The ultimate cars for a road trip

Sunday, 9 January 2022

Summer in New Zealand usually means a road trip of some sort, but what are the best cars you could use for that?

After another tumultuous year thanks to our good friend Covid, a detoxing summer road trip is on the cards for a lot of us.

Most of us know where we’re going, or what roads we’ll take first, but what about what car to drive? Let’s pretend we’ve all won the lottery and go through the best road trip cars for a Kiwi summer.

BMW Z4

The BMW Z4 is probably the best sporty drop-top if you want something faster than an MX-5 but cheaper than a Ferrari Portofino. It uses the same engine as the Toyota Supra, that being a 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six making 285kW/500Nm, which is really enough for most types of spirited driving. The automatic gearbox might turn a few enthusiasts off, but it’s actually a bit of a blessing when you just want to relax and enjoy the sun and warm air.

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Really, any of the Ioniq models are good choices. We just want the solar roof.

* Sunday drive: BMW Z4 and Toyota Supra

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The new Ranger is coming in 2022, and we’re predicting it will continue being a top seller.

* This is the new face of New Zealand's best-selling vehicle

* Hyundai reveals New Zealand pricing for Ioniq 5

You don’t necessarily need the wedding ribbons, but the Kombi still manages to make it look good.

BMW’s active cruise control and lane-keep systems are very good too, for those cruising moments, and the Bavarians typically pack a lot of quality creature comforts into their machines.

You can get a powered-up Cupra version of the Leon Sportstourer, but the vanilla one is still very good.

Hyundai Ioniq 5 (the one with the solar roof)

An EV on a road trip is actually a good thing, and Hyundai’s new Ioniq 5 is one of the best EVs in New Zealand. Particularly the range-topping Limited AWD, with the solar roof specced on. It won’t recharge the battery entirely, but it can generate upwards of 10km just by sitting in the sun, helping lessen range anxiety. Bet on upwards of 400km total after a full charge.

The Audi RS 6 does pretty much everything you could ever need. Except rock-crawling.

The Limited AWD doesn’t have the most range of the Ioniq models, but the solar roof helps bridge the gap, and its 225kW and 605Nm of output means it's a pretty fast thing. Ideally, we’d put the solar roof on the rear-drive version for even more range and more driving fun, but Hyundai isn’t doing that (yet).

Ford Ranger

The Gladiator is a Wrangler with a tray. Both are very good at what they do.

The Ranger has always been praised for its ride and drive, so its place on this list is well-earned. Plus there’s a new one coming in 2022, so I’m going to cheat and include that one too.

It has superb towing, good fuel economy (considering it’s a diesel, until next year when a hybrid petrol version may or may not arrive) and plenty of tech on board. I don’t really need to go on about how good the Ranger is, considering it has been the top seller in New Zealand for most of the last decade, so I won’t.

VW Kombi

An ultimate road trip vehicle doesn’t have to be a new one. There are a lot of older models that would qualify for this list but the Kombi gets the nod. It’s spacious enough to fit you and all your mates, plus their luggage, and looks brilliant, even seventy years after it first debuted in 1950.

It might not have the grunt of a modern people mover, but who cares about speed when you look this good? Plus, you can fit a small bed in if you’re savvy with tools, which is even better for long summer trips.

Seat Leon Sportstourer

There are two variants of Leon Sportstourer, one being the hi-po Cupra and the other the more pedestrian Seat. We’re picking the Seat because it’s cheap at $44,990 (and qualifies for the Government Clean Car Programme rebate of $2030) when it kicks in on April 1, 2022, and it does all you really need it to.

It uses a 1.5-litre four-cylinder imbued with mild hybrid technology to keep fuel consumption down, and it really works – 6.0L/100km is achievable, if not even less. Handling is superb, there’s enough power to have a bit of fun, and because it’s a wagon, there’s plenty of storage.

Audi RS 6

An Audi RS 6 is high on most wishlists for a few good reasons. It has a thumping great twin-turbocharged V8 for power, it looks brilliant (if a bit edgy), and it’s a wagon. Who wouldn’t want a family hauler that can out-drag most sports cars on the road?

There’s also nothing else really like it out there, save for the Taycan Cross Turismo Turbo. Which, by the way, is also very cool, but costs $300k compared to the $225,900 of the Audi. We might change our tune next year when the Taycan Sport Turismo arrives…

Jeep Wrangler

If you don’t mind a slightly wavy on-road ride and have a hankering for beach blasting, look no further than the tried-and-true Wrangler. It’ll happily take on rough roads, even places where there are no roads at all, and get you home again. You could swap for the Gladiator if you want more utility.

Proper off-roading suspension and tyres means the Wrangler is superb at navigating unpaved terrain, and while it’s neither an EV nor a shouty V8, there are still lots of things to like. For example, the Freedom top, perfect for ventilated hoons up Ninety Mile Beach. It really needs eagles and the American flag etched into it though.