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8 hour roadtrip from Utah to Flagstaff, with a day trip to the Grand Canyon in March. Which car would you take?

Also driving by Horseshoe Bend and there's a stretch of Route 66 nearby for photographic opportunities

Wife going along?

It would make sense to take the Miata, unless there's more than 1 passenger.

Quote from: shp4man on February 23, 2021, 09:28:33 AM
Wife going along?

Yes, 2 people in the car.

3 day trip. (drive to Flagstaff, see the Grand Canyon, drive home)

Miata I guess?  Even though it's tiny and loud, at least you have Android Auto and a compliant ride?

Quote from: MrH on February 23, 2021, 09:52:43 AM
Miata I guess?  Even though it's tiny and loud, at least you have Android Auto and a compliant ride?

No Android Auto in mine since it's a 2016 and hasn't been upgraded. Although I could probably install it myself before the trip.

Quote from: CaminoRacer on February 23, 2021, 09:56:09 AM
No Android Auto in mine since it's a 2016 and hasn't been upgraded. Although I could probably install it myself before the trip.

I think it's relatively cheap.  You need to buy new USB ports that can run more amps, then update the software.

- Miata is tiny and loud, with some modern creature comforts (A/C, bluetooth, reliability)
- El Camino is big and loud, with more space for luggage (way too much space for a 3 day trip :lol:), no A/C but that shouldn't be a problem in March, slightly less reliability but also easy for me to fix so not too worried about that. Good stereo/subwoofer with an aux cord & USB stick. Classic car looks to fit in with Route 66.
- Mazda6 is big & quiet, plenty of space, but lacking the fun factor.

Quote from: CaminoRacer on February 23, 2021, 09:12:15 AM
8 hour roadtrip from Utah to Flagstaff, with a day trip to the Grand Canyon in March. Which car would you take?

Also driving by Horseshoe Bend and there's a stretch of Route 66 nearby for photographic opportunities

you're familiar with the saying "happy wife equals happy life"  :lol:

I wouldn't take the El Camino.  It's an old car and if it breaks, yeah,  you could fix it, but it might make your 3 day trip a disaster.  Personally I'd ask my significant other if she would rather take the Miata or Mazda 6 and just go with that.  If she thinks about it before answering you, convince her to take the Miata.  If she says Mazda without batting an eye, I'd go with that. 

Can't enjoy the Miata if your significant other sitting one foot from you is bitching about the noise, lack of space, etc.  Also you have to take it from the passenger point of view.  The enjoyment of "driving" the Miata may be different than the enjoyment of being a passenger in the Miata for 3 long driving days. At least for me, I find big cars more comfortable and a better experience than small cars for long trips. Quieter and smoother. 

How reliable is your Mazda 6?

Quote from: FoMoJo on February 23, 2021, 10:53:05 AM
How reliable is your Mazda 6?

Mostly reliable. Only issues that have made it not-driveable were starter/alternator/battery related 2 years ago and it's been fine since then.

El Camino is also pretty dang reliable and it's driven across the country numerous times. Except for when the engine blew up outside of Moab and I had to rent a U-haul + trailer to haul it back to Kentucky :lol:

Oh, and the Bolt is a no-go because there's a stretch of highway from Kanab to Flagstaff that would require us to drive at 50 mph or less to have enough range. One of the few road trips we've looked into that doesn't have enough chargers along the route. The hotel in Flagstaff  even has a charger but they really need to install one in Page, AZ. There's a Tesla Supercharger but not a regular level 3 charger for non-Teslas

Take the El Camino. My advice.

I take the El Camino, wife drives the Miata? Cannonball race to the Grand Canyon?

Just don't do a Tiger Woods. :huh:

If you're willing to venture another 100 or so miles south, you can also hit up the Roosevelt Dam and Apache Trail.

Since it's not too hot take the Chevy!

Do you want to enjoy the drive or do you want to enjoy the trip? I would ask your wife which car she would rather ride in. If you do that you are more likely to enjoy the trip.

With that said, I don't know that you will run into many twisty roads on this trip so it isn't ideally suited for the Miata but the Miata is going to be fun on almost any road. The power of the El Camino would be nice and there is a lot of road to open it up on.

Miata.

It's a shame the El Camino's new 5 speed transmission won't arrive in time to swap it before the trip. It'll be a highway beast with an overdrive gear.

Will it be warm enough for the top to be down?

Quote from: r0tor on February 25, 2021, 07:03:28 PM
Will it be warm enough for the top to be down?

Nope... A winter storm will be rolling through on Friday. So we'll have to take the Mazda6. At least it has new tires (Continental DWS06+)

Had to drive through highway 20 in Utah right when a couple of inches came down. I passed multiple people who couldn't get up or had to stop and put chains on, but the Mazda6 and Conti DWS trucked right up with no traction problems.

On the way to Flagstaff from the Grand Canyon tonight, I-40 was closed westbound, presumably due to crashes, and there was a 10+ mile backup. Luckily we were going east. The road was still covered in snow but we could go 40-45 mph with no issues. (Might have been able to go faster, but I didn't want to push it)

Continental DWS06+ tires are fantastic all-seasons.

When I had my Hyundai Sonata I loved my Continental DWS tires on them.  Great in the wet.