When people are forced to interact with each other via a common employer, it’s only a matter of time before the what-if games start up in earnest. We’re frequently guilty of it ourselves — a discussion about one author’s automotive preference naturally encourages everyone to contribute two cents of their own.
The sad truth is that not a single TTACer is the correct age to properly enjoy Spring Break or the associated wooing, though we are excited about warmer weather. This, plus various airline controversies, prompted the question of what vehicle we’d select for a week-long vacation, were one handed to us. It provided a good springboard for a QOTD, too. Unfortunately, the main takeaway from this exercise was that TTAC’s staff is comprised mainly of people with rather humble tastes.
The rules of the game were simple. You could choose any new vehicle currently available in North America, take an entire week off, and would only be responsible for fuel and lodging costs. It should have provided ample opportunity for people to pick a Ferrari GTC4Lusso, but that’s not how things played out. Here are our choices, in no particular order:
Matthew Guy – Ford F-150 Limited 4×4
“This choice is about as on-brand for me as freaking out in an interview is for R. Kelly. Given the opportunity to hit the road this Spring Break with the family, you know I’m choosing a pickup truck. But why the Ford? In this case, I’m being an engine nerd. By choosing to stuff the Raptor’s mill under the hood of an uber-lux pickup, they’ve allowed the well-heeled to enjoy 450 horsepower without the requirement of pretending to be interested in off-roading.
Second-row heated seats and airbags keep the minions quiet and safe, while the 510 lb-ft of torque and Pro Trailer Backup Assist keep me and the Better Half sane while hauling our 9,000-lb camper. Not to mention the massaging seats. At $72k it isn’t cheap – but neither was a Cadillac Fleetwood in the ’70s, which is this vehicle’s historical amalgam.”
Steph Willems – Dodge Challenger SRT 392
“I’m not taking a weeklong swing through the Gulf Coast without sufficient interior (and trunk) space, and I’m sure as hell not covering those kind of miles in something finicky, wallowy, fuel-sucking, boring, or limited to two very bolstered seats. Hellcat? I don’t see the need. I can get sideways on backroads and do donuts in dusty lots just fine without the need for hp and lb-ft figures topping the 500 mark. Plus, it’ll get 25 mpg on the highway. For me and another occupant, this’ll do fine.”
Matt Posky – Volkswagen Golf R
“While my default impulse was to select a minivan and angle its nose westward, I quickly realized I didn’t have the family unit necessary to make that not seem utterly pathetic. The most I could realistically hope for is an attractive navigator and occasionally offering up the back seat any friends or family I happen to visit along the way.
My hypothetical Spring Break involves several days of nearly non-stop driving in the hope I could make it all the way from New York to Chicago before moving on to a full day at Yellowstone National Park – where the vehicle would be abandoned to simplify things, I decided. That mandates a comfortable car and my all-time favorite mile eater is the Dodge Challenger. But that isn’t the auto I settled on. As this is a fantasy, I would have felt obliged to take one of its more raucous variants and that’s going to put a dent in my fuel budget every time I exit the highway. I can’t afford that on top of lodging and the huge ticket I am guaranteed to receive the second I cross into Ohio.
Instead, I branched out and selected Volkswagen’s Golf R. It’s less eager to drain its tank or draw ‘unwanted attention’ while still being surprisingly comfortable and barrels of fun – even at moderate speeds. It’s also probably not a car I would ever buy for myself at $41,000, so I’m considering this an automotive spring fling. Shit, for that kind of cash a person could get the R/T Scat Pack… which really would have been a much better choice on my part.”
Tim Healey – Ford Mustang GT
“I am going with old-fashioned pony car fun. I may have to stop for gas more often, but getting there will be half the fun.
Something about spring break makes me think Mustang. It’s a time for cutting loose, and the warm weather means I won’t worry about snow. I can drive fast and burn through gas, but not so fast that it will cut into the beer budget. And no, I won’t go for the convertible. Going Mustang is cliched enough. Sure, soft-tops make for more fun in the sun, but the coupe will get me seen.”
Adam Tonge – Ford Mustang GT
“It’s cliche and boring, but if I were to take a spring break trip, I would do it in a Mustang GT convertible. There is enough room for myself, my wife, and my 6 year old.
My family is going to Marathon, in the Florida Keys, later this year. We are, in fact, renting a Mustang convertible. I would just push that family trip up to next week and enjoy the sunshine. Winter has been so gray, that we are nearing the point that Midwest and Northeast residents will slit their wrists to see some color.”
Tim Cain – Chevrolet Suburban
“There’s a little something inside all of us that makes us want to go back where we came from. It’s been 24 years since my family moved back to Canada after a brief foray in Texas, and I haven’t been back since. I can’t help but think that my vivid memories of every frequent route through San Antonio – to school, to the tennis courts, to the H-E-B – are wholly inaccurate. But I want to see the old house, I want to know whether the driveway was as perfect for street hockey as I thought it was then, I want to swim in the pool down the street where I used to lap for hours.
