If getting there is half the fun, then not all road-trip vehicles are created equal.

Maybe you like vans. Cruising bikes. Convertibles. Or even Antarctic Blue station wagons.

There’s really no right or wrong way for the masses. There’s only the right or wrong way for you.

Do you want to feel the wind blow? Do you want to keep the entire family safe and together? Or, do you want to chill in the back of the VW bus?

Very prestigious medals are at stake in the OnAllCylinders Winter Games. And only you can decide which vehicles will earn them.

None of our Cross-Country (Best Road Trip) vehicles can keep up with that girl in the Ferrari. But if you make the right choice, maybe she’ll hit the brakes just for you.

The Contenders

Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser

Oldsmobile vista cruiser station wagon 2ith 350 v8
(Image/OnAllCylinders)

The Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser earned a new legion of fans when Eric Forman started driving his friends around in one as part of That ‘70s Show.

The Vista Cruiser was produced by General Motors from 1964-1977, and was about one thing—hauling lots of people and things.

In style?

That’s for you to decide.

Cadillac Eldorado

brown cadillac eldorado convertible
(Image/OnAllCylinders)

With a drop top, of course.

We’re not messing around. This two-door luxury machine turned heads every day of its existence, beginning with its first appearance in 1953.

Pick any year of the Cadillac Eldorado you want! To prove we have exquisite taste, we’re rolling with one from the last heydey of the classic convertible era of the 1970s

Christy Brinkley (the 1983 version) may just pull over for that one.

Volkswagen Bus

VW Microbus Scottsdale
(Image/OnAllCylinders – Gioia Kurpik)

You don’t need to ingest a bunch of psychedelic substances or be a wannabe musician on your way to San Francisco to appreciate the unique beauty of this party wagon, err… cross-country vehicle.

The rear-engine classic from Volkswagen was first introduced in 1950 and became iconic during the counterculture movement of the 1960s.

We guess you can pick something silly like a 1990s Eurovan version if you really want. You know? Where they put the engine in the front.

But we’ll judge you. We’ll point and judge and think you make bad choices.

But we’ll do it privately because we don’t want to make you feel bad.

Touring Motorcycle/Adventure Bike

BMW and KLR Motorcycles in parking lot
(Image/OnAllCylinders)

Maybe you like riding solo.

Maybe you like having somebody sit right behind you.

Maybe you only like two-wheeled vehicles.

Doesn’t matter.

For instance the Goldwing is a Honda motorcycle that’s been a mainstay on highways worldwide since they started coming out of Honda factories back in the 1970s.

We consider it the iconic cross-country motorcycle, and if riding is your thing, it would seem the obvious choice over the other contenders.

But you tell us, please.

Chevrolet Suburban

side quarter shot of a customized 1952 chevy suburban carryall
(Image/Summit Racing)

Really, any reliable SUV will do. But we settled on the venerable Chevy Suburban which is the longest continuous use vehicle nameplate in existence. The Suburban was first introduced in 1933.

And it’s never not been awesome.

Whether you’re hot-rodding in a classic, or cruising in the luxury of a brand new war wagon, the Suburban delivers style AND space unlike any other vehicle on the road.

They’re like vans. Only they look awesome and take advantage of a truck chassis to drive over mountains.

If we had unlimited money, we’d have one from every generation.

Vote for your gold medal winner in the comments below!

Author: Matt Griswold

After a 10-year newspaper journalism career, Matt Griswold spent another decade writing about the automotive aftermarket and motorsports. He was part of the original OnAllCylinders editorial team when it launched in 2012.