Spending time outdoors allows you to walk, cycle, run, kayak and explore many people find that the adventure of discovering adventure is all the more exciting. But it’s the getting to the adventures that often requires a motorised form of transport. It’s great if you can choose to use public transport but there will frequently be a need for a car. Here are some tips as to what to look out for in your next outdoors-friendly car.
Finding the Right Vehicle for Your Adventures
Picking a car for your adventure travels isn’t simple, and not just by virtue of cars sometimes being difficult to understand. The field is also a broad one among rugged all-terrain vehicles, with a great many different types and sizes on offer to suit a great variety of different locales. Plus, there’s the question of new versus used, which is particularly difficult for both options having their own merits.
New cars are nice and shiny, with up-to-date features and no real risk of failure outside of an unfortunate accident. Used cars, meanwhile, are far cheaper and more accessible – and older brands often benefit from having been road-tested over time, allowing you to make more informed decisions about what you’re driving. Besides which, there’s a broader selection for you to explore, no matter where you are; you’re as likely to find your next driver amongst new cars in Norwich as you are in suburban Manchester.
The real questions, though, relate to the kind of adventure travel you’re looking at doing. To simplify things, the following suggestions are named for different types of outdoorsy pursuit. The archetype that describes you best is probably the car you should consider looking for.
The Off-Roader
If you like the idea of taking yourself down dirt roads and along to remote locations, you’ll want something with decent ground clearance, four-wheel drive, and rugged construction to conquer challenging trails. As far as new cars are concerned, you can’t do much better than a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.
The Eco-Adventurer
Adventure travel requires a certain level of reverence for the landscapes around you – which many travellers take rightly to heart, with a commitment to leaving as little a footprint as possible. The new electric Mercedes G-Class is an excellent bet on this front.
The Overlander
If endurance is your game, and you’re looking for a cross-country marathon-runner of an off-road-friendly SUV, you’ll want something with decent cargo capacity and even more decent fuel efficiency. Toyota’s always a fab choice for these requirements, the RAV4 in particular combining comfort with efficiency.
