What do you think is a GREAT road trip vehicle?

[vash]

Comfort
Power
Good MPG
quietness
Etc?

I know it's NOT a 2006 Toyota Tacoma. Last legs of a 5000 mile trip. And I'm so over the road noise.

I'm bored watching my wife drive and I'm looking at what others are traveling in.

Not considering mega$ cars; what's your idea of a great road trip passenger car/ truck?

No Sprinter Vans, Maybachs, or Provost RV's.

Just got passed by a Mercedes wagon that looked like a contender.

[pavulon]

Lots of variables but if you don't require all the room in the world, BMW 335d?

[jwasbury]

I’m sold on Benz. For me, the sweet spot is 15-20 years old. You can find low mile, often 1 owner examples for <10k all day long. I am about to buy my 3rd. Have racked up almost 25k miles in a 1998 E300 Turbodiesel sedan over the last 12 months. Its a great car for the road and the real world.

[masraum]

You guys can close this thread now.

[Borders Reivers]

GMC PD-4501 Scenicruiser

[Jim Richards]

I'd go with comfort & great visibility. Quiet & good mpg would be a plus. Sometimes, we'll drive with windows open, so quiet comes after comfort & visibility.

Ford Flex, perhaps?

[GH85Carrera]

I will admit to a slight prejudice, but I love road tripping in my 85 911. I have done several 5,000+ mile round trips over two weeks with my wife in the passenger seat.

[herr_oberst]

I think if I were doing regular cross country trips, I'd be looking at a Lexus; Merc levels of luxury, Toyota reliability, modern volumes of horsepower.

(Either that or a Maybach.)

[look 171]

Vash,

We have been doing road trips since the kids were 4-5 months old. We decided not to travel overseas until they get a little older so road trips have been our vacation twice to three time a year. Due to the amount of crap my wife must bring, we can't travel in a small car. Depending on the length of the trip and the location we will take a different vehicle. We visited SF near the end of this summer, I made sure to take the 4 runner because the truck would have been way too big in the city. Forget about parking. I have mud and snow tires but not mud tires, never because the noise will drive me nuts within the first 15 min.

If I had to choose a car, it would be a Camry (I don't own a sedan) for the shorter trips like SF to LA. any longer then that, I take my 4 runner. I really like the way it rides and handles. Quiet too, but I am sure its not Range Rover quiet, but I am not a big fan of them. I am driving across Alaska in the next couple of years with my kids and wife (she will be pissed because she's tired of road trips). I bought a Chevy Durmax Crew CAb truck with an 8' bed to haul all our crap and maybe sleep in. Its 4wd, so I will be taking some off the beaten path just to see what's out there. The truck is so long, I think any real hump will get it high centered.

A small SUV like a CRV will work just fine if its just the two of you and the dog. Plenty of power to get over the mt pass and quiet enough to hear each other's complains. Great MPG and a little more ground clearance then most cars. They make them in all wheel drive too.

[recycled sixtie]

I really like our 2011 Lexus RX350. Totally reliable, smooth and built like a tank. Having said that if I go anywhere alone I love my NC Miata. The Lexus has no soul unlike the German cars.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by jwasbury

I’m sold on Benz. For me, the sweet spot is 15-20 years old. You can find low mile, often 1 owner examples for <10k all day long. I am about to buy my 3rd. Have racked up almost 25k miles in a 1998 E300 Turbodiesel sedan over the last 12 months. Its a great car for the road and the real world.

You'd have to look pretty hard to find a vehicle that will eat up the miles better than that w210 turbo diesel. I'm not crazy about that chassis from a styling POV, (the Ford Taurus of Germany), but the comfort/safety/mpg/performance is hard to argue with.

I'd vote for a newer TDI vehicle, there are many. The new Range Rover w Tdi would be close to the ultimate, IMO.

[varmint]

Had a beat to hell 69 deville convertible. It was a couch on wheels with a 472 V8.

But back then gas was $1.80 a gallon.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

I'd go with comfort & great visibility. Quiet & good mpg would be a plus. Sometimes, we'll drive with windows open, so quiet comes after comfort & visibility.

Ford Flex, perhaps?

This would be me too, have not driven enough cars to give a recommendation. In my youth a lady friends mom had a vintage frumpy 1960's Mercedes 4DR sedan... mom would take one look at my car and throw me the keys to the Mercedes. Made the L.A. to Santa Cruz run many times, that car would eat up freeway miles effortlessly (I-5) then handle like a sports car cutting through the mountains to the coast.
Not recommending a old Mercedes, but you could do worse.

Haven't driven a Corvette but I fantasize about driving one cross country, not much storage and the lack of creature comforts would probably drive me nuts by the time I got to Vegas.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I’m picking up another D2 Audi S8 this week. Pretty tough to beat IMHO. Honorable mention for me is an X308 Jaguar XJR, which are easy to find under $10k. In fact there’s a nice one locally right now. It’s hard to beat a luxury sport sedan with a powerful V8, tight suspension, great seats, and a comfy quiet interior if you’re eating up the miles.

Btw, I’m also a huge fan of a 911. But most aren’t so I’m playing the middle ground.

[VincentVega]

My dad just got a 2002 e320, great highway car. Wagon version would be even better is you need to haul gear. Not my thing at all but I'm surprised how well it handles on the highway. They had clapped out 80's diesels when I was a kid and this thing is the next iteration.

[jwasbury]

Originally Posted by speeder

You'd have to look pretty hard to find a vehicle that will eat up the miles better than that w210 turbo diesel. I'm not crazy about that chassis from a styling POV, (the Ford Taurus of Germany), but the comfort/safety/mpg/performance is hard to argue with.

^I actually like the styling. The car is pretty much invisible. Still, my wife managed to collect a few speeding tickets in it.

I enjoy working on this car too. It's obviously engineered to be serviced. Parts have been reasonable thus far as well. I recently did a complete brake job, new rotors all around, new pads and new wear sensors. The complete parts kit (all quality German OEM suppliers) was $250.

[Jim Richards]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

This would be me too, have not driven enough cars to give a recommendation. In my youth a lady friends mom had a vintage frumpy 1960's Mercedes 4DR sedan... mom would take one look at my car and throw me the keys to the Mercedes. Made the L.A. to Santa Cruz run many times, that car would eat up freeway miles effortlessly (I-5) then handle like a sports car cutting through the mountains to the coast.
Not recommending a old Mercedes, but you could do worse.

Haven't driven a Corvette but I fantasize about driving one cross country, not much storage and the lack of creature comforts would probably drive me nuts by the time I got to Vegas.

We used to do road trips in a boxy old Volvo station wagon. That was a pretty nice cruiser.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by jwasbury

^I actually like the styling. The car is pretty much invisible. Still, my wife managed to collect a few speeding tickets in it.

I enjoy working on this car too. It's obviously engineered to be serviced. Parts have been reasonable thus far as well. I recently did a complete brake job, new rotors all around, new pads and new wear sensors. The complete parts kit (all quality German OEM suppliers) was $250.

Winner winner!

[tdw28210]

Mercedes, diesel, AWD. Safe, great MPG, and snow friendly.

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used-2015-Mercedes-Benz-E-Class-c24582#listing=184878986

No MB diesel wagons in the US ....but you CAN get the 6.3 AMG wagon.

[carreradpt]

My MB E350 Sport has been a fantastic road trip car. Comfortable, quiet, smooth, quick, responsive, great sound system, plenty of room, OK gas mileage and it's a great looking car. It is a great cruiser and like my 911 it can devour some road miles. Like the 911, I always seem to turn back and take a look when I park it.