When you are travelling far and wide, you expect your car will be able to take you from A to B without any problems. Whether you’re commuting to work or taking the road towards your next family holiday, Honda has been known for years as a reliable brand with rarely a fault or mechanical issue. These cars offer everything you need to make your journey comfortable and stress-free. We’ve summarised all of the reasons why you should consider a Honda for your next car if you’re thinking of travelling often for work or leisure.
What should you take into consideration when choosing a car for long road trips?
Anyone who has been on a long road trip or needs to commute quite far for work will understand that the need for a comfortable car is paramount. Spending what could potentially be hours on the road validates the need for a spacious vehicle that can cater to all of your needs whilst on the road. There are a number of things that we think you should consider if you’re choosing a car for long journeys:
Entertainment system
What’s a car journey without music? Finding a car with a great entertainment system helps the journey fly by quicker and it may also provide you with a sat nav (which is great if you’re not sure where you’re going!). With most infotainment systems in Honda vehicles evolving naturally with the needs and requirements of drivers, they can provide an array of features to help your journey run smoothly - touchscreen displays make it nice and easy to swap between or display features without the need for complicated manoeuvering and swapping between devices. These infotainment systems offer connections to your mobile device, with software such as Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, simplifying the process even more. Some other features of the infotainment system can include:
- Voice recognition - hands-free driving is the much safer option when you need to make a call or adjust settings on the system.
- Navigation - if you’re not sure where to go, the built-in sat nav is easy to use and displays your journey in a clear and concise manner, that’s easy to follow.
- In-car functions - many infotainment systems offer a range of functions that allow you to fully customise your car - for example, you may have interior lighting that you can change the colour of, or a customisable digital cluster.
- Camera systems - to help with reversing and parking, many cars include a rear camera to give you a visual idea of where you are parking, so you can do so safely and effectively.
- Audio playback - probably one of the most important parts of the infotainment system is the audio playback, which can give you access to the radio, Bluetooth connections and USB drives
Advanced safety features
One of the most important parts of a long car journey is knowing that you’re driving as safely as possible, with minimised risk of accidents. Ensuring that your car is kitted out with some of the latest safety features can give you peace of mind that you are doing everything you can to remain safe. Some of Honda’s safety features include:
- Adaptive Cruise Control - whilst cruise control is a feature typically used for motorway driving, Honda’s Adaptive Cruise Control allows you to set your desired speed, but also allows you to keep a desired distance away from the car in front of you. This has the added benefit of usage for lighter traffic as well.
- Collision Mitigation Braking System- this system calculates the distance and closing speed of objects ahead and if it deems the situation to be heading towards a crash, visual and auditory warnings appear to the driver and if they don’t react quickly enough, the system applies light breaking to reduce the speed. If it determines that a crash is imminent and unavoidable, it will apply harsher brakes to reduce the impact of the collision.
- Forward Collision Warning- should the driver be distracted, the system will warn you of imminent danger ahead. Similar to the CMBS above, it provides visual and auditory warning if it calculates that the object ahead is approaching quickly.
- Lane Keeping Assist System- this system aids the driver in maintaining their lane. If the system determines that you are not keeping to your lane, it will provide gentle torque to the wheel to discourage drifting (it will not steer for you). If you haven’t steered for some time, the system will provide a message to encourage the driver to steer.
- Road Departure Mitigation- this system is designed to identify lane markers, such as cat eyes and painted lane lines. The system detects if the vehicle is likely to leave a marked lane and provides visual and auditory warnings. If the driver does not react in time, slight torque will be applied and if this assistance doesn’t suffice it will apply a brake.
Interior space
The need for space on a long road trip is vital so that you don’t feel squashed and unable to move. When you are travelling far with family, you need to have enough room for them and for all of your luggage or cargo. Purchasing a vehicle that not only offers large storage options, but also has seating which is versatile and can be manoeuvered however you need it to be, will give you plenty of options when going on a long road trip.
Charging ports
A more modern standard, but probably another important one! To keep the kids entertained, it’s always useful to have charging ports so that there’s no issues with anything running out of charge! This could be important for the driver to, especially if you're using your device to play music and/or provide the navigation.
