With the price of gasoline expected to be at $4 a gallon by Summer, we wouldn’t expect that a whole lot of families will be doing their Summer vacation travels by car.
But Forbes recently published a list of the "Best Cars for Road Trips". And it is always fun to review such lists. So here we go:
One of the best is the Honda CR-V. The editors liked the vehicle’s 36 inches of cargo space, the roomiest among its closest rivals in the compact SUV category.
The Nissan Sentra was chosen best in the compact sedan category; the Ford Focus was number one among coupes; and the Ford Taurus was on the top of the list for the large sedans.
Forbes says that drivers who take their trips by car are commonly driving an SUV, coupe, sedan or minivan. They want the cars to provide fuel efficiency, space for cargo and people and safety protection.
Best front and rear leg room was found in the Kia Optima, which was measured at 44-inches for front leg room. The Nissan Quest came in second at 42-inches of rear leg room.
Best in fuel economy was the Ford Focus with a rating of 28 miles per gallon.
The Chevrolet HHR wagon, which has a fuel efficiency rating of 25 mpg, was said to deliver on comfort, capacity and capability of carrying people and organizing and holding cargo. The vehicle also offers entertainment from its six speaker CD stereo and auxiliary audio jack, air conditioning with cabin filtration, split rear folding seats and optional leather seating with heated front seats. The vehicle also has electronic stability control, tire pressure monitoring and also comes with an optional nine speaker sound system with voice activated navigation and rear entertainment system.
Forbes also pointed to the Volkswagen GTI hatchback as a good road trip vehicle. It gets 25 mpg and includes such features as a pollen filter; a height adjusted, telescoping steering wheel column; optional navigation system; and side curtain protection. The magazine said that it took into consideration articles from Consumer Reports on a vehicle’s handling, front and rear leg room, trunk and cargo space, Environmental Protection Agency ratings, and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration frontal and rear crash test ratings. As far as safety was concerned, all vehicles have front and side airbags.
Our take? All of the above were good choices. But how about which was the best for a quick spin around the block when the kids were asleep. Forbes, we have a suggestion for a new list....
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