[boringcar]

We are planning a trip from So Cal to Yellowstone and Glacier NP this summer. We have a large 4wd SUV, but the Honda would be much more economical just more cramped. I would love to get input from the forum especially those who have made such a trip (I'm looking at you @PetitFrereAccord).

This is mainly about preparing and using the HAH for the trip, but lodging / itinerary recommendations are welcome as well.

2024 HAH EX-L, pretty much stock (including sucky factory Hankook tires) except 35% ceramic tint and F/R dash cams.

I figure around 3000-3500 miles round trip
Basically 4 adults

I feel the trunk should have enough room for baggage and other items. Any strategic packing advice? (would like to avoid having baggage in the back seats if possible)

I have a real spare tire, jack and wrench.

Any recommended gear/tools/other stuff to bring? Will have a jump starter, jumper cables, hand tools, DMM, OBD scanner, GPS, paper maps, etc

I am thinking about picking up a small 12V fridge to have in the trunk or back seat (something like the Indel TB15 would be perfect I think).

Any other thoughts/advice?

 

[Hudouc]

Bad comparisons here, but I have driven very long distance to both of those parks in my 8th gen and a Sienna. It really depends on where you want to go in the park. Many places in Glacier would benefit significantly in a large SUV ideally with body on frame construction. A lot of those roads beyond going to the sun road are gravel only with very large potholes that would shake a sedan apart and eat your underbody (especially with 4 adults). My parents went to Glacier without me last year with their "new" GX460 and apparently it didn't even faze it in the slightest.

 

[Slagmi]

Tough decision! Anytime we have ever taken the smaller vehicle we've regretted it at some point. But maybe 50% savings in fuel $$? Running the A/C all the time will surely eat into that savings a lot. The trunk seems big enough. Barely. What model is the SUV?

 

[boringcar]

It's a Toyota Land Cruiser. It would certainly be my preference, but it gets 15-17 MPG. I figure the Honda would get high 30s or maybe low 40s loaded down. It would be at least $500 in fuel cost difference.

 

[Bimmer74]

I drove my brand-new '23 HAH from Wisconsin to California last summer.

It's an ideal road-trip car: quiet and smooth and spacious.

Depending on the vintage of your Land Cruiser, it's probably noisier, the back seat is probably tighter, and it surely won't ride as smoothly on the interstate (or handle as well on curvy roads).

I've never been to Glacier, but I used to live in Billings, and I went to Yellowstone a half-dozen times, usually in our Impreza: No problem.

Packing: The trunk is huge, oddly shaped and the opening is small, so encourage everybody to bring soft duffel bags that you can mash a bit.

 

[boringcar]

Forgot to mention I would want to get some more highway friendly tires on the cruiser if we went that route, so add another $1200 or so. It's newer so plenty comfortable, I would almost say more comfortable except the slight lack of headroom.

If it was just two of us I would say the Honda would be a fairly easy decision, but add another two people, baggage, etc and it starts to get tight.

 

[Bimmer74]

If it was just two of us I would say the Honda would be a fairly easy decision, but add another two people, baggage, etc and it starts to get tight.

The back seat of the Accord is HUGE, and is only short on headroom for anybody taller than 6'1" or so.

So, unless your passengers are gynormous, or you're taking camping gear, I doubt that you're going to run out of space...

I just did the 5-hour drive to S.F. with four adults and their luggage in the car, and space was as non-issue, except for the one guy who is 6'3". We put him in the front passenger seat: problem solved.

 

[PetitFrereAccord]

These are my most recent last 2 vehicles. My 2012 Infiniti QX80. Very comfortable on road trips. I enjoyed it a lot more because of the amazing 4x4 adventures I had with it. I genuinely wish to buy one again someday. But this thing was a gas guzzler! 26 gallons tank but would give me only 350 miles to empty.

Here is my 2020 Honda Accord Hybrid base model. The car was excellent on gas. I loved having the base model. Exactly what I wanted. Sadly, the driver seat was the worst I have ever had in any vehicle. I was not comfortable on all my road trips. I had a tempur pedic pillow permanently on my seat. I do still have that same pillow now on the seat in my 2024, though the seat is a bit better than my 2020. My 2020 looked damn good to me, especially how I had it dressed up on every and all my road trips with my CB radio to communicate with truckers and listen to them talk. I drove my 2020 Accord across the whole US. All 49 US states! And half of Canada. On the highway, I would get 37 to 42 mpg going the speed limit. When I get to the city I am visiting, I hypermile and it is guaranteed over 55 mpg each time while in the city. Here are some beautiful pictures of my 2020 HAH. I miss the car. I wish I had a base model 2024. Too bad there is no base model Accord Hybrid anymore. I am just in for the gas mileage, and a base model comes with way too many accessories than I need. My 2024 EX-L comes with too many extras that I will never bother with.