Fuel efficiency
Most Honda cars are renowned for providing excellent fuel efficiency when it comes to long journeys. When you’re travelling far, the last thing you want to be worried about is how much fuel is going to cost each time you travel. With the introduction of petrol hybrid and electric vehicles, cars are becoming slightly cheaper to run - hybrid cars alone use up to 30% less fuel per mile than your typical petrol vehicles. Electric charging is also known to be a much cheaper option than refueling - as little as 3p per mile when charging at home, 14p per mile on lamppost charging and 18p per mile on a public charger. Honda vehicles alone offer some of the best fuel efficiency, with the Honda CR-V petrol hybrid offering the most fuel efficiency.
Which Honda models are best for long road trips?
Now that we’ve discussed what you should look for in a car for long road trips, let’s take a look at some Honda models that are ideal for long distance:
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic is an ideal commuter car, as it’s reliable, comfortable and ideal if you’re travelling light. Whilst the Honda Civic is ideal for commuting to work, you may need something more spacious for a long, family road trip as this model is quite compact. That doesn’t mean it’s out of the running - one of the main benefits of the Civic is its fuel efficiency. According to results produced by the WLTP testing procedures, the Honda Civic can achieve around 56.6mpg which is a similar statistic to the 2.0-litre Toyota Corolla (depending on where and how the car is driven).
Of course, it wouldn’t be a road trip without some entertainment - the Civic’s infotainment system offers touchscreen display, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and the all-important USB ports for charging. The car offers driver comforts as well, such as ambient lighting, automatic climate control and privacy glass. Whilst the Civic doesn’t offer copious amounts of space, it is ideal for individuals or small families that are on the road often. Take a look at the range of new electric Honda Civic vehicles.
Honda HR-V
On a similar footing to the CR-V, the Honda HR-V offers space and reliability for those needing to travel far. Performance of this vehicle is ideal for long trips, as the car comes equipped with 3 drive modes; eco, normal and sport. This can help you to find the perfect driving experience that is tailored to how you like to drive. The four-wheel-drive system means that the HR-V can withstand tough driving conditions, such as wet and slippery conditions. The vehicle's Econ mode is perfect for reducing fuel consumption on long journeys and works by limiting acceleration to improve fuel economy.
The interior of the car offers space and comfort, with a built-in luggage area under floor storage box and cargo net hooks to prevent luggage from moving or falling onto rear passengers. For smaller families, the Honda Magic Seats provide ample storage solutions for a variety of luggage or other possessions and work by folding like a cinema seat - this creates a flat platform to allow for extra room and cargo space. It can also be folded upwards to make room for taller items. The built-in roof rack allows for even more storage space for larger families. Take a look at the range of new Honda HR-V cars.
Honda CR-V
If you’re looking for a larger car to fit a bigger family, then the Honda CR-V may be the option for you. Offering much more room than the Civic, it allows you to not only carry a bigger family, but it also allows you to carry more cargo - luggage, supplies or other personal items. All features of the CR-V are tailored to your comfort throughout your journey and some include heated front seats, automatic dimming rear view mirror, privacy glass and rear passenger air vents. The CR-V isn’t frugal with the safety features - lane keep assist system, forward collision warning, speed limiter, adaptive cruise control and more to help keep you safe on your long journey.
Although the style of the interior of the CR-V is quite minimalistic, it more than makes up for this with the amount of space you have in the car. This is paramount to the comfort of you and your family to ensure that you get from A to B with little issue. This car is perfect for those who prioritise safety and comfort on their long drives. Take a look at the used Honda hybrid CR-V or a new Honda hybrid CR-V
Find the perfect Honda for your next road trip
Comfort and safety are a high priority when taking a long trip, especially when your family are part of the journey too. Honda are renowned for their excellent safety features and unique storage solutions and are a good contender in the search for a long-distance or family car. Browse through our used Honda vehicles today to find your perfect used car deal or if you’d really like to treat yourself, take a look at our range of new Honda cars. If you’re unsure what you're looking for or would like more information about one of the vehicles you see on our website, don’t hesitate to get in touch with one of our team and we’d be happy to help you.