Best road trip vehicle?

[Patman]

Believe it or not my Corvette is a great road trip car! It’s the base model so the suspension is anc very comfortable and on the highway it will get over 35 MPG! It has a massive amount of cargo space in the rear hatch area too. One of these days I plan on doing a big road trip through the USA with it (in particular I really want to drive the entire PCH)

 

[dwcopple]

The biggest Lexus SUV made

 

[SC Maintenance]

Believe it or not my Corvette is a great road trip car! It’s the base model so the suspension is anc very comfortable and on the highway it will get over 35 MPG! It has a massive amount of cargo space in the rear hatch area too. One of these days I plan on doing a big road trip through the USA with it (in particular I really want to drive the entire PCH)

When I was a little kid I read an article in one of the mags about some guys that traced Route 66 as much as they could using a 65 split window. I always thought that would be fun.

 

[Pew]

What if I bump it up to $30K? I think I can maybe get a new Mazda CX-5 for that if I shop around and get one with the lowest trim.

You can most likely buy the lowest trim cx5 for under $30k, brand new, if you're patient and lucky. But is definitely not a road trip car,16.5 gal gas tank, poor mpg, harsh suspension and twitchy steering, little leg room in the back. I used to do two 5k mile road trips and dozens of 3k road trips a year in the focus but have stopped taking road trips now because of how uncomfortable the car is.

 

[SC Maintenance]

You can most likely buy the lowest trim cx5 for under $30k, brand new, if you're patient and lucky. But is definitely not a road trip car,16.5 gal gas tank, poor mpg, harsh suspension and twitchy steering, little leg room in the back. I used to do two 5k mile road trips and dozens of 3k road trips a year in the focus but have stopped taking road trips now because of how uncomfortable the car is.

Do you have thin sidewall tires? I have been thinking of upgrading the Rav4 to something with an actual sidewall. Its reasonably comfortable, but I think it would be better with real tires.

 

[SatinSilver]

This looks nice and along the same lines as a Bentley.

 

[edyvw]

Believe it or not my Corvette is a great road trip car! It’s the base model so the suspension is anc very comfortable and on the highway it will get over 35 MPG! It has a massive amount of cargo space in the rear hatch area too. One of these days I plan on doing a big road trip through the USA with it (in particular I really want to drive the entire PCH)

I will take my BMW stick shift over anything I owned or drove over the last 10 years.
I bought that car in Washington DC, drove it in two days to Colorado, like I did not drive at all.
32-34mpg, excellent handling, brakes, outstanding audio (DIY), best seats in the industry (though Volvo might give it run for the money).
But, that is me and wife alone.

 

[Pew]

Do you have thin sidewall tires? I have been thinking of upgrading the Rav4 to something with an actual sidewall. Its reasonably comfortable, but I think it would be better with real tires.

Yup, I have the 225/55r19s on it and a set of 225/60r18 for the winters. I had a new cx5 for a month as a loaner with 225/65r17 and cloth seats and those were only a little bit smoother but nothing really bootable. The suspension feels like it's meant for a car 300 pounds heavier and the sway bar for a car 300 pounds lighter.

Which actually brings me to another point. There's a decent selection of tires for the 19 size but they're expensive. The 18s and 17s have so much more choices (minivan size).

 

[gfh77665]

Believe it or not my Corvette is a great road trip car! It’s the base model so the suspension is anc very comfortable and on the highway it will get over 35 MPG! It has a massive amount of cargo space in the rear hatch area too. One of these days I plan on doing a big road trip through the USA with it (in particular I really want to drive the entire PCH)

I had a coworker drive his Vette 50 miles one way every day, and people thought he was crazy. Some of them drove V8 pickups that got 15 mpg (in the 90's). He called it his "economy car".

 

[gfh77665]

Best "bang for the buck" considering cost, utility, comfort, space, ride, and economy?

A Chrysler minivan.

 

[Patman]

I had a coworker drive his Vette 50 miles one way every day, and people thought he was crazy. Some of them drove V8 pickups that got 15 mpg (in the 90's). He called it his "economy car".

For 7 years my old 98 Corvette was my daily driver, even in the winter. I had an 80 mile round trip to work every day

 

[skyactiv]

Something with GM Super Cruise so you can relieve yourself behind the wheel and drive longer between stops.

