
There are few words in the English language which can conjure up as much
meaning, and likely so many memories, as these: road trip. We've all been on
them before; some are the highlights of your life and some... well, not so much.
But having the right vehicle can make all the difference in the world.
Thule, maker of "transportation accessories",
has added its name to the ever-growing list of companies that have invented an
"__ of the year" award. For this particular honor, Thule has broken the
automotive landscape in half, dividing its choices for the best vehicle to take
a road trip in at the $30 grand mark. Without further ado, the winners are:
- Best road trip vehicle under $30,000: Subaru Outback 2.5i
Limited
- Best road trip vehicle over $30,000: Toyota Highlander
Hybrid Limited
If you really want to read all of the reasons that
Thule offers for choosing these vehicles, there's a whole press release pasted
after the break. We're not going to argue with their choices, as both the
Outback and the Highlander are fine vehicles, which would be suitable for a
group of four people and their assorted belongings. Sure beats the old
funny-smelling air-cooled VW van that had trouble keeping up with the
slow-moving traffic that some of us can remember from our childhood.
"The Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited combines the styling of a sport wagon with
great features such as leather interior with heated seats, all-wheel-drive,
four cup-holders, three 12v plugs and an mp3 player dock for around $26,000,"
remarked Tripp Wyckoff, Thule's VP of Sales, Marketing and Service. In
Thule's testing the Outback 2.5i Limited was a very capable all-weather
vehicle. With 8.4" of ground clearance the vehicle made it down the roughest
roads with small to medium obstacles. The sports wagon height of the vehicle
made for easy loading and unloading of bikes, skis, kayaks and gear into a
Thule cargo box.
Read the full article at: http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/22/2008-road-trip-vehicles-of-the-year-as-chosen-by-thule/