Best road trip cars

The 520-hp 2013 Audi S8 blew our staff away with its rapid acceleration and all-wheel-drive grip. Few sedans can match — or beat — the S8's 3.5-second sprint to 60 mph, 11.8-second run in the quarter-mile where it crossed the finish line at 118.3 mph. Around the skidpad, the full-size S8 pulled 0.90 g before tackling the figure-eight in 25.0 seconds at a 0.79 g average. Few full-size cars can get you and three companions to your holiday destination in luxurious comfort faster and safer than the 2013 Audi S8.

Every bit of the 505-hp Bentley Mulsanne's interior is filled with leather, thick carpet, solid metal, or other high-end materials. All four outboard occupants get heated, cooled, and massaging seats. Rear passengers have plenty of legroom as well as control over the climate, audio, and navigation systems. Though the Mulsanne may not be as fast as the Audi S8, it still reaches 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, but most importantly the British luxury sedan will make a grand entrance.

2012 Bentley Mulsanne

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Though the rear-drive Cadillac CTS-V Wagon may not be as adept at tackling rain or snow-covered roads as some of the all-wheel-drive choices here, it seats four adults and has enough room behind the rear seat for bringing the holiday brews — just like when senior feature editor Jonny Lieberman picked up Motor Trend's long-term 2011 Cadillac CTS V Wagon in Detroit and stopped at some of the best Midwestern breweries on the way back to L.A. In total, the 556-hp wagon handled the additional weight of 20 cases of beer and photo/video equipment without breaking a sweat.

2013 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon

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The Dodge Charger is the one of just two entries on this list that can be purchased for under $50,000. In SRT8 trim, the 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 puts out 470 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque helping it achieve a 0-60 mph time of 4.3 seconds. With a long 120-inch wheelbase and 16.5 cubic feet of trunk space, the Charger SRT8 can haul four friends and all their gear in relative comfort.

The Hyundai Genesis 5.0 R-Spec is the sportiest sedan from Korea with its 429-hp 5.0-liter V-8 and revised suspension tune that eliminated much of the base model's body roll, giving it more confidence while traveling over the river and through the woods. Though smaller than the full-size Equus, the Genesis sedan offers enough space for rear occupants to really stretch out during a road trip.

2013 Hyundai Genesis

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With 470 hp on tap from its supercharged 5.0-liter V-8, the Jaguar XJL can move four passengers and their holiday gear with little effort. Inside, the XJL is nicely appointed with leather and soft-touch materials including a suede-like material for the headliner. The XJL offers more rear-seat legroom than the Mercedes-Benz S-Class as well as more than 15 cubic feet of luggage space.

2013 Jaguar XJ Series

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The Range Rover Supercharged is likely to be comfortable in more situations than most of the other vehicles on this list. And if you want it to go fast, the Supercharged model offers 510 hp and 461 lb-ft of torque, enough for a 0-60 mph run in 5.2 seconds — not bad for a now-more-efficient lifted four-wheel-drive rig capable of traversing lots of unpaved routes. After a 2142.4-mile, five-day New Year's trek from L.A. to Colorado and back in the last-generation model, Lieberman said, "The Range Rover, no matter how you slice it, is one of the absolute best vehicles on the road. Or, for that matter, off it."

2013 Land Rover Range Rover

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The 429-hp 2013 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class SUV offers seating for seven as well as a decent amount of cargo room. Interior materials rival those of the S-Class sedan, while Designo interior specification wraps occupants in higher quality leather available in a choice of colors. The 2013 GL-Class offers a level of sport, utility, and luxury its competitors can't match, which is why it became Motor Trend's 2013 Sport/Utility of the Year.

2013 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class

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During a recent test against the 2013 BMW M5, the 4367-lb Porsche Panamera GTS ripped to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds thanks to its 430-hp naturally aspirated 4.8-liter V-8 and all-wheel-drive traction. Off the track, the four-door GT can carry four adults in a leather-wrapped interior. After averaging 24.5 mpg on a road trip in a Panamera Turbo, Angus MacKenzie remarked, "The Porsche Panamera Turbo may not be a luxury limousine, but after a 2129-mile road trip from L.A. to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and back, I can say it's one helluva GT."

2012 Porsche Panamera

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Though the Tesla Model S doesn't have the range of the fossil-fuel-powered Mulsanne or Panamera, the electric vehicle impresses with an available 265-mile EPA rating — though editor-in-chief Ed Loh managed to travel 285 miles from Las Vegas to Motor Trend's El Segundo office on a single charge. As Tesla installs more Superchargers along highly traveled corridors, future road trips in the Model S will cover longer distances. Maybe the best part about the Model S is its ability to rip to 60 mph in just 4.0 seconds thanks to its 402-hp electric motor.

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