How do I get there? If I’m going to drive for 50 hours with my wife, our two kids, and our 60-pound dog, and if I’m going to reach my destination only to soon prepare for a return trip, I want space. Acres of space. Space for toys and books and bikes and empty chip bags; space for shoes and rubber boots and a mobile laundry room. I want a Chevrolet Suburban. I want the Suburban’s living room-worthy cargo area, its surprisingly efficient V8 engine, its beat-the-road-into-submission ride quality, and its commanding view. It’d be perfect.”
Chris Tonn – Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid
“I’ve done plenty of road trips. It’s a challenge to come up with somewhere new that is feasible within the typical ten-day Spring Break window — and within a reasonable drive from my Ohio home.
Incidentally, I asked TTAC’s editors for clarification – apparently ‘Pagani Huayra with Scarlett Johansson’ isn’t ‘in the realm of possibility.’
So, big surprise. My choice is a Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid – especially since I need to pay for gas out of pocket. TTAC doesn’t pay that well, you know [shakes fist in the general direction of downtown Canada] so I need to be frugal. Good mileage and plenty of room for everyone to stretch out – and luggage space aplenty.
I’m taking the wife and kids, naturally. Place? Since I’ve never been, I’m thinking the Gulf Coast of Alabama/Mississippi. Google Maps tells me that Biloxi is a 13 hour drive from my home in Columbus — an easy trip for me solo, though the kids would want me to break it into two days. Maybe day one in Nashville, explore for a bit, then head south. Visit historical civil rights sites in Alabama, then hit the beaches for a few days. From there, New Orleans just to say I’ve been there, then follow the Mississippi (Highway 61) up to at least Memphis. Yeah, I’ll stop in Clarksdale and pay my respects.”
Corey Lewis – Chrysler Pacifica
“I’d choose a Chrysler Pacifica, in Limited trim. Comfortable and plenty of room for whoever is coming along. The storage space is flexible, and in $45,000 top trim the interior is a nice place to be. I don’t have to worry about the questionable long-term reliability, because it’s just a loaner.”
We’re prepared to endure the readership telling us how wrong or boring our individual choices are. Still, if you do decide to go that route, we’d like to hear what vehicle you’d choose — and where you might head — on fake Spring Break.
Maybe you can come up with something better. Just know that we’ll also judge your decisions, albeit privately.
[Images: Ford; FCA; VW; GM]
Family trip? Dodge Durango SRT. Room for all the kids, and with a hitch-mounted cargo carrier enough room for our stuff (we are a big family and don’t travel light.) Yeah, it’s a gas hog, but our standard road-tripper is a mid-aughts full size van with a V8 so I’m used to horrendous fuel bills during road trips.
Getaway for the happy couple? Fiat Spider 124 Lusso. Nothing says “freedom” like a week without kids, traveling in the open air with Italian flair.
Is this Spring Break solo, with SO, or with family? Don’t know what the parameters are so I’ll give an answer for each.
Solo- C7 Grand Sport Corvette- I like the muscle car mentions but for me a Corvette trumps them all.
With SO- 911( with the glass moonroof). Adds a touch of class to the road trip car equation.
With family- This one’s a bit tougher. I really like the Chrysler Pacifica for the space and the ability to carry bikes, kayaks and other sundry spring breaky items. So, I’ll stay with the Pacifica.
Rollin, in my five point oh…..
Ive already got the best all around ‘epic roadtrip car’ I could want in my ‘09 Challenger R/T. My car group actually roadtripped PDX to Vegas last year and the only thing I’d upgrade is the 345 Hemi to at least a 392. Even that is just ego wank, since I was never falling behind the scat packs and Hellcat in our convoy. I ran out of room on the road before I could find the upper limits of top speed. I got as much as 24.6 mpgs averaging 90mph, plenty of room for my gear and even after 12 hours on the road on the way back, I wasn’t fatigued. I felt like was doing my own sequel to Vanishing Point in my pea brain. What more could you want?
If I have to mix it up, a Hemi 300s in that moss green would make a good freeway bomber. Ive long lusted for an electric blue Ram Rebel also…
Glad to hear you didn’t finish your trip like Kowalski did.
MB G63 AMG 6×6
On road, off road, sand, snow, roadblocks, zomb-pocalypse – covered
Room for family, friends, or groupies – all in comfort.
Luggage, favorite toys, party or spa platform – hauls it.
“You have arrived”, premier valet spot, VIP admission – natch.
You win, so far.
LOL, I drove an AMG G-wagen, and it was incredible…if you think dying in a rollover accident is incredible. It was by far the scariest vehicle I’ve ever driven. You might as well take a barstool, attach a motorcycle engine to it, and go out carving corners.
You are talking about a car that you want to have if you will ever have only one car
For the epic cross country road trip: Mercedes E63 AMG. Designo Cardinal Red. FTW.
For the blast up the oceanside: Mercedes S65 Cabriolet
For the family trip: Lincoln Navigator L
Boeing 777 or Airbus 380 heading to Europe.
One way ticket? How about Russia? It is also Europe.
My answer would likewise be an airplane, or perhaps an ocean liner. Long road trips are not appealing anymore.
