Covering long distances on the road can be an exciting experience when done in a great car. In 2024, a few cars will be particularly known for their exceptional comfort, unparalleled ride quality, innovative features, excellent reliability, and performance you can count on— these will make great choices as touring cars for those long journeys you are planning this year. Choosing the best touring car for long distances can be done based on the parameters of the price bracket and then further choosing the best option for the purpose. Here we provide an in-depth look at the top cars under 30 lakhs for long-distance road trips in 2024.
Maruti Ertiga
The Maruti Ertiga has been present in the Indian car market for the last 13 years. It has been the go-to choice for buyers seeking the best car for comfort and space and also providing the best value for money.
Comfort and Space: Its suspensions are softly sprung and tuned for comfort on long-distance road trips. These suspensions provide a very cushiony ride. The seats in the car have great under-thigh support and very nice bolstering. With its spacious and flexible interiors, the Ertiga can comfortably seat seven passengers with all the adjustments in hand for adjusting the seats by sliding back and forth, making it ideal for families or groups during long-distance touring. The 3rd row of seats in this car is handy, even for adults.
A large number of cubby holes and storage spaces are carved out nicely, and large cupholders and a temperature-controlled cup holder in the front make it versatile for touring purposes.
It has decent boot space and is further expandable by folding the 3rd row.
Performance: The Ertiga has a tried and tested 1.5 liter petrol engine. It is an utterly reliable engine that offers good fuel efficiency, upwards of 20 km/L in petrol and 26 km/kg in the CNG variant, which is a crucial factor for long trips.
Features:
Some of the important features Ertiga comes equipped with are:
Dynamic Chrome Winged Front Grille, Auto Headlamps with Follow Me Home/Lead me to Vehicle Feature, 17.78cm SmartPlay Studio and SmartPlay Pro Touch Screen Infotainment System, Quad Airbags, Suzuki Connect, Machined Two-tone Alloy Wheels, Plush Dual-Tone Seat Fabric, 6-Speed AT with Paddle Shifters, Steering Mounted Audio Controls, Suzuki Heartect Platform, Electrically Foldable ORVMs, 2nd Row Roof Mounted AC with 3 Stage Speed Control.
TATA Safari
The Tata Safari has been a tough-built body-on-frame SUV and used to be considered a great touring car. The all-new TATA Safari is no exception. However, this new Safari is a full monocoque construction, it comes with some solid benefits as well.
Space: The Safari comes fitted with a proper front facing 3rd row of seats, which makes it much more versatile in this segment. Space and comfort are great in this SUV with its monocoque chassis showing its capability to carve out space along with excellent ground clearance.
Storage spaces in this car are plentiful, and the cup holders are deep enough to hold large bottles.
Safari also boasts a good boot space capacity and is further expandable by tumbling the 3rd row flat.
Ruggedness and tough build: This car is built on the D8 OmegaArc platform from the house of Land Rover. This is a great platform and can take some solid beatings.
Tackling the bad Indian roads and highway undulations is a piece of cake for this vehicle, owing to its chassis and suspensions. For people looking for a car for long-distance road trips to some off-beat and remote areas in India, this is a great option.
Engine and Features: TATA’s Safari has a 2.0L diesel engine sourced from FCA. This engine has been doing its duties for a long time and is very reliable. It has enough grunt and reliability at your feet and is great for a touring machine.
It comes feature-loaded from the factory itself. Some of the most useful features for a vehicle being considered for a long-distance road trip are seat ventilation on all four seats, captain seats for the 2nd row, and a boss mode with a recline function.
Toyota Innova Crysta/Hycross
In India, the name ‘Innova’ is enough to portray an image of roads vanishing in the horizon in the rearview mirrors, a road trip, a mountain journey, and a comfortable, no-nonsense vehicle.
This car has been in business for almost two decades now. It has been the first choice for people looking for a mile-munching long-distance touring car since its inception. This car has been presented with many different engine and gearbox options as standard through the years, but one thing that has remained unchanged is the reliability of the package provided by Toyota.
Comfort and Ride: The ride quality of the Innova has been a key factor in its sale, especially the body on the frame of the Innova Crysta. The suspensions are probably one of the best on the market, and the chassis is similar to the one used in the Hilux pickup trucks. This provides great comfort, and it rides even on the worst roads in our country.
There are no issues related to storage spaces, as this car has a decent glove box and a center armrest with a cooled storage box. Cup holders are also plentiful in this car.
Efficiency: The new Innova Hycross is available as a Strong-Hybrid option, which has great fuel economy in the city and can cover more than 1200 km on a single full tank of petrol.
Conclusion
Selecting an appropriate car for a long journey is not just looking at fuel efficiency and reliability. There are four primary factors: comfort, space, performance, and features. The Maruti Ertiga, TATA Safari, and Toyota Innova Crysta/Hycross each offer distinct benefits that make them a good choice in 2024, whether you are traveling with family members or seeking adventure, these vehicles have your needs covered. For those who are simply looking to relax on their journey while enjoying all the bells and whistles available onboard a vehicle such as this one, it will certainly be memorable.
