one final and most important defining characteristic that the best road trip vehicles all must possess: They absolutely must be fun to drive. Let’s be honest here, do you really want to crash into some farmer’s corn field after driving for 14 hours straight? If you fear that might happen I do recommend one thing—No-Doz. Lots and lots of No-Doz.
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Why it's best:
(Starting at $25,000)—The sixth generation VW GTI should be arriving at dealerships by the time you read this. While there are still some Mk5 versions still on VW dealer lots the improvements to the exterior styling and interior materials quality should make the purcha...read full review
Why it's a best pick:
(Starting at $23,870)—No, you don’t need to be a tree hugging hippie to drive a diesel engined car these days. Gone is the time when diesels spewed black smoke and were noisier than a birthday party for a spoiled eight year old. The VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI gets 3... read full review
Why it's a best pick:
(Starting at $22,000)—Granted, it may still be an odd sensation to drive your car and not hear the engine, but few can deny that with fuel economy ratings of 51 city/48 highway, the third generation Toyota Prius is a fine road trip car. With that kind of fuel economy t... read full review
Why it's a best pick:
(Starting at $23,945)—While there is nothing wrong the regular versions of the Mazda3, it is the 263 horsepower turbocharged four in the MazdaSpeed version that really makes you want to get out on the road and drive forever. This generation MazdaSpeed3 has fixed the so... read full review
Why it's a best pick:
(Starting at $32,295)—A convertible for a road trip, I hear you cry? While this may not be the best pick for a 2,000 mile drive, it is undeniable that many road trips are undertaken by those in their twenties on their way to Spring Break. And is there any way to roll i... read full review
