Printable View
Hello everyone, New member here, Doug sr.
Recently retired and looking to do some road trips to search for a retirement location for my wife & I. We currently reside in central FL.
I'm going to be purchasing a new Truck / SUV soon and before I make that purchase, I want to get some feedback as to vehicle choices which have proved to be good for traveling. That is, comfortable, great ride, decent on gas, etc. Any help with that would be very much appreciated!
Thank you!
Welcome to the RTA Forum!
I'm sure you'll get a few opinions, based on your question, but honestly, the choice of vehicles for road tripping is just as personal as your choice of shoes, and almost as varied. It should be something that you, personally, are comfortable driving, with plenty of room for all of your stuff. Me, I drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee and I dearly love it, because there's no road I can't travel. Mileage? I get maybe 18 mpg, going downhill with a tailwind, but what the heck, I still love my Jeep.
What kind of vehicle are you driving currently? If it's reliable and in good condition, is there a reason why you'd prefer something else?
Rick
Yes, as Rick notes, this is going to be a personal choice. And compromises will have to be made as some of your criteria are mutually exclusive. For most of my own major RoadTrips I used two vehicles, an AMC Gremlin and a Subaru GL Wagon, that were great on mileage and very nimble in cities. They were not so great for sleeping but could be made to accommodate one person and his/her gear. Later, while doing geologic field trips into the 'back of beyond' with full crews, the 4WD Chevy Suburban proved to be a tough and reliable vehicle, but not so great on mileage.
From what you're saying you want, and with an additional person, I think something in the intermediate size range would be more appropriate. But you indicate that ride and mileage are two of your main criteria while also saying that you're going to get a truck or SUV. Neither of those vehicles will meet either of your criteria. If your plan is to sleep in hotels/motels/BnBs then you have no need of something you can outfit as a camper. If you'll not be towing anything then you have no need of the brute horsepower of a truck/SUV. And if you don't plan to be going off-road then you have no need of 4WD or AWD.
So, to me it sounds as though a nicely appointed, mid-sized wagon is just what you're looking for. My wife currently drives a Subaru Outback which I think you should definitely look at. It gets very good mileage and has a comfortable ride. You also sit up just a bit higher than in most comparably sized sedans. Finally, you can get both AWD and environmental (mileage) upgrade packages if you so desire. And of course it also has competitors which offer many of the same amenities. Some of those competitors include the Hyundai Santa Fe, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Volvo V60.
AZbuck
Welcome to the RTA Forum!
While this seems like such a simple question, there really isn't a one size fits all answers. So much of it depends upon personal taste, budget and how you'll specifically use it - which is why there are so many different kinds of car out there.
The compact SUV has certainly become the workhorse of the American road - it's by far the best selling type of car out there now. RAV4, CR-V, Ford Escape and those type of vehicles are good all-purpose, do a little over everything well cars. I personally drive one, a Mazda CX-5, and I've been very happy with it. Previously I had a Subaru Forester, which is in the same class, and I did not like it at all - but clearly Subaru has a large fan base so opinions vary.
You can also go smaller or larger. There's plenty of great subcompact SUVs offering basically the same features as a compact, in a smaller package for a smaller price which might be great for just the 2 of you. There's also larger SUVs, like the Toyota Highlander which is very comfortable, especially if you're traveling with more than 3 adults, but might be larger than you'd like for daily driving?
I'm noting SUVs because you stated that from the beginning, but while Sedans have lost their buzz compared to SUVs, there are many times where a sedan is actually more comfortable, handles better, and gets better gas mileage than an SUV. There's also minivans, which have absolutely zero cool factor at this point, but are incredibly practical and can be quite comfortable. Sports cars can be great roadtrip cars, but not if you need to haul a lot of gear while traveling, and probably don't fit your goals of comfort and fuel economy.
Which is all a long way of saying - any car can be a great roadtrip car, as long as its a car you enjoy being in!
As Michael & the others have suggested -- it really comes down to what you are looking for in a road trip vehicle. And how much gear you want to take with you. And how comfortable you want to be. My personal preference is to have as much cargo space as possible. I always carry rescue gear and survival supplies for 2-3 days on road trips. (Left to my own devices, I have a predilection to getting vehicles stuck in difficult spots.)
