Best Type of Car for Road Trips

Comfort is of the essence on long road journeys, especially when you have lots of passengers. It makes sense, therefore, to do your research before buying a suitable car for road-trips or before travelling long distances.





If you are tall, you will need room for your legs, and unless you wish to feel like a chicken cooped up in a cage for 12 hours, you will want to allow some extra leg space too. There are some useful tools on the Internet that show you these specifications and allow you to compare the amount of legroom amongst various makes. However, which of New Zealand’s most popular cars offer plenty in the way of legroom?





Well, the Toyota Corolla offers a fairly ample 41.3" of legroom for passengers in one of its front seats, and 35.4" for anyone in the back. Similarly, Toyota’s Hilux model is renowned for the amount of legroom it allows passengers sat anywhere in the vehicle. Popular smaller vehicles like the Suzuki Swift suffer in this area, as due to their nature, passengers aren’t afforded as much legroom in a smaller cars as they are in slightly larger models.

Have lots of gear and luggage? You will need plenty of room for this in the boot. Larger cars generally have more storage space. Of course station wagons, SUVs and vans will carry a lot more than what small to medium sized cars can carry, but if you are concerned about the security of your gear then you will want to keep this in a car’s boot, so make sure that, even if a car appears to be big, it offers plenty in the way of boot space.





With petrol prices soaring, fuel efficiency is important to the average car buyer and the longer the journey, the higher the cost to get there will be. Try not to take too much luggage, as a heavy carload uses a lot more petrol than a lighter carload. Also be aware that a larger car is usually less fuel-efficient than a smaller car. The hybrid Honda Insight S has a fuel saver energy star rating of 4 out of 5, and won the Supreme Award in the AA Energywise Rally for being the most cost-efficient car.





In-car entertainment may also be important to you, especially if you are considering a long journey with children. You can purchase DVD players for the car, mini televisions and even computers specially designed for cars. However, be careful not to be distracted by any of these gadgets when driving, having to fork out for a windscreen repair is not ideal under any circumstances, never mind when on a long trip.





You may also appreciate other extra features for a long-haul trip, such as dual climate control, sunshades and navigation systems. If travelling during a cold winter, you would benefit from the luxury of heated front and back seats.





As you can see, there are many different types of cars that you can take on a long journey. You should take several different cars for a test drive to compare them for legroom and comfort prior to buying. It’s also important to check for safety features as on long road trips you have a higher chance of accidents.





Paul Buchanan writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.