Taking a road trip with family or friends is fun and enjoyable. A sturdily built car is the best for such trips as it can withstand the rough roads and extreme weather conditions.
A few essentials, like great buddies and a dreamy destination, are needed for the perfect road trip. A sturdy car is the cherry on top!
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic is a reliable car that can make long trips easier and more enjoyable. Its great fuel economy, spacious cabin, and comfortable seats make it a perfect road trip car. It also has a good safety rating. Plus, it is easy to maintain. In fact, you can drive it for hundreds of miles on a full tank.
The car’s responsive steering wheel gives a connected feel that boosts confidence while driving on the highway. The Civic can also handle tight corners. It has good outward visibility and a spacious rear seating area, which is ideal for road trips. The front seats are comfortably cushioned and supportive, even for tall passengers.
Its 12.4-gallon fuel tank can allow you to travel farther between stops, saving time and money on your trip. In addition, the car’s reliability is excellent, and it has lower frequency and severity ratings than the average vehicle.
The Honda Civic has a lot of standard features, including a touchscreen infotainment display center and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capabilities. It also has a convenient back-up camera and a USB port. The Civic also has a convenient navigation system that can help you find your way on long road trips. This is a useful feature, especially if you are new to driving. The navigation system is intuitive and easy to use.
Mahindra XUV700
The XUV700 may seem a little heavy for this segment, but it’s well-built and has loads of features. It’s also quite a capable road tripper, being steady on long highway stretches and nimble through narrow village roads. The din from the diesel engine is kept well in check, and power delivery feels instantaneous. Similarly, the steering is responsive, the brakes feel strong, and the suspension can handle the occasional speed breaker. The ADAS package is also impressive for this price, with features like high beam assist and adaptive cruise control.
Mahindra has a few powertrain options to choose from, including a petrol version of its mStallion 2.0 turbo-petrol and the latest-gen 2.2-litre mHawk diesel. The latter’s 185hp rating is class-leading and beats naturally aspirated rivals such as the Outlander 135kW/244Nm, CR-V 140kW/252Nm, and X-Trail 130kW/252Nm.
You can even opt for all-wheel drive if you like. And there are three drive modes, named rather quirky – Zip, Zap, and Zoom, along with a custom drive mode to tweak individual driver traits. All-in-all, the XUV700 is a comfortable car to drive over long distances and offers good value for money in the current market. However, the top-heavy SUV does roll a bit when pushed hard through a corner or over slightly broken surfaces. This isn’t something to be scared of though as it’s simply physics at work.
Toyota Innova
Toyota Innova is the most popular car in India for road trips. Its reliability and robustness have made it the go-to choice for fleet operators and a trusted companion for private buyers as well. It is a comfortable and spacious MPV that offers plenty of space for all the passengers. Plus, it comes with a bulletproof diesel engine that can easily run for years or even decades.
It also has a lot of power and torque, which makes it perfect for highway driving. In fact, it can take on most of the SUVs in its class and still feel at home. It is a great car for long drives with the family or friends. It can even seat up to six people comfortably.
While the Innova may not look as badass as some of the big bruiser SUVs in the market, it is a tough and practical vehicle that can handle the harsh Indian roads. Moreover, it is one of the best cars for road trips in India because it offers ample cargo space and seating capacity.
The latest Innova Crysta has received a minor facelift and is now BS6 compliant. However, it has kept most of the same features from its previous iteration. Its interior design is a case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and the car’s ergonomics are excellent. It also gets a lot of new tech features including a rearview camera, high-beam assist, lane departure warning and driver assistance system with blind spot monitor, reversing assist, sway control and cruise control.
Honda Amaze
The Honda Amaze is a car that provides the best combination of comfort, fuel efficiency and performance for road trip lovers. Its VX CVT variant comes with features like responsive transmission and comfortable interiors, making it an ideal choice for long-distance travels. This car also boasts of ample legroom, headroom and a 420-litre boot capacity. In addition, it offers good fuel economy and advanced safety features. The Amaze competes with cars such as the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Hyundai Aura and the Tata Tigor in the sub-4 metre sedan space.
The new Amaze is softly sprung and manages to smother most bumps and potholes on Indian roads. It is only the most severe ones that cause a noticeable jolt and noise in the cabin. However, even then the Amaze is better than most rivals in this regard.
In terms of standard equipment, the top-spec petrol CVT and diesel CVT variants get cruise control, keyless entry and go, tilt steering adjustment and a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility. Both variants also offer a four-speaker audio setup, rear parking camera display and Isofix child seat mounts in the rear. In addition, both the diesel and petrol variants feature climate control and power windows with one-touch up/down function.