My wife & partner finds the concept of getting stuck (on purpose) extremely annoying and she prefers an all-wheel drive cross-over with an emphasis on comfortable seating and good connectivity equipment.
Mark
LOL, most people are road tripping to Central Florida to set up retirement housekeeping.
In addition to all of the points made above, I will also chirp in on a couple of additional factors for consideration: how much luggage, gear and stowage and for any vehicle, is it easy to load and unload?
The large sized Prius can be surprisingly comfortable and flexible for load-outs and of course, very good on gas mileage. Some of the minivans feel like you are driving a sedan and tend to be more spacious than many vehicles, both for driver and passenger and for load-outs. Easy to get into and out of. One thing I have learned from being a long time camper and/or road tripper, I love a vehicle that is easy to access, easy to get the items out that I want or need, and flexible for parking. Guess that is why I have been a minivan owner for over three decades now.
Sounds to me like a mid-size SUV would probably suit your requirements best, unless you will be towing a trailer. Read this article for brief reviews of 16 of them:
https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/...e-midsize-suvs
Hi Rick, thanks for the reply. I knew the question was going to elicit a variety of responses, because there are indeed dozens upon dozens of rides out there that will fit the bill. I was just wondering if most folks use 4 wheel drives, larger SUV's. large trucks, that sort of thing.
I currently drive a Toyota 4-Runner, not very comfy on trips over 2 hours, ride is horrible, but she's very dependable, great in wet conditions, and holds a ton, but the comfort factor is really low.
Much depends on your style of road tripping. Mine is to drive my Jeep Cherokee on high-altitude shelf roads in the mountains of Colorado and sleep in the back of it at night.
My father put 330,000 mi on a half-ton Chevy Suburban. Sometimes he towed an Airstream trailer on the trip, other times the trip was to the backcountry of British Columbia where he slept in the back of the truck and fly-fished the lakes during the day.
Both of us need and used 4WD.
If you're going to sleep at Holiday Inn every night then you'll be smart enough to know whether 4WD or AWD is what you need.
Too many choices, not enough time. Have fun!
Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions, options, and advise. I posted this really vague question in the hopes of finding one or two vehicles that many of you use and it sounds like the mini-van might be one of those areas I should investigate. My wife & I drove one for years and loved it because it had so much room, but when it was just me and her, we thought something that could easily hold 7 was a bit much.
The Toyota Highlander Highbred may fit our intentions as well, I just don't know how comfortable the ride is. We recently test drove a Honda Ridgeline and absolutely loved it. Lots of cabin room, lots of bed space, lots of little cargo area's as well. Was thinking I needed a 4 wheel drive if we hit snow and icy roads but I guess AWD can handle most of that.
I think we have our sights set on a mountainous area to start our retirement search, TN, NC, somewhere like that, so I want something that can handle the occasional snow storm.
Thanks again for the warm welcome and the article "glc" much appreciated everyone.
I’ve driven minivans for over 30 years. Every time i was in the market for a new car, I admired the sedans, SUVs, pickup trucks and Jeep’s, but nothing met the utility of a minivan.
We are a recently retired couple and love our Honda Odyssey. It has tons of room inside and can haul full sheets of plywood or lots of friends and family. It has lots of passing power but gets 25 mpg on the highway. It’s amazing how much stuff we pile up inside, because we have the room to do so!
The ride is comfortable enough and 500 mile days are easy.
Every time we consider a different kind of vehicle, we just can’t give up the room and economy.
My roadtripping minivan is also a Honda Odyssey. It does rather well in all-weather, but is certainly not AWD, but it does have horsepower. The Toyota Sienna has an AWD option (not sure if that is standard or not), so if AWD capability is needed then by all means check it out. I only wonder if it has a low clearance like so many Toyotas. The Odyssey has adequate clearance while maintaining easy entry/exit from front and middle row seats. If going for a test ride in an Odyssey, I would recommend the leather seat model (EX-L) as those seats are sturdy and great for old or troublesome backs.
