What would Santa drive?

Santa may favor the Audi Q7 because of its rounded yet majestic profile, which seems to fit the jolly season perfectly. Then there's the quiet demeanor of the 3.0-liter direct-injection turbodiesel V6 engine that propels it effortlessly, with 406 lb-ft of torque doled out at only 1750 rpm. But we suspect Santa just likes its cozy cabin, cushy seats and the amazing navigation system that overlays GPS data with Google Earth images. And there are 72.5 cubic feet of cargo volume to use once he's flipped down both rows of rear seats.

2013 Audi Q7

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Few cars combine looks, speed and space as brilliantly as the CTS-V Sport Wagon. Despite its low, chiseled profile and tapered roof, it still boasts 25 cubic feet of cargo capacity with the second-row seatback folded. In Performance AWD trim, the rakish wagon is powered by a 3.6-liter 318-horsepower direct-injection V6 engine and gets the same 18 mpg city/26 mpg highway fuel-economy ratings. If all-weather traction is not an issue, Santa can drive the rear-drive CTS-V instead, with its 6.2-liter V8 and 6-speed manual gearbox that gets 14/19 mpg. Oh! what fun it is to ride with 556 horses in the engine bay.

2013 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon

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The Suburban simply has no peer when Santa needs the best possible combination of seating, cargo capacity and go-anywhere capability — not to mention comfort, performance and reliability. The man in red knows that the LS 1500 can seat up to nine for the times when Rudolph and his eight buddies need a lift. With the Suburban's 137 cubic feet of cargo space, Santa can carry enough booty to fulfill everyone's wish list. He can power through mountain passes fully satisfied with this model's 5.3-liter 320-horsepower V8 engine, which delivers 15 mpg city/21 mpg highway.

2013 Chevrolet Suburban

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On the snowy peaks of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming or Vermont, where the population is thin and spread out, swiftness and ultimate stability must prevail over sheer volume. What better choice for these missions than Ferrari's first-ever 4-wheel drive creation, the FF coupe? With the formidable thrust of its 6.0-liter 651-horsepower V12 engine, its low-slung profile and the exceptional traction provided by a remarkably compact and clever all-wheel-drive system, the FF is about peerless in alpine prowess. As you would expect, it also looks perfect in Santa's favorite color and smartly matches his signature suit.

2012 Ferrari FF

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The Ford Flex certainly flaunts one the squarest and boxiest profiles in the automotive world, but it is still one of the best-rounded and most versatile performers you can find — more so with the optional EcoBoost engine. This twin-turbocharged direct-injection 3.5-liter V6 produces 365 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque and delivers 16 mpg city/23 mpg highway. And Santa unquestionably loves the fact that cargo volume goes from 20 to 83.2 cubic feet once he flips the second-row seatback forward and stows the third-row bench. Bring on the gifts.

2013 Ford Flex

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Since even Santa must contend with the vagaries of traffic and tight spaces in big cities, he needs the smallest shell wrapped around the largest possible cabin. At this game, no car is better than the Honda Fit, equipped with the cleverest of second-row seats. Its cushion can indeed be locked upright to carry tall objects as large as mountain bikes. Or the seat can be folded entirely to use the full 57.3 cubic feet of cargo space. Yet the Fit is just 13.5 feet long and it turns within a circle only 34.4 feet in diameter. With 117 lively horses from a 1.5-liter engine, Santa zips around at will.

2013 Honda Fit

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When Santa needs to deliver to places only a helicopter can reach, he straps into a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. For ultimate climbing and rough-terrain ability, no production vehicle can match the most capable and versatile iteration of the legendary, quintessential off-road machine. And the Wrangler has been made much smoother and better-performing with its fully modern 3.6-liter 285-horsepower Pentastar V6 engine, mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. As a bonus, the latest Wrangler offers fully modern amenities, including a solid navigation system. Finally, is there anything cooler than Santa in a Jeep?

2013 Jeep Wrangler

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With brawn, luxury, space and style to spare, the stocky Mercedes GL 350 SUV is one of Santa's favorites. The cabin has cushy front seats and is replete with luxury accessories, but it can provide up to 93.8 cubic feet of gift-carrying capacity, accessible through its power-operated rear hatch. Santa could pick between a couple of twin-turbocharged gasoline-fed V8 engines, but he has a soft spot for the 3.0-liter Bluetec turbocharged V6, which can go farthest on the 26.4 gallons of diesel in its tank, with mileage ratings of 19 mpg city/26 mpg highway. Every ounce counts on Christmas Eve.

