What are some good "adventure cars"?

[Lardtazium]

Hi all. I currently drive a 2012 corolla. Good commuter, but it's super uncomfortable to sleep in and any roads rougher than gravel really get me second guessing my decision.

I'm considering getting a more adventure-friendly car. Something I can live in/out of for weeks and not hate myself. Think sprinter van, but a bit more fuel efficient and more maneuverable.

Ideally, this car would:
Have enough space in the back for 2 people to pull a jeep-sleep on inflatable pads. Maybe even have enough room in the back to fit a twin mattress. Also, it'd be nice if the rear seats lay down completely flat like an outback, an there's no gap between the two passenger seats.

4wd preferably

Enough storage room for clothing, cooking supplies, camp chairs, solar panels, etc. Could be supplemented by a roof rack

High clearance.

decently comfy to drive long distance (i've taken the corolla on road trips, so not super picky).

Also, I'm not sure if this is just something inherent to sleeping in a trunk or if it's just an issue with highlanders. Sometimes I can steal my parent's highlander for a weekend. It's definitely better to sleep in, but wheel well really gets in the way and my butt gets smushed into it as I roll around. Issue with the car or issue with all cars?

Cars I've considered are: Outback (bit narrow to sleep two people) and 4runner (rear seats don't seem to lay completely flat; gap between two passenger seats). Also thought about a tacoma with a truckbed cover, and then sleeping in the truckbed. But I'm not too familiar with trucks and I don't know if you can access the main cabin from the truckbed or if you need to exit the car to do that. You'll notice I don't have a lot of car knowledge, which is why I'm coming here.

[ezabielski]

The Outback has got to be the most well rounded adventure car, hands down. I've slept two in the back many times. It easily fits a lot of gear. It doesn't drive like a large SUV. It gets really good gas mileage for an AWD car. And the list of 14er trailheads that an Outback can't reach (or maybe get pretty close to) is actually not that long.

There are also many threads on this topic if you just give it a search.

[AlexeyD]

Well, I would say Forester, but if you think the Outback is too short to sleep in, that probably won't work for you. On all other counts, though, it's a very good (and fairly economical) choice.

[Lardtazium]

The Outback has got to be the most well rounded adventure car, hands down. I've slept two in the back many times. It easily fits a lot of gear. It doesn't drive like a large SUV. It gets really good gas mileage for an AWD car. And the list of 14er trailheads that an Outback can't reach (or maybe get pretty close to) is actually not that long.

There are also many threads on this topic if you just give it a search.

What's the search term? 14ers won't return any search for "car" because it's too common.

[Lardtazium]

Well, I would say Forester, but if you think the Outback is too short to sleep in, that probably won't work for you. On all other counts, though, it's a very good (and fairly economical) choice.

I don't mean the outback is too short, I just mean the back is a bit too narrow to sleep two people on their backs comfortably. I did it once and we were squeezed shoulder to shoulder.

[jfm3]

I think the Subaru wagons in general are tough to beat. I drive a '92 Loyale wagon with 258,000 miles on it and it is still a beast in the mountains. Not a ton of clearance, but it is infallible in the snow and has ferried me across I-70 in death conditions more times than I can count. It's also a manual transmission and on the highway I routinely get 37+ mpg, even on hilly drives like Boulder -> Frisco, Leadville, Vail, etc. Plenty of room to sleep and haul gear too, and I don't even have a roof rack. I'm going to get a newer car this year and an Outback is on the top of the list. I don't know much about them, but the newer Toyota Rav4s look to be capable mountain vehicles. The mileage is probably not as great as a true wagon, though.

[Lardtazium]

What about a jeep wrangler? Or a cherokee?

[cardgenius]

I vote 3rd Gen 4Runner. I’m 6’ 1” and sleep in the back of mine all the time with no problem. Seek one out with low miles(120K) W/the bullet proof 3.4L and will run for another 100K at least. Has great clearance, 4x4 hi and low with locking diff. and there’s lots of aftermarket parts to lift it and beef up the suspension.

[GregMiller]

We picked up an access cab long bed Tacoma and put a shell on the back, and we’ve been quite happy sleeping in the bed. It gets us to most places we’ve wanted to get to. Admittedly, we keep a ~6” thick foam mattress in the back for sleeping on that is practically palatial for trailhead camping. You are correct, besides the tiny sliding window on the back of the truck cab, there is no access from the bed to the front, but that really hasn’t been a problem for us. We have a shelf in the front of the bed so we can keep all our clothing/gear for the morning in with us, and everything else is either waterproof (and spends the night outside) or gets moved up to the front seats. We got the 4 cylinder version since we don’t plan on towing much, and have been quite happy with it.

[ezabielski]

What about a jeep wrangler? Or a cherokee?

Both are vastly more capable than a Subaru. But sleeping in the back of a 4 door Wrangler isn't going to work if you're taller than 5'6" or so. Sleeping in the back of a Cherokee just isn't going to happen.

[Lardtazium]

We picked up an access cab long bed Tacoma and put a shell on the back, and we’ve been quite happy sleeping in the bed. It gets us to most places we’ve wanted to get to. Admittedly, we keep a ~6” thick foam mattress in the back for sleeping on that is practically palatial for trailhead camping. You are correct, besides the tiny sliding window on the back of the truck cab, there is no access from the bed to the front, but that really hasn’t been a problem for us. We have a shelf in the front of the bed so we can keep all our clothing/gear for the morning in with us, and everything else is either waterproof (and spends the night outside) or gets moved up to the front seats. We got the 4 cylinder version since we don’t plan on towing much, and have been quite happy with it.

Any comments on the Tacoma's long distance driving comfort? I've seen "complaints" that it's not a good road trip car. Would it be comfy to drive 2 back to back 10 hour days in it?

[SolarAlex]

road tripping in a tacoma....if you're in the front its fine. couldn't speak to the backseat since i don't sit there but from what my friends say, its a little tight back there.