Your favourite car for a road trip?

[XC50077]

My Au 11 XR8,220 manual, Pedders Touring springs, 9L/100, sits and rides good, handles great, I'm getting a few Ks up myself and can still put away Syd to Sunshine Coast usually in one stretch with a few pit stops along the way.
As far as seat comfort though the XC seems to win handsdown.

[mechanic]

Originally Posted by XC50077

My Au 11 XR8,220 manual, Pedders Touring springs, 9L/100, sits and rides good, handles great, I'm getting a few Ks up myself and can still put away Syd to Sunshine Coast usually in one stretch with a few pit stops along the way.
As far as seat comfort though the XC seems to win handsdown. image

Agree about the XC seats, did Brisbane to Cairns and back non stop twice in the 78 xc I had when the kids were little.
Certainly a very comfortable car to do a long drive.

[2011G6E]

Depends on where we are going, what the weather is like, and what we have to do when we get there.
The Triton twin cab fourbie? Very comfortable on the highway (more so than the G6E ever was given the "standard" of roads nowadays), and it's amazing on fuel use too. It's also the natural choice if the missus is having one of her big craft market stalls because we can load up the area under the canopy with piles of gear. It's also good if we're heading inland or are going to an area with questionable roads. And for the regular flood times out here of course.

The '82 Celica is great as well...tons of fun to drive, comfortable on long trips, fair amount of room, but the air con really needs a regas, so if it's hot, we take the Triton.

If it's just me and the missus going somewhere that we won't be bringing home or taking heaps of stuff or need to carry a lot of luggage, it's the '08 GSX1400.


Horses for courses...

Oh, and XC seats? Yes indeed...hands down the most comfortable car we ever owned on trips was the plush chairs in the XC-Update Fairmont GXL we once owned...no modern cars we've owned even comes close.

[BENT_8]

I'd go the F6, for overtaking scenarios.

I actually did 600k round trip Adelaide to Pt Augusta today in our VT and I agree with you, they do require a different approach, and with new tyres and a wheel alignment, plus the bonus of factory gas, I was off.
I reckon I got to Dublin before I cursed my decision and pined for our VRX.

What a nervous pos, but expected for a 220k Commodore.

The best car I ever drove long distance would be a toss up between my 5.0l VR Stato to Bathurst 04 and my AU s2 SR to Pt Lincoln.
The stato for the armchair ride, the AU for the effortless consumption of kilometres.

[69ISH]

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I like my stang, photos taken today at Yamba with bugs dirt water marks from the storm we drove through to get here last night, it will have done over a1000ks by the time it gets home on Monday night.
It shows you how deceiving photos can be even the photo looking out of the windscreen makes the car look clean but you can see the shadows on the dash from the bugs on the screen and the 1st 2 photos if you look closely you can see a tree snake in the foreground of the Mustang.

[JG34JA]

Our Territory, fantastic road car. Balances comfort with supple ride, steers well in corners, effortless.

Other than that, original 302 XW Fairmont. Like the mobile armchair, torquey, wonderful sound - I turn the AM radio off to listen to its note.

[1TUFFUTE]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

I'd go the F6, for overtaking scenarios.

I actually did 600k round trip Adelaide to Pt Augusta today in our VT and I agree with you, they do require a different approach, and with new tyres and a wheel alignment, plus the bonus of factory gas, I was off.
I reckon I got to Dublin before I cursed my decision and pined for our VRX.

What a nervous pos, but expected for a 220k Commodore.

The best car I ever drove long distance would be a toss up between my 5.0l VR Stato to Bathurst 04 and my AU s2 SR to Pt Lincoln.
The stato for the armchair ride, the AU for the effortless consumption of kilometres.