2013 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class

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After sending his reindeer to their arctic pastures, Santa has developed innovative techniques to deal with deliveries to towering apartments. The secret is to spread gifts to numerous delivery points at once; the trick is to transport elves and gifts in the same vehicle. For this there is no better choice than a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Crew, which combines five seats — complete with full 3-point seatbelts, of course — and a gigantic, 380 cubic feet of cargo volume. As a bonus, the 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 engine churns out a massive 325 ft-lb of torque to take it a long way on its 26.4-gallon fuel tank.

2012 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

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Much like Air Force planes on long-range missions, Santa's rolling sleighs have to be constantly replenished with gifts. How else could his routine work? For this, few vehicles are better suited than Nissan's new NV van. It certainly isn't pretty, but its cargo box is properly cavernous, with 323.1 cubic feet of capacity in "high-roof" versions. Vertical flanks make installing shelves mere child's play, so the NV can carry hundreds of neatly stowed parcels. With the optional 5.6-liter 317-horsepower V8 engine, a pair of comfy seats and the optional navigation system turned on, Santa's logistical support team is in business.

2013 Nissan NV Cargo

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The Porsche Cayenne GTS handles twisty roads like no other vehicle with the word "utility" punched on its ID card. Under the hood is a 4.8-liter V8 engine that produces 420 horsepower and whisks the Cayenne to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds. Huge 14.7 inch disc brakes with 6-piston calipers up front and 4-piston units in the rear erase speed even quicker. It's a capable carrier, too, with 62.9 cubic feet of maximum cargo volume and a payload of 1,664 pounds. The GTS will even tow up to 7,716 pounds — should Santa need to slip a boat under some lucky kid's tree.

2012 Porsche Cayenne

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To safely link hard-to-reach delivery spots, Santa cannot find a better steed than Subaru's pioneering crossover wagon. The Outback has grown and become more versatile in its latest redesign, and provides 71.3 cubic feet of cargo space once the second-row seatback is folded flat. And with all-wheel drive, plus an impressive 8.7 inches of ground clearance, you can take stuff anywhere short of the Rubicon Trail. The standard 2.5-liter 170-horsepower engine and optional continuously variable transmission get a commendable 24 mpg city/30 mpg highway. It is the total package.

2013 Subaru Outback

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In quiet neighborhoods, Santa wants to be as stealthy and silent as possible. For this, the vehicle of choice is the Toyota Prius V, a hybrid-powered compact wagon that runs whisper-soft on electric power at lower speeds. Fuel-economy ratings of 44 mpg city/40 mpg highway are not as exceptional as that of the regular Prius hatchback, but the V's 67.3 cubic feet of cargo capacity is almost double that of its sibling and four times that of a Toyota Camry Hybrid. The trick is a hybrid battery pack that is laid flat and a folding rear seatback.

2013 Toyota Prius V

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When he needs the utmost in carrying capacity and the unmatched ability and stability of all-wheel drive, Santa hops into the only production minivan you can currently get with 4-wheel drive. The Toyota Sienna AWD can comfortably carry up to seven passengers, or provide 150 cubic feet of cargo space with the second-row seats folded and the third-row perches tucked away under the floor. The Sienna is powered by a smooth, muscular and surprisingly frugal 3.5-liter 266-horsepower V6 engine, matched with a smooth 6-speed automatic transmission.

2013 Toyota Sienna

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For pinpoint deliveries to far-flung homesteads where range is critical, the diesel-powered VW Jetta SportWagen TDI is hard to beat. With a highway rating of 42 mpg, it goes more than 600 miles on its 14.9 gallon tank. The key is a 2.0-liter direct-injection turbodiesel 4-cylinder engine that develops 236 lb-ft of torque as low as 1750 rpm. With the second-row seatback folded, Santa also gets 66.9 cubic feet to fill with gifts up to a half-ton (996 pounds) of total payload. The fact that this sleek little wagon is just sweet to drive at all times only widens his legendary smile.

2013 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen

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A professional auto journalist for more than 25 years and the founding editor of Sympatico / MSN Autos, Marc Lachapelle is a two-time winner of the Canadian Journalist of the Year award from the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, an accomplished photographer and licensed racer.