 

[John Galt]

This is a great road trip vehicle. A real sleeper in the used car market, deals can be had if you look. Has biggest second row seat and leg room of any car I have seen. Extraordinary comfortable cruiser. Third row folds flat forming 4x4 pallet sized space. Tall but easy in/out and loads of roof space for even more room. Front wheel drive eliminates PTU issues. Mine gets 24mpg on highway at steady 70mph.

https://www.carvana.com/vehicle/3558127?refSource=srp

 

[fdcg27]

For a road trip, nothing beats a small van for room and room does equal comfort, along with the utility of being able take as much with you as you might please to do.
When we had children at home, a long time ago, we had first a Vanagon and later an Aerostar. Both were great for road trips as well as local use.
Decent fuel economy plus all the interior space you could ever want.

 

[goblin]

Citroen XM Turbo Diesel

 

[meep]

In no particular order

1. 2.7L f150. It fit me well. Long wheelbase was stable on the highway. Quiet cabin. Good to stretch out in. Cons - full-size truck mpg, and not as nimble in deep traffic. This was probably my “old man” favorite, or #8. Tough call.

2. Gen 4 Chrysler minivan, or gen 6(?) square body (VW chassis). Seating was better, frankly in the VW square body and the mpg was superb with the pentastar. But the gen 4 with either 3.3 or 3.8 could eat up the miles smoothly, hour after hour. I’d probably choose the VW variant (2009 ish?)

3. 1996 civic, non vtec. Crazy, right? Last generation of the dual wishbone front suspension. It’d spin at whatever rpm it needed like an unobtrusive singer sewing machine and soak up the miles. Plenty or room left to maneuver within your lane. 80-90 was effortless.

4. Even better than the civic, the last of the square accords. 1989ish? Sipped fuel, drove straight as an arrow, and truly an illusion with speed - you had to watch the gauge, and the stereo was superb. Great seating. Had two sliders on the dash for true old school air vents. Bring that back!!

5. The last of the large body Acura legends, FWD with the longitudinal V6. Long wheelbase, and just held the road.

6. And out of Left field … Miata, with sunscreen, sunglasses, ballcap and ear plugs. Not for the feint of heart - it’s one step from riding a motorcycle, the drive becomes part of the adventure.

7. Honorable mention. Too noisy inside to truly make the “best” list, but I took my sons ‘18 civic sport home on a long highway drive. It was noisy, but the seats really minimized fatigue and they are so easy to drive, rain and shine.

8. Probably my favorite - P2 Volvo. Dang. Quiet, smooth, supple suspension, direct handling, best seats ever made, very intelligent climate control. Best. There you go. NA variant gets you in less trouble than turbo, NA sips fuel too, but the turbo is more fun.

 

[IndyIan]

I think I'd pick up a used Bentley Continental Flying Spur.

A $20k one would probably be quite the adventure!

Believe it or not my Corvette is a great road trip car! It’s the base model so the suspension is anc very comfortable and on the highway it will get over 35 MPG! It has a massive amount of cargo space in the rear hatch area too. One of these days I plan on doing a big road trip through the USA with it (in particular I really want to drive the entire PCH)

A guy I know took is 1996 Miata to California for the PCH, and did much of route 66 on the way too... No Suburban supercruise interstate boredom for him.

 

[HemiBenny]

So, with all of these differing opinions, are you confused yet?

We went on a 12-day road trip through the Southwest in our Mazda CX50 and were quite comfortable, and the fuel mileage was great!
We didn't feel as if we had to stop for fuel any more than we would have with any other vehicle, and the ride was fine.
With that said, we didn't carry a tent and camping gear, but with a rooftop rack to store that, the experience would have been the same.
It has AWD, a reliable powertrain, and great fuel mileage. As for comfort, that's up to the individual. It depends on how tall you are and how wide your hips are.
We found the CX50 to be comfortable on a 12-day road trip. Others' experiences may vary, much like their opinions.

You can find used CX50s for the 20-30k price range.

 

[MVAR]

Just use the Titan or rent something on Turo. Many will give you 1200mi/week or more on there. If you contact the owner first, there’s usually exemptions for multi state travel & extended trips.

Wife, son & I flew into PDX & rented a Macan for less than a Corolla from Enterprise. Had it for two weeks & got a multi state exemption as well as mileage increase due to renting for two weeks.

That thing was very comfortable for the three of us & got over 30mpg on the Hwy. no long term ownership issues with renting something when you need it either.

 

[MachMarcus]

All Day Long the 2003-2011 Lincoln Town Car.