Interesting you mention overtaking ability . Yesterday some idiot refused to comply with the honourable way of letting merging cars in 1for 1. I allowed a car to pull up past me to take his spot but as my blocker was on way early....some idiot thought he'd speed up and block me at the last second....driving me off the road....no warning. My wife quickly talking me down so I pulled in behing him and beeped raising my hands questioning his actions! He gave me an unwarranted death stare and proceeded to slow right down in front on me.
So BAM I smashed the throttle and passed him on the side skirt before he could blink. That shut him up
The law is you must allow merging cars in...not block then off by driving of the road. He's glad I'm not a psychopath and belted his brains out with my crutches.


So on topic...a large safe fast car has more benifits then meets the eye

I don't recommend road rage as it's very dangerous!!

[FTRXR8]

EF XR8, powerful, comfortable, enough overtaking and pulling power - enough said.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by 1TUFFUTE

Interesting you mention overtaking ability . Yesterday some idiot refused to comply with the honourable way of letting merging cars in 1for 1. I allowed a car to pull up past me to take his spot but as my blocker was on way early....some idiot thought he'd speed up and block me at the last second....driving me off the road....no warning. My wife quickly talking me down so I pulled in behing him and beeped raising my hands questioning his actions! He gave me an unwarranted death stare and proceeded to slow right down in front on me.
So BAM I smashed the throttle and passed him on the side skirt before he could blink. That shut him up
The law is you must allow merging cars in...not block then off by driving of the road. He's glad I'm not a psychopath and belted his brains out with my crutches.


So on topic...a large safe fast car has more benifits then meets the eye

I don't recommend road rage as it's very dangerous!!

Had an interesting experience yesterday with a middle aged couple in a white diesel Territory.
I rounded them up in an overtaking lane, he was doing about 105, me 115, no drama.
Passed another couple of cars over the next 20-30k's.
Came up behind a slow moving truck going downhill in a section of road where the oncoming traffic has an overtake lane.
In SA you can over take from the single lane I was in so long as BOTH oncoming lanes are clear.
Well, this dick head in the Territory, closing fast, decides to overtake 4 cars and a truck into oncoming traffic despite the signs.
At one point it was the truck, him and a van towing 4wd, 3 abreast and a truck following the 4wd coming the other way diving for the hard left shoulder to avoid it all.

I caught up with the ***** at Pt Wakefield, pulled up beside him, got out and glared at him across my roof.
Eventually he gets out and I unloaded both barrels on him.
Called him a smart ***, asked him if he saw the news recently of an almost identical incident and told him I had his handy work on dash cam and would be forwarding it to the police and news.
The look on his face was priceless and his mrs, none the wiser, was unimpressed to say the least.

Road trips can be fun, but watch out for the *********.

[mcnews]

Oh dear me, an amateur policeman. Good on ya... Not.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by mcnews

Oh dear me, an amateur policeman. Good on ya... Not.

No, not an amateur Policeman at all.
I didn't chase the guy or attempt to pull him over.
I simply stopped where he did, which I would have anyway as its the first servo on the way into town, and I told him what I thought of his antics.
He endangered my nephew and great niece's life aswell as my own and another half dozen people all because he couldn't wait for a clear passage.

I would say if anything it was he, who was playing Mr Policeman. he didn't like the fact that everyone was passing him as he was travelling well below the posted limit.
The irony in that is he probably saw the police presence and was paranoid. I thought a Police presence was the preferred option as cameras make people paranoid but anyway...

It was he who took it upon himself to act irresponsibly.
I wasn't gonna belt the guy, so I put the wind up him.

Where's the problem?

[Nikked]

My old boosted EL XR6 was fun out on the open road...


Overtaking in my XR8 just isn't as fun :-(

[jamies]

Ten years ago myself and nine mates drove from Tas to Canberra for the summernats.. We all drove our showcars. I had a factory 351 XD Esp it ate up the Hume hwy was super comfy in those scheel seats... Yeah good times.

[Crazy Dazz]

There’s a reason the Falcon Wagon is the favourite backpacker vehicle, especially with a LPG conversion underneath. Great country car, chip as chips, reliable and easy to fix when it isn’t, room enough for 4 blokes and all your gear, or a couple and a bed for the night.

