<Caption>Although it can convey an aura of luxury, the seven-passenger Hyundai Veracruz proved to be the perfect travel mate for a rowdy and spontaneous, mountain road trip. </Caption>
A road trip is a uniquely American adventure in which the focus of travel isn't your destination, but the unscripted experiences you encounter along the way.
Like the co-travelers who huddle around you in the cabin, the vehicle you drive becomes a defining participant of a road trip. It is a companion, and its character contributes a lot to all the rollicking high jinks you enjoy.
My latest overland adventure wrapped up about one week ago. A Hyundai Veracruz wagon carried five of us, well-fed adults each with a lot of gear, over some of the most striking terrain you'll encounter anywhere. From the California coast we drove east over the rugged Sierra Nevada Mountains, pushing through Yosemite to low Mono Lake near the state's parched eastern border, and back.
The Veracruz worked out to be more than just a companion. It was the chief instigator — the ringleader, let's call it. The vehicle performed so flawlessly, and accommodated us so comfortably, that it turned what might have been a grueling slog into a high-spirited joy ride. Each of us laughed so heartily at so many slap-jack cracks, and we gaped awestuck at so much stunning scenery, that our longest, full-day drive passed in a blink of merriment.
I stayed at the steering wheel through each of that day's 375 miles, contending with an astounding variety of driving situations: creeping National Park tour, in-town hunt and scurry, freeway dash, treacherously twisting, steep mountain crossing. I never felt the smallest twinge of discomfort, fatigue, or sleepiness.
I'd say I enjoyed the driving, but the truth is that I was so wrapped up in the conversation and the sight-seeing that often I scarcely noticed I was driving. I remained so comfortable, so relaxed and engaged, that I didn't appreciate the magnitude of the Veracruz's contribution until its work was ended. "That car is amazing," I said upon reflection.
The Hyundai Veracruz is a seven-passenger crossover sport-utility vehicle available in front- and all-wheel drive. Consider it a family wagon. Mario Verissimo, a sales manager at Salem Ford Hyundai in Salem, N.H., affirms that most Veracruz buyers use it for family transport.
A 2008 Veracruz lists at $27,595 for a front-drive model. All-wheel drive adds $1,700. A top-line, Veracruz Limited with all-wheel traction carries a sticker price of $36,445.
All versions come with a 260-horsepower, 3.8-liter V6 engine and a six-speed automatic transmission. Standard features even on the base model include 17-inch tires on aluminum alloy wheels, advanced antilock brakes, side-curtain airbags (bringing the airbag total to six), electronic stability control and traction control, air conditioning, remote locking, a trip computer and outside thermometer, a six-speaker multi-input audio system and more.
"You get a lot for your money," said Verissimo. One reason buyers select the Veracruz is value, he stated. Features like three-row, side-curtain airbags are extra-cost options on some competing models.
Shoppers most often gauge Veracruz against middle-market, midsize crossover wagons like the Toyota Highlander, Verissimo said. But the upscale features available in the vehicle also bring comparisons to models in the luxury class, including the Lexus RX 350, which starts above $37,000.
Veracruz is handsomely styled, combining an aggressive forward slant with elegantly sinuous lines that remain distinctive even among upper-crust cars. My test model, colored "liquid silver," sat as comfortably in the tidy, tony neighborhood of the J. Lohr Winery in San Jose, Calif., as it had on the towering mountain peaks earlier in the trip.
It's also worth noting that Veracruz appears well finished, with quality materials and careful workmanship. One of my companions picked up on that quality spontaneously, admiring the cocoa-brown, leather upholstery on the seats of our test model.
Those seats provided remarkable comfort when you consider that we five adults weren't able to spread out much. We kept the rear, third-row seat remained folded flat so the back cargo deck could carry our backpacks and travel bags — the road trip was ancillary to a weeklong backpack through southern Yosemite. My wife rode in the front passenger seat, while her brother Bill, and friends Tom and Larry stayed three abreast behind us. Tom, an easy 6 feet 4 inches, said he appreciated the ample leg room. Bill noted that even the center rear seat was nicely contoured — not humped — enabling him to ride comfortably in the middle.
The Veracruz cabin was quiet, encouraging relaxed and continuous conversation. The vehicle was well powered, negotiating traffic with enough ease to keep everyone calm and unconcerned. The navigation system, a $1,750 option on Limited versions, was the only feature of the vehicle that interrupted us. We relied on it extensively to find our way. Whenever we missed a turn, when a lady's voice announced "recalculating route," we joked that Mabel, as we named our talking dashboard, was getting ready to scold us. She never did.
Once or twice while ascending the impossibly steep switchbacks to the Sonora Pass on California's Highway 108, the vehicle's automatic transmission seemed hopelessly confused as it hunted for the appropriate gear. But such conditions will confuse any auto-tran. The Veracruz's six-speed allows manual gear selection, so during the descent, which was easily as treacherous as the climb, I locked the transmission into second gear for greater control. Even then I cooked the brakes and had to pull off once to let them cool.
But the descent from the Sonora Pass will max-out any car's brakes. In our case, with five adults and a cart-load of gear, the Veracruz faced a tougher test than most other vehicles encounter. To say that the Veracruz passed is saying too little. It made our trip a memorable adventure.