And here I am getting into Glacier National Park with my 2020 HAH. When you go, make sure to visit the park one day starting from 5:30am. Get inside the park before Sunrise. You will love it!!! You will have views that cannot be replicated for life! It is like a whole different park altogether. Drive all the way on going-to-the-sun road up to Logan Pass (the top of the park), and enjoy this view in the second picture I took posted below.

 

[PetitFrereAccord]

To be honest, if saving money was not a problem for you guys, then the suv would be my first choice for the road trip. But if I was trying to make sure the trip was not going to be expensive, then I would go with the cheaper car to save on gas.

I have always owned 2 vehicles for a long time, but one has to be paid off. Too bad I have only one vehicle now, and I am still financing it, but it should be paid off in under 1.5 years instead of the 5 years that I took the loan for.

When it comes to road trips, I prioritize the cost of the trip. I need to save in any way possible so that the overall cost of the trip is affordable. That means I need a car that is very good on gas and I also need to find hotels that are affordable because when I am on vacation I spend very little time in the hotel room, so I do not want to pay for expensive rooms that I barely stay there. I spend most of my day outside exploring.

I love taking road trips. When I have one in mind, a lot of planning goes into it. I immediately start a Word document on my laptop and my phone with the title of the trip like; "First Road trip with my 2024 Accord to......" Then I start filling it up with the dates and activities. I start by figuring out exactly what is the best route and scenic route to all my destinations. Then I continue with what stops I will make. What cities I will sleep in. I start booking hotels immediately that offer 24-hour FREE cancelation before check-in.

I enjoy that a lot. I am excited when I am planning my trips. I bet you are excitedly planning this trip. I have not taken a long road trip with my 2024 Accord yet, but I am hoping I plan something out soon.

Share some pictures of your trip when you take it.

 

[boringcar]

Thanks all for the input so far.

@PetitFrereAccord nice pictures. I'm no stranger to road trips, just trying to decide if it's better to take the SUV or Accord. And if the Accord what should I do to prepare for it, if anything.

Inspired by your pictures, here are some of mine. First in CO in 2015 with my old Land Cruiser (people blurred out), and a couple on our way to the Maze District, Canyonlands NP.

 

[Dudley]

Take the Accord. Definitely don't need an SUV. These parks were built decades before the SUV fad. They don't get millions of visitors by being exclusive to certain vehicles. If an unmodified VW bus can do it, then so can an Accord. Just slow down for bumpy sections.

 

[LunarGod]

I'm a 10th and not 11th gen owner but thought I'd chime in. Unless your destinations have sections which have a lot of unpaved/off road areas where you can benefit from the clearance of an SUV, no real need to take it. I've road tripped my 10th gen Accord with 4 people a lot and I find it extremely spacious. It's meant to be a mid-size family sedan after all. It should honestly do great. $500 is a good amount to save.

 

[TheOriginalTwoTone]

Take the Accord. Definitely don't need an SUV. These parks were built decades before the SUV fad. They don't get millions of visitors by being exclusive to certain vehicles. If an unmodified VW bus can do it, then so can an Accord. Just slow down for bumpy sections.

Sound like someone that hasn't actually been to many.

 

[SHop]

Tough decision! Anytime we have ever taken the smaller vehicle we've regretted it at some point. But maybe 50% savings in fuel $$? Running the A/C all the time will surely eat into that savings a lot. The trunk seems big enough. Barely. What model is the SUV?

Running the A/C all the time will save more fuel than a window down. It's driving over 70 mph that is the killer. I have the '23 Touring with 8000 miles on it as experience.

 

[MartyV6]

Old thread but curious what OP has decided

For a family trip I would take our Pilot only for space and comfort. And the only real difference there is that 2nd row people could recline seats and sleep if they wanted, and they can't in the Accord. If it was just me driving and wife in front, Accord all the way. It's really smooth and fast on the highway, wife could recline seat to sleep, and it has plenty of space for luggage in trunk, plus the 2X fuel savings as noted

 

[E922]

Here is my 2020 Honda Accord Hybrid base model.

That 2020 Accord actually had a much nicer body style, imo. I enjoy driving my '24 EX-L but six months in, am still ambivalent about its looks.

Honda, why oh why???

 

[UKCATS]

These are my most recent last 2 vehicles. My 2012 Infiniti QX80. Very comfortable on road trips. I enjoyed it a lot more because of the amazing 4x4 adventures I had with it. I genuinely wish to buy one again someday. But this thing was a gas guzzler! 26 gallons tank but would give me only 350 miles to empty.

Here is my 2020 Honda Accord Hybrid base model. The car was excellent on gas. I loved having the base model. Exactly what I wanted. Sadly, the driver seat was the worst I have ever had in any vehicle. I was not comfortable on all my road trips. I had a tempur pedic pillow permanently on my seat. I do still have that same pillow now