Survey: The Ultimate Road Trip Vehicle

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I'll just have to stick to a path that contains gas stations at regular intervals. :sly: ;)
 
For me it would have to be a Citroën Xantia 3.0i V6 Activa. Reasonably durable, spacious and fairly economical for a car of its age. But more importantly, it is supremely comfortable thanks to the active hydropneumatic suspension, which also gives the Xantia a road-holding ability worthy of a low-slung sports car. To top it off, velour seats as only the French can do them. It's amazing how cheap these very capable cruisers go for.

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For me it would have to be either a modern Holden Commodore (2006+), a Skyline (R32/4) or a GT-R (R35).

Plenty of leg room for a comfortable journey and easy to drive - while also being sporty enough to really 'give it the beans' on the back roads.
 
A golf GTI really is a awesome car..goes real good..yet comfortable and plenty of room..

I have driven a current model one..2012 so bloody quick!!:crazy:
 
As a good all rounder, a stunning long distance tourer. It'll be this, the Ford Falcon.

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If I didn't have to worry about fuel. I'd go one better and have this, the FPV GT R-Spec

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If I could take my ultimate dream machine, then of course it would be this, the new Aston Martin Vanquish.

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Actually aside from the Merc I'd do a setup much like my mum's got. Iveco van with a bike in the back towing a caravan. But of course while she's got two Harleys I'd replace them with one of these:

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For all seriousness, personally, I think something like this would be ideal:

Power? Check
Speed? Check
Comfort? Check
Ability to have friends and luggage along? Check
Classy? Check

All the right ingredients for a long road trip.
Needs a boottrunk. So an Alpina B10 V8S Touring then :D

I was actually thinking about road trips recently - because of Le Mans. Camping is fun, because sleeping outside, but tiresome because campsites are tiresome and full of oafs.

I figured what you need is something you can sleep in but that's still interesting - charras, winnebagoes, RVs and campers are not interesting and you may as well just drive a good car to a hotel instead. So something big enough to convert to a camper-esque vehicle but still fun...

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Covert all the hose storage to storage-storage and put a covered bed on the top. Get one with a foam cannon for additional dick-driver discouragement and ultimate win.
 
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From my own personal experience with the Vanagon (the normal version, not the ungodly B32) it's got;

Space; even the third row of seating has huge legroom, and you can fit a lot of gear as well.
Speed; non-existant... ours would barely reach 70 MPH. Sure, you'll get there slower, but you can see every sight along the way.
Maintenance: Ummm... parts are kinda hard to come by... but, if you decide to swap in a Subaru boxer-4 (which seems to be what everyone does) that bit of the maintenance is all the easier (only speaking about parts availability here.)
Looks: You're a freaking rolling toaster. Don't talk to me about looks.

If gas is not an issue, I'd go with my favorite rotary;
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Just give me the 20B triple-rotor. Even though it comes with an auto...
 
E28 M5
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E12 M535i
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E34 M5 Touring
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I'm actually planning to do a sort of North-South road journey through the US, hopefully in the not too distant, so have been thinking about this. Unfortunately money *is* an object for me, at first I kinda liked the idea of buying some high-mileage used car but being practical, it's gonna have to be hire cars, so would probably go for a current-gen V8 Mustang, something along those lines.
 
With enough luggage room to fit a week's worth of clothing and toiletries I'd do this road trip in an AMS Alpha 10 GTR (without the carbon fiber exterior accessories).

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However, if I didn't have to drive myself I'd hire a chauffeur and be driven in a Marathon Coach.

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For a road trip I'd pick the BMW M550d xDrive Touring.

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The tri-turbo straight-six diesel engine will help me save on fuel and the 376hp & 546 ft lbs of torque will get me there quickly.
 
Doing a road trip in a highly modified car that's built for outright bursts of speed and not long distance driving? :lol:

F10 Touring is awesome. 👍
 
Doing a road trip in a highly modified car that's built for outright bursts of speed and not long distance driving? :lol:

F10 Touring is awesome. 👍

lol... He said money wasn't an object... Sure you'd have to make some changes to the setup but, it should be able to make the trip. Granted you aren't beating on the thing every chance you get.
 
I literally just came back from a road trip in my C6 about 1500km's each way. For what it is, it's quite the comfortable vehicle for the long haul. Now I can't wait to do more road trips in this car!

Also...:sly:


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And a beautiful spot along the way.

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Right now I'm having a trip around Montenegro, posting this from a hotel in Jablac. The car is a rent Mazda 5. It's quite comfortable and has a lot of space on the back seats, but the engine is kinda weak to drive uphill...
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If I would be a very rich man and decide to take trip around... wait, what country? If it would be the same trip like the OP says - this must be the US. In this case, my choice would be...

1991 Chevrolet Caprice Classic. The top version with the 5.7L LT1 V8 engine.
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For an epic road trip, I'd take two or three friends and need a car with a big interior space. An American fullsize car would be an almost perfect choice. When I say "American fullsize car", I usually mean the '91 Caprice. I just love it. :bowdown: This is the one of the most awesome-looking sedans to me ever. This car is pretty common in the United States and I suppose it's easy to maintain there.

If the trip takes place in my home country - Russia, I would pick a different car. I'd drive to visit Karelia, Caucasus, Ural, Siberia, and reach the east coast in the city of Vladivostok, and back... Will have to travel more than 20000 km overall! :D
And I know a car which will make it fun:

1962 GAZ 22 Volga - the wagon version of the legendary GAZ 21 (which you can see on my avatar).
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It's very durable and reliable (like the AK rifle! :D), and easy to repair. This might sound weird, but the 1962 Volga's engine is similar to many modern Volga models and GAZelle vans, and it shares many spare parts with them. So spare parts are easy to get.
The ground clearance makes this car driveable on bad roads and even in light off-road conditions. This ability is requied, because "Russia has no roads - there are just directions" (c).
With the payload of 400 kg and a big trunk, it can accommodate a lot of stuff needed for a long trip. :)
And one more thing:
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This tailgate makes a nice table for a field dinner! :dopey:
 
I drove our family of four on a 2000-mile round trip in our Mazda 5 (we have a '12 Grand Touring), and it had no problems holding all of our stuff for a 12-day trip.

Probably not one's first choice for a road trip, but with kids/teenagers, it's a good choice for something that won't bore the driver. Drawbacks for some might be the missing nav option, and no V6s in the line-up. But this isn't the practical thread...
 
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