A couple things here. Unless you're actually going to be doing off-road driving, where you need a 4WD-Lo, then AWD is actually the better choice. AWD is basically intelligent 4WD, where it engages when you need it, which is more than sufficient for any on-highway driving. There's also the element that if you want True 4WD you're basically going to have to get a body on frame truck, and you'll significantly sacrifice comfort and fuel economy in the process.Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug sr.
I also need to point out that the need for even AWD is often overstated and a brilliant bit of American marketing. It's created a great perception by many thinking AWD is needed for even the smallest amount of snow - and at the same time seem to think AWD allows them to drive through a blizzard the way way they drive on a sunny day. In reality, in many cases, a FWD car with good winter tires is actually better in the snow than AWD. That's not to say that there are not advantages to AWD, and if you'll be moving to a mountainous area where you need to extra traction to make it up hilly roads, it may be a good choice, but it's probably not as essential as you might perceive it to be.
Many areas now experience more snow and ice accidents than 30 years ago because of over confidence in AWD and 4WD driving and not realizing that stopping in not improved with either. Hence, faster driving and less stopping and collision avoidance.
The only places I have needed all-wheel drive is really when I needed 4WD-Low, i.e., on deep beach sand (low drive and higher clearance), during the monster snows of around 1996/7 when I needed our 4WD to ferry my wife back and forth to the OR for work in addition to providing other employees emergency transport; and, to make it through a raging stream/river in remote Costa Rica where a bridge has washed-out, thanks to a South American fortified version of the Toyota 4-Runner.
Four wheel drive vehicles did not help people that one icy morning in the commuter train parking lot with a slight elevation grade... everyone entering the parking lot that early morning slid down the lot and crashed into the other vehicles in the lot.
If you want a minivan, there is one outstanding choice with AWD - the Toyota Sienna. Go check them out. Toyota reliability has always been excellent.
As long as we're on the topic of drive options for your new vehicle, I will pass along a bit of hard-earned knowledge. For many years, I lived in northern New England where I was the entire night shift in a hospital laboratory. For the final two years of my stay there, I lived some 50 miles from the hospital while I pursued my college education. But even though I lived that far away, not showing up for work was not an option, irregardless of the weather conditions. This is when I was driving the Subaru GL Wagon I mentioned in a previous post. Over those last two winters, that car never failed to get me through whatever Mother Nature threw at me. It was front wheel drive only. Nothing fancy, but again - it never failed to get me through. I fully agree with the posts saying that AWD or 4WD simply makes some people over-reliant on, and over-confident in, that technology. Besides which, as a simple matter of physics, adding the extra weight and friction of an additional drive train to supply power to all four wheels will have to lower your gas mileage. You will pay a price every mile you drive for the 'privilege' of having a system you simply wont need 99.9% of the time.
AZBuck
Weighing again on wonders of a front-wheel drive sedan.
When I was in the USFS (in a previous lifetime) I drove a Fiat-128 sedan over the course of a couple of fire seasons. One of those seasons was in 1996 when I worked in the Chihuahuas of southeastern Arizona. I often drove that vehicle on Jeep trails and often assisted in the recovery of stuck 4X4's on some of those rough roads.
The suspension of that poor car was over-taxed a few times -- but I always came back down the mountain -- no worries. Skill in a 2WD almost always trumps 4WD in most situations.
Mark
Whatever you decide on it's worth carrying some basic winter, equipment which in extreme conditions could be considered more important than what vehicle you are in. Decent tyres, fluids to top up with, anti freeze, ice scraper, De-icer, snow shovel and you can even buy lightweight fold away plastic grip tracks to help you out if you can't get moving again after stopping. Don't forget yourselves either, a hot flask of coffee and/or soup and a few snacks incase you have to get off the road for a while in poor conditions. Being prepared and minimising risk to yourselves by keeping an eye on weather and road conditions will keep you safe than choosing between 2 and 4WD.Quote:
so I want something that can handle the occasional snow storm.
Safe travels and good luck with your search !
