In addition to convenience and safety, which are so valuable in urban conditions, a car for travel should have such a quality as reliability to a large extent. How to choose a car for long trips? Which parameters are the most important? Read on the article. And on this website, you can find out all the parameters of the Auto you want and even compare a few cars.
Car size
For long trips, you need a spacious car. Even if it will be used only by two people, on a trip there is not much room.
As for the number of seats, the main thing is that there should be enough seat belts for all passengers.
When traveling, sometimes you have to spend the night in the car or wait a long time at the border. It is desirable that the seats in the car fold up to the state of berths. The big trunk also will be useful – as a place to store things, and as a part of a sleeping place in case of an overnight stay. It is possible, of course, to spend the night in a tent, but it is not always safe and convenient.
Therefore, choosing a car for long trips, pay attention to sedans of D-class or large crossovers. The choice depends mainly on operating conditions, both categories of cars have pros and cons. In short, a sedan is suitable for urban tourism, and a crossover is better for off-road driving.
Pros of D-class sedans for long trips
- All other things being equal, more economical than crossovers due to less weight.
- They have better aerodynamics, which is reflected in driving comfort and fuel consumption.
- Their center of gravity is lower, which means they are safer at speed – they hold the track better.
- The suspension of D-Class sedans is softer than that of crossovers, they are more comfortable in motion.
Disadvantages of D-Class sedans
- Low ground clearance.
- Worse maneuverability, but for driving long distances this parameter is not as important as for urban conditions.
Advantages of crossovers
- High ground clearance. This quality of parkettes is important in off-road conditions, as well as when parking on curbs. If trips are planned not only on ideal European roads but also on the expanses of the CIS or in the wilderness, the sedan is no good.
- A switchable all-wheel drive is a pleasant option, but obligatory only for full off-roading. Fans of city tourism can easily do without it. In an extreme case, correctly picked up tires will improve the possibility of the car.
- Bigger wheels. The bigger the wheel, the more pleasant the ride and less damage to the undercarriage from potholes. The size of 18 inches and above is suitable for all driving conditions.
- Maneuverability. Due to the stiffer suspension, crossovers are more manageable than sedans. Inactive maneuvering conditions, the crossover driver is less tired. But on the other hand, the stiffer the suspension, the less comfortable the passengers.
Disadvantages of crossovers on the highway
- A tangible disadvantage of high crossovers on the highway – a strong sail. This affects fuel consumption, driving comfort, and, consequently, safety.
- A crossover has a stiffer ride than a sedan, but with large models, this difference is not particularly noticeable.
How to choose a car for long trips: gearbox
Automatic transmissions and variations have one undeniable plus: convenience. Otherwise, on the highway and off-road, the manual transmission wins. Its advantages:
- The ability to control the dynamics of the car on overtaking, which is important on the highway and long distances. This point is irrelevant if the car has a large volume of the engine – in this case, it will be dynamic with any box.
- Strolling off-road does not threaten the serviceability of the gearbox.
- It is possible to drive out of a snowdrift or mud, “rocking” the car.
- You can tow the car by any of the ways.
Economy
When choosing a car for long trips this is one of the main points. The car should be powerful to make it easy to overtake on the highway, but the more will be the volume of the engine, the more expensive will be the trip. A compromise option is 2-2.5 liter turbo diesel engines. They are powerful and economical, but have a number of drawbacks:
- noisy;
- less environmentally friendly than petrol engines;
- less wear-resistant;
- more expensive;
- starting in the cold is worse.
Reliability
The reliability of the car for long trips is determined not so much by its ability not to break down, but rather by the ease with which you can find parts for it anywhere on your trip. Between the exotic and the common brand name, it is better to choose the latter.
The abundance of electronics in the car is another indicator of risk. The simpler the car, the less it breaks down.
Equipment of the car for long trips
The following equipment is important for long journeys:
- airbags – the more the better;
- air conditioning or climate control;
- a GPS navigator and the presence of good up-to-date maps of the area you usually travel in. Often in-house navigators are inferior to regular phone apps, so it can be an unreasonable expense.
Everything else is optional and depends only on your views on the comfort/price ratio.