Kawasaki
The ZX-14 is stupid comfortable. I could see it demolishing a couple of wide states in a day without making me miserable but they said I had to pick a car.
RR Wraith.
And the entire staff is apparently made up of Quakers.
Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio – a sports car with a trunk where I can put all the bodies that will catch my bumper when I go crazy with it
Either one of these trucks would be perfect: https://www.taptruckne.com/trucks
I’m sick of traffic.
I’m sick of being inside a cage.
I’m sick of nanny-state highways and all the fear-mongering about safety.
I’m sick of parking & maintenance.
I don’t have any concerns about how many calories I take in.
I doubt few people on this form understand the freedom of traveling on a bicycle.
Maybe you just need to get out of the city. Driving is relaxing without all the stress of traffic gridlock, wayward pedestrians, and red lights every 4 feet of travel.
“I doubt few people on this form understand the freedom of traveling on a bicycle”
Anyone who’s regularly driven a motorcycle does and I don’t have to wonder if I’ll have the stamina to get me home
So many great choices, hard to pick one. A classic American sedan like Chrysler 300 V-8, Lincoln Continental or even Ford Taurus SHO would make a great roadtrip vehicle. Likewise, a big SUV does it just as well with more room, but with a fuel mileage penalty.
I’m going to be practical, though, at least practical for me: Ford F-250 XLT 6.7L with a 20 foot trailer, so I can go out west and see all my people, and bring back a sweet old car I couldn’t find down here in half as good of condition for 3x the price. Hell, if I decided on a small car to take back (old Honda, etc), a 2.7L EcoBoost F-150 would do, and I would be much better off on fuel costs.
Bar stool with Honda 4 cylinder engine with drinks included, and selection of locally made craft draft beer please too.
Something I could lash a kayak to and carry a tent. I’d probably just wander around northern Minnesota and hit the lakes.
I guess an Alltrak with manual would work, or I suppose a cliche Subaru.
If I were going somewhere with my wife, I’d like a Cayman.
I am heading out Sunday for a college tour with my youngest daughter. It will be 1950 miles over five days, starting with a 700 mile day. We’ll be taking my 2014 Fusion PHEV, which I have to add is a fine road car. Last winter I had to make a 1500 mile round trip in a day and a half using the same car, 600 miles one afternoon and night, then 900 miles the following day. It’s quiet and smooth, and can go 400 plus miles between stops, at which time you’ll be adding 11 gallons. Seats are great and the sound system is good. For long distance economical travel it’s hard to beat.
My Dream ride would be to the Yukon with a Yukon. Probably take more than a week though.
Off topic: “…but neither was a Cadillac Fleetwood in the ’70s, which is this vehicle’s historical amalgam.”
Historical amalgam? What the heck is that? An amalgam is a mixture. Did you mean “analogue”, which would imply something similar to with which you’re comparing the truck? Sorry, I can’t get past that, it’s a total non-sequitir…
On topic: If I were to drive to my spring break destination, I would like to have a nondescript but quick sedan, as I have no young children. A Malibu Premier with the 2.0 turbo would be quick and nondescript. Actually, for how few you see, it would be almost invisible.
If I were flying in to my destination and renting a car, then maybe I’d like something a little different. If I were to end up in the Redneck Riviera (PCB) or Gulf Shores, maybe a Jeep Wrangler or a Hemi Challenger. If I were to end up in a more rural destination such as a cabin on a midwestern lake, a Tahoe would be a good fit.
Matthew Guy: the word you’re looking for is antecedent, not amalgam.
A Tesla Model S with free Supercharging, please. I’ve always wanted to try one and a road trip would give ample seat time. Can you set its road trip planner to “I need to pee all the time” instead of “minimize charging stops”?
P.S. How far the Suburban has come. The last one I drove was a near-new late-80s model and it was complete garbage: a crappy pickup with a perma-shell still drives like a crappy pickup. Steered like an ocean liner, accelerated like a Chevette, braked like an 18-wheeler, and wobbled all the way.
Since we have to be on four wheels, Jeep Wrangler. No spawn to haul, so grab a friend and head east. Tons of Pacific Northwest back roads to explore with the top down/off.
I actually did a proper Spring Break this year. Met some friends in Key West for a three-day weekend a couple weeks ago. Had a blast. My ride for the 7ish hour trip from my winter digs? My shiny new Fiata! I bought a leftover 2018 Fiat 124 Spider Lusso in metallic black on saddle the previous weekend. Seemed like a great way to break it in, and it was.
All the college kids down there made me feel old though.
Chris and Corey nailed it. Two weeks ago I went to Tampa on business with two co-workers. There were a handful of others who’d flown in from other places, and we had five or six people in the minivan most of the week. While I’d love to sport a convertible Mustang GT, the minivan was loaded out, comfortable with six people, and had all the power you could use in Tampa traffic.
I am with Steph, but with a wide body scat pack instead of the narrow body. If we could go a couple years old then it would be an ACR version of the Viper.
MB E63 Wagon. By myself or with the family this is it! Corner carver, Fast, low center of gravity, good tech. Give me your gas card……NOW!