What car for a cross-country run?

KyAllroad said:

So for superslab driving I want something with longer legs that can "relax" at 85 mph. 

That's one of the reasons I like DD#2's plebeian 2006 Impala.  At 70 mph it's ticking over at a casual 1800 rpm.

In reply to Duke :

That's our Crew Cab Sierra. 80mph is 2k rpm on the little 4.8 that redines at 5700

Duke said:

KyAllroad said:

So for superslab driving I want something with longer legs that can "relax" at 85 mph. 

That's one of the reasons I like DD#2's plebeian 2006 Impala.  At 70 mph it's ticking over at a casual 1800 rpm.

You oughta try one of the '12-'13 Impalas, the last year of the W-body but with the 300+hp 3.6L and a 6-speed auto. They're freakishly fast for what they are and cruise at high speeds like it's nothing. I remember when they were new, any time techs were sent to Buffalo or NYC for training, they would grab one of them off the lot and then do 90-95 the whole trip, and nobody would even look twice at them.

Duke said:

Road trip?  Something big, quiet, powerful, decent handling but not at a major compromise for comfort.  That Caddy would be ideal.  If you really want, one of the sportier GT cars.  Audi S5?

Audi S6, IMHO.

Tesla Cybertruck with a small pull trailer for my generator and bbq grill.

Out of the cars I've owned, my '88 626 Turbo would easily be my pick.  Boost to deal with higher elevations, excellent seats, mid-30's on the highway with the A/C off (and the A/C was decent).

I always figured the first generation Acura Legend Coupe would be a good distance cruiser (it seems pretty perfect for anything, really).  Also an E46 BMW with either a sunroof or convertible.

I'm in the middle of a cross country road trip at the moment. I'll comment on the suitability of my chosen vehicle once I'm done.

Keith Tanner said:

Earplugs make a big difference to driver fatigue in the more, umm, interesting cars. I've done 2000+ mile trips in a classic Mini, a 1967 Land Rover (55 mph using the hand throttle as cruise control), several modified Miatas, the Big Dodge Truck (a very good mile eater) and a few other, more forgettable cars.

If I wanted to be comfortable and rested when I got where I was going, I'd drive an EV. Second choice would be the E39 M5, which shares a lot of the same characteristics.
If I wanted the trip to be memorable for the cool factor and still good on the interstates, I'd drive the '66 Deville Hardtop.
If I was hunting awesome roads, I'd grab an LS3-powered ND Miata.

To expand on these choices:

The EV (specifically the Model 3 in my case, but probably any modern long range EV) and the E39 M5 are both quiet and refined. And the cruise control is so smooth as to be imperceptible because both have ridiculous amounts of torque available. The M5 is like a small plane, built to eat continents and it struck me immediately how much the Model 3 feels the same. Need to cross the desert? No worries.

Want to hold your head up at Bonneville?

The Deville will cruise at 75 happily with that low frequency Cadillac ride, but it feels like you're really moving. Fingertip controls, all the visibility in the world and everyone loves an old Cadillac. It would make the trip into an event, and you'd be taking pictures of the car in front of things all the way. Vegas, baby.

The LS3 powered Miata will get remarkably good fuel economy with the engine kinda burbling away in the background, but is huge fun when you get to open it up or if you encounter a good road. It'll have you seeking out the back roads. I once drove one from Monterey back to Colorado via some of the craziest mountain roads I've ever seen.

The Big Dodge Diesel Truck has similar attributes to Toyman's Suburban choice, just a little more whiff of "oilfield worker" and less of "soccer mom". Big high sightlines, a big engine grumbling away in the background, world-class AC, a commanding presence and if you hang a few tons off the rear bumper, quite a good ride. But other than the ride height, the EV/M5 combo has it beat for overall serenity. Now, if you're carrying a bunch of kids, you may want that interior space for interior balkanization :) The Tahoe/Suburban/Denali is the modern version of a GM station wagon.

My 99 Intrepid.

The car absolutely EATS highway time, it averages 33mpg (7L/100kms) at about 75mph (120km/h) is comfortable, minimal road noise in cabin, fly's under the radar and easy to drive with a huge trunk space for general spares/fluids/tools and luggage, all while having been modified enough to be enjoyable in some more 'spirited' roads with choice parts in the suspension/brakes department. 

And space for 4 full size adults with ease. Almost every time I have taken passengers they fall asleep during the trip. 

I'd happily take the E38 on a cross-country run.  Not quite as much power or as sharp handling as an E39 M5, but more space for stuff, a little more comfortable, still quite capable in the handling department and good at cruising fast.  Gets a bit better mpg than the M5 as well and has a bigger fuel tank.  

Oddly, I don't find the BMW cruise control all that smooth.  It's worse than the vacuum servo cruise in the Jeep IMO.  The BMW cruise tries to regulate speed too tightly, so it can be a bit too aggressive with the throttle, especially if you change the set speed.  But it's got plenty of torque, as I've never seen it drop out of top gear.  

In reply to rslifkin :

The super-smooth cruise may be an M5 thing, as it's got all those drive-by-wire throttle bodies. I don't know about the E38. I think it's also because the engine never has to strain to maintain speed. I'm just never aware it's doing anything, which is the best thing you can say about cruise control.

