It's here, the definitive road trip car guide no matter what your budget is. So we're not just going to look at 10 supercars that will get you across the country as quickly as possible. The goal today is to find 10 cars that will be a pleasure across the country. No matter what kinda road-tripping you prefer to do you'll find the right kinda vehicle here too.
Road trips are a delightfully intoxicating part of Americana but one can only say that if the vehicle chosen to take you where you're going gets you there in a reliable and hopefully fun way. Today's article explores why you'd choose one vehicle over another and the massive benefits of each. What vehicle are you taking on a road trip as soon as possible? Leave a comment below!
10 Tesla Model X - Best SUV
If money is no object and you're traveling with more than one other person, then the Model X is a road trip professional.
While you'll have to stay at the pump longer in between rides, you won't always be stuck doing the driving thanks to autopilot and during the times that you are in control you'll be capable of smoking everything else on this list in a straight line from a dead stop.
9 Lamborghini Huracan EVO Spyder RWD - Best Convertible
If it's just you and a friend wanting to enjoy a fun drive in the sun, then it's tough to beat the Lamborghini HESR, yes, that's what we're calling it because that name is ridiculous. The car however is all business. It's totally reliable, wildly fast, and will give you emotions that are unacceptable for us to talk about here.
8 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 - Best All-Around Sports Car
Why is the 718 Cayman here in addition to the Huracan? Well, it's half the price and it's a hardtop that does 9/10ths of what the Lamborghini does technically. It's not as emotive no, but it's wildly comfortable and even more reliable. It's also very special. It's tough to beat in terms of sports cars.
7 Nissan Skyline R32 - Mid-Tier Sports Car
You'll note that I didn't specify the GT-R version and that's important because it can get stupid expensive. Nevertheless, any well maintained R32 Skyline will be an absolute treat on a road trip for 3 reasons. Great performance, awesome reliability, and the amount of attention you'll get.
6 Ford Flex Ecoboost - Mid-Tier SUV
I'm actually in the market for one of these and the reason is that you can carry people in comfort while also going very fast and stylistically it can fly under the radar. Once you have the EcoBoost model you'll get at least 345 horsepower and it sends it to all four wheels. That's a great combination.
5 Jaguar F-Type - Mid-Tier Convertible
When it comes to noise, there are very few cars that can match the Jaguar F-Type in terms of theater. In addition, it doesn't matter which motor you choose because they're both powerful and capable. We haven't even talked about how good they look either. Ugh, it's such a stunner.
4 Porsche Cayenne S - Budget SUV
The Cayenne S from the first generation is a comically stout vehicle. They do have some major issues that need to be sorted but most of them are super well-known things that most owners have taken care of. Once that's done, these can be had for $7000 or less and routinely make it well past 200,000 miles.
3 Chevrolet Corvette - Budget Sports Car
I can't do a budget piece and not mention the Corvette. It's the best out there for the money and while you won't get much attention it just does so many things well. It's reliable, it's fast, it's pretty (to most of you), and that's a combination that not many can beat.
2 Mazda Miata - Budget Convertible
Also required on any budget list is the Miata. It's so capable for being such a small and low powered car. It offers boatloads of fun without any of the complications that comes with some of the more expensive vehicles above. They're super cheap to pick up and requires almost no effort to keep them running.
1 Lexus LS400 - Budget Brawler
If you're stuck with only a few thousand bucks and you need to be sure that your road trip isn't slowed down by a broken car then the LS400 is the car for you.
The 4.0 V8 under the hood is well known for being so overbuilt that these things routinely make it to 3, 4, and 500,000 miles. They're also pretty comfortable and will allow you to bring 3 friends. It's a winner.