[Franco Cozzo]

For right out comfort my EL Fairmont Ghia has to take the cake for how damn cold the A/C gets and how comfortable it is on ****** roads, just has a lot of niggly things that give me the *****, 4sp auto not knowing what its doing, the crap sound system (premium one too), the front seats are a bit too flat as well, I'd rather be driven around in it sitting in the back seat, its like a couch lol.

It also uses a bit of fuel for highway cruising, cant get it better than 11.5L and it needs at least 98 because of the way its tuned.

The Ambo rides like the Falcon because of all the weight on the back and tyres with a massive sidewall (245/75R16), but the engine is damn loud, so loud you hear it over road and wind noise. Have to be very careful when driving around other people, big distances between you and the people in front otherwise it simply wont stop.

Again, fuel usage, 500km out of 100L of diesel.

Focus being diesel is awesome because you can ride the wave of torque everywhere, short shift up the gears, you don't need to take that thing past 2000 RPM in daily driving. Except now its lowered, shortened shocks and rear sway bar so it rides VERY rough. Good on fuel, 5.5L/100km no worries.

Fiesta is like a rollerskate, has electric power steering which is nice, can turn the wheel with your little finger, needs to be worked hard to get it to move on the pace though, fun to take up a mountain pass, turns over 3000 RPM at 100km/h but you don't really notice it over road noise.

[roberts]

sadley out of those three choices I would take the vt

[Pedro]

Fairlane: quiet, comfortable, big boot, handles well for a big car. End of story.

[XR6WGN]

Back in my Navy days, I was based in Canberra - home was Adelaide. Just like jamies, I also had an ESP XD but mine was the 4.1 4spd. Those scheel seats were the best for long distance work - so comfortable. They say that the XE had the better rear suspension but the cart springs on the XD did a reasonable job and the car sat very well on the road - to be honest if it had a turbo with the T5, it would have just about been perfect - you could really chew up the miles in that old bus.

My current wagon is just as nice on the open road too - just wish the Scheels weren't so expensive these days!!!!

[stace650]

My two favourites after owning more than 20 cars are my XC Falcon ex cop car, a long-legged comfortable mile eater, and my BA GT, a high speed tourer par excellence. I always felt fresh as a daisy after a day in either of them.

My worst? An EJ Holden wagon which was uncomfortable and horrible just going to the shops.

[GTP-RPD]

Originally Posted by Pedro

Fairlane: quiet, comfortable, big boot, handles well for a big car. End of story.

Got to agree. Traversed this great country in the back seat as a kid and also driving when i got my licence most of the old mans Fairlanes. ZA,ZD,ZG, and ZJ. All V8's and all usually on a buck ten to a buck twenty on the old ruler on major highways. Long distances quickly shortened. But that's for another day.

Long wheel base plenty of room and plenty of squirt to get around slow obstacles.

I remember the old saying. 351 ZD Fairlane. King of the road.

[Feathers]

My Grandparents had a 351 ZH Fairlane. White with beige vinyl roof and brown interior.
I remember trips down to Ulladulla in it for holidays.

Wish it had stayed in the family. My uncle did up an XF for them, and swapped it, because the fuel bill was becoming too expensive for them on the pension. I hope whoever has it now has kept it it the same mint condition.

I'm happy now to drive my BA, mum's FG G6E is nice to drive as well.
Hoping to get a decent rental on an upcoming trip to Tassie to test out.

[jimmyxr6t04]

My previous 2011 Holden CapriceV 6.0L V8. So comfortable, enough grunt, DVDs with wireless headsets for the kids so i can listen to my tunes in peace. And less than 9L/100km on the highway... Hopefully the GT 335 that replaces it will be better!!

I'll reply again after i drive it back from Melbourne!

[Vincenzo]

Originally Posted by f6_benito

Which would you take for a road trip? What is your favourite ever road trip car?

My choice would be the I6 naturally aspirated.

In the last three years I have done several big trips. Jan 2011, Ipswitch to Darwin via Canberra. 8,000km in an AU III XR6 (M) and an amazing time / trip with my 16 y/o son. Comfortable, spacious,reliable and economical - 7.5L / 100km.