AWD could be beneficial if you are going to be living in such an area, not just visiting it. The Sienna is the only minivan available with AWD, but most crossovers and SUV's have it available as an option. AWD would be better than manual 4 wheel drive in a passenger vehicle such as what you are looking for.Quote:
I think we have our sights set on a mountainous area to start our retirement search, TN, NC, somewhere like that, so I want something that can handle the occasional snow storm.
Here's a female viewpoint.
Over my life, I've road-tripped in many types of vehicles: from station wagons to Suburbans-Blazers, to compact cars (not enough space), to mini-vans (Aerostar and Pontiac TransSport), to our current pick up truck. You can travel in any of them. It all depends on the amount of space you want, what you need to carry, and the ride.
Frankly, I love my current pickup -- a 21 year old Ford -- and the ride is quite comfortable. We like the space it affords us in the back where we have a camper shell. We don't sleep in that shell, but we carry a lot of stuff with us. Mileage? About 15-18 depending on wind, speed, and more. It's diesel. Both of the pickups we've owned have been diesel.
When I retire, we will be looking for an AWD vehicle. This will be for winter trips, if any, and for use around snowy roads. Right now, our focus is on Subaru. We've owned 2 in years past, one of our daughters has their SUV (Accent) and loves it to tote around their family and all their gear.
Donna
The Subaru Ascent is the largest Subaru vehicle. It's a 3 row SUV, officially considered a midsize. AWD is standard on all Subarus, there are other AWD's available in that size class.
Oops, I apologize for the poor spelling. I wasn't sure and didn't take the time to look it up.
No matter, my daughter and her family love that vehicle. It's predecessor was a different mid-size SUV, but they needed the AWD in slippery-roadsville-Colorado. I loved both of our Subarus - we had a 1979 sedan and a 1986 sedan that we had until 2002. (We still have the Pontiac that replaced that 1986.)
Donna
Before making a final decision, be sure to test drive a few options to see which one feels most comfortable to you. Additionally, consider factors such as fuel efficiency, cargo space, and the availability of advanced safety features. Safe travels on your road trips, and I hope you find the perfect retirement location for you and your wife!
I will be driving my 2019 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid back to Los Angeles next month. It's a very comfortable full size sedan that gets over 600 miles per tank. I just put on new tires today and it feels a lot better handling than it did this morning. Not the ultimate vehicle for road tripping if you have a lot of stuff (rear seats do fold down) but otherwise it's got lots of tech I need/love especially my number one favorite road trip tool - intelligent cruise control.
If you are looking for great fuel economy Hyundai Tucson Hybrid is a good option. It gives up to 38 mpg on the highway
Welcome to the RTA Forum, davwilll!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I will say, that while that car may get good fuel economy, I personally would never recommend a Hyundai or a Kia. They've always had an issue of questionable reliability, but at this point, the theft issue can't be ignored. Many models are so easy to steal that several insurance companies outright refuse to issue policies for them. Even for the models that have had the immobilizer installed, making them harder to steal, are still targets of thieves who will break into them, and rip apart the dashboard before realizing it's not one of the models that can be started with a USB drive and giving up.
I had forgotten about this thread. For the record, hubby and I now own a Subaru Ascent, which comes in various models depending on what you want in the car. Ours happens to have all the bells & whistles, the Touring Edition, and we had no issues insuring it. We've taken it on some short hops, and a longer hop down to TX, but our road trip vehicle for really long hauls during better-weather-seasons is still our old pickup truck with the shell.
I'd recommend calling your insurance company and talking to them about any vehicle that you are seriously considering. That way you don't run into any surprises, like "we don't insure that vehicle", or "that one will be a lot pricier than the car it's replacing", etc.
Of course, the OP may have already bought his/her car, but as was proven, old threads pop up once in awhile with new viewers asking the same questions.
Donna
I'd buy a used minivan and fill it with all that I need. Comfortable, solid highway MPG, cheap to run, and plenty of storage/sleeping space. I had a 2000 Honda Odyssey that I drove on multiple road trips. Took them all like a champ. And last year, my family and I drove from DC to Illinois and back in a rented Dodge Grand Caravan. We had 5 people inside both ways, and on the way back, every inch of free cargo space that wasn't taken up by people was loaded with stuff (not an exaggeration). Still had no trouble whatsoever.