The M5 tank has more range than my bladder does, so that's not a limiting factor. Fuel economy is not an M5 high point, that's for sure, but the tank is big enough for 450+ miles. An E38 would be a good highway cruiser, though.

I think A5/S5 convertible would my choice. GT cruiser that can drop the top. 

Keith Tanner said:

In reply to rslifkin :

The super-smooth cruise may be an M5 thing, as it's got all those drive-by-wire throttle bodies. I don't know about the E38. I think it's also because the engine never has to strain to maintain speed. I'm just never aware it's doing anything, which is the best thing you can say about cruise control.

The M5 tank has more range than my bladder does, so that's not a limiting factor. Fuel economy is not an M5 high point, that's for sure, but the tank is big enough for 450+ miles. An E38 would be a good highway cruiser, though.

My E38 is an 01, so it's also electronic throttle body, etc.  The cruise is pretty good if you just leave it alone, but if you hit the speed up or slow down buttons, it tries to do it "right now".  So slow down is often "cut throttle, oh crap slowed down too much, throttle hard, then back off and maintain".  I figure it's just excessive German precision. 

Mileage-wise, it sounds like I don't get much further on a tank.  I generally figure ~480 miles to be comfortable before refueling with the sport package gearing (figure 24 - 25 mpg at 75, car turns 2200 rpm at 70).  A non sport pack car or one with the bigger V12 fuel tank swapped in will go further (V12 cars should have similar range to mine, only slightly worse mileage and a slightly bigger tank). 

Teh R can go 510-530mi on a 17gal tank, and cruise RPM is irrelevant because between the small engine, turbo, converter, mufflers, and Swedish interior quality, you cannot hear the engine.  I think it is about 2200-2400 at normal speeds?  Not that it matters, it may as well be electric.

The cruise control is maddening if you use it like me and use it as a kind of minimum speed and accelerate over that manually. 10 seconds of that and it shuts the cruise off.  Solution: Don't use it, just drive the dang car 

I don't spend a lot of time messing with cruise settings. If I can't proceed at my set cruise speed, I don't use the cruise :) So for me it's set and forget. 

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Man, the one time I rented a car with adaptive cruise (2017 Prius) that I know of, I loved it.  Long trip around NYC to west of Philadelphia was a lot nicer having it.

Oh, adaptive cruise is a different animal. You do get more speed variation and acceleration/deceleration as you work through traffic, but after using it normal cruise seems so crude. Why does my car want to ram the one in front?

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Regular fixed speed cruise control is next to useless. If there are 3 cars on any given mile of road I guarantee you will wind up pinned behind one car that is going 1 mph slower than your set point while the other car sits off your quarter panel going 1 mph faster than your set point.

Duke said:

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Regular fixed speed cruise control is next to useless. If there are 3 cars on any given mile of road I guarantee you will wind up pinned behind one car that is going 1 mph slower than your set point while the other car sits off your quarter panel going 1 mph faster than your set point.

 

At least they are PASSING.

I blame adaptive cruise control for the supreme shiny happy person maneuver of speeding up to someone and then... just sitting there, blinding you with their headlights.

Me: Car coming up behind, as soon as they pass I'll pull out to pass this slow guy in front of me

Car behind: *zooms up then locks into formation*

Me: WTF?  pass already

Car behind: *headlight glare*

Me:  OK i'd pull out to pass if I could see anything in my mirrors that wasn't headlight glare

Car behind: *durrrrrr there is no intelligent life here, i am a zombie*

Me: Berk you, i am going to slow down until you pass so I don't have your HID LED TLA BS lighting up the inside of my car

Car behind: Is okay doing 45 in a 70, changing lanes is scary

Apparently nobody in here has driven a Lexus LS on a roadtrip. Never thought I would ever appreciate a 4-door car (drove an old Cavalier for the first 5 years of driving) and never had any interest in them. Bought a beater of an old LS400, because I knew the suspension and drivetrain were surprisingly good, and I had a project in mind. Never realized the whole car was that good...

Seriously, might be my favorite car overall. Comfortable, quiet, efficient, fantastic stereo, powerful, and yet... someone put a sport sedan in this thing. Not even kidding, throw a set of sticky tires on these things, and they handle surprisingly well. Transitional handling isn't Miata quick, but it weighs  nearly twice as much.

My only nitpick would be that I wish it had a faster shifting transmission, or a manual.

Can confirm E38 is a destroyer of miles. There are days when I wish I had kept my 98 740iL.

Toward the other end of the girth spectrum, 2nd gen Probe GT was also a capable road-tripper. Good seats, good enough power, hatchback luggage capacity. 

Lexus ES350 F-Sport. Rented one while in Florida on Turo for a day trip and fantastic mile eater I will say. Very comfortable car, good sound system, solid planting at highway speeds (75-80), ice cold ac in Florida sun and good on gas (I averaged 30mpg.). That was one car I didn't want to give back.

If gas money was provided, I'd choose an Audi S8, either a 6mt swapped D2, or a new 2022. Otherwise, probably an A6 TDI

Under the heading of "I never travel with more than I need" I have found the frs to be the perfect mile eater.

Just did a couple 4-hour trips in my C8 Corvette last week.  It's the most comfortable sports car I've ever owned, at any speed (and I varied mine a lot) and it averaged 28 mpg.  I wouldn't hesitate to take it cross-country.