Nov 2012, Perth to Darwin via Canberra (9,900km) in a 1986 BMW 635 CSi (M). This was an absolute pleasure to drive. Comfortable, safe, fast and a real head turner. Economy for the trip was 9.2L / 100km.

Sept 2013 Darwin to Brisbane via Townsville (3,900km), again, in the BMW 635 and again it was a repeat of the Nov 2012 trip. The BMW was built for long distance cruise / touring and completed the task with great aplomb.


Cheers Vincenzo

[monte.b]

Those old bucket seats in the xa falcon were just the best,we had a xa wagon the most lovely car to drive ,used to put the wife and kids in and do 500 miles for a sunday drive ,they thought i was mad but it was a way i used to unwind ,they still talk about it

[Gothefalcon]

I built my ultimate cross country cruiser... My BF2 AWD Falcon Wagon ! All the luxuries of LTD/FPV inside... The traditional load/tow capacity of a Falcon Wagon... Extra off road capabilities of Territory/RTV... and a Petrol/Lpg extended fuel rang of up to 1500Ks !
All my Falcons have been excellent cars for long distance drives... this one is made for the job... whether you are crossing through the Gulf country... climbing Big Red... or cruising the blacktop between capital cities.... it does it all with ease !!!

[OffRoadFalcon]

Similarly to Dhru, I'm creating my own!

End result that I'd like will be to have the RTV lift, possibly with a bit extra, diff lock, large-as-possible AT tyres, flares, snorkel... hopefully 5.0 Windsor too, as well as high-series interior, as well as the usual touring gear (underbody protection, roof rack, long range tank, rooftop tent)...

Excited to get the big stuff started!

[SSD-85]

Out of the cars Ive owned, the ZL Fairlane. Drove it from Bundy to Brisbane. Ive taken many cars along that route & the ZL wins easily.

[BA-XT]

BUMP!

Out of all the cars I've done a road trip in -I'm 33.

Mums 1988 corolla. Too young to remember. Couldn't kill it.
1974 FJ40 Land Cruiser: hot, uncomfortable, loud. But I was 19 so who cares!

1985 HJ60 Landcruiser. It had air conditioning. Was bumpy and made everyone except me car sick from the diesel smell

Wife's VT Commodore: uncomfortable. Passenger seat gave me a crook back constantly. Fuel economy was ok. Used water all the time even after heads / heater core / 2x busted radiators. Burned oil (factory standard). Drove like a boat.

Wife's 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe: suspension too firm. Engine is very revvy. Not enough overtaking power.

My 2003 BA XT: cheap on LPG. Comfy. Burns no oil or water. Noise levels are the low. Plenty of power for overtaking. Ultra reliable (so far). Only downside is the LPG tank does use room in the back so one suitcase has to be put on back seat.

Suspension is just right for touring. Eats the miles up and with cruise on neither of us feels tired. Hard to go past.

[pundit]

Mine would be the a tossup between my old KS Verada Xi which the previous owner before me spent alot of coin on refreshing up the suspension and my BF Fairlane Ghia..

The verada was good in comfort and drove well but was a bit on the gutless side with othertaking duties..

The fairlane has the comfort almost there but currently has alot fo worn bushes so once they are replaced it will be nicer but the G6E 19's do make it a bit firmer which can be annoying on some roads..

My daily is a 1999 Hyundai Excel Twin Cam manual.. I have done adelaide, or melbourne trips in that several times (450km one way from mount gambier).. The Excel does them with ease and isn't exactly uncomfortable in the process.. but not as nice as the fairlane.. Ive done the trip in worse cars!

I did have a EF Fairmont for a while.. but to be honest i didnt find that car too comfy on the long haul.

[new2ford]

Skoda Octavia. Splendid and always economical, even cruising at 160+ on German autobahns. Any BMW. And of course Territory.

Worst ever experience on a road trip for work: Camry. I don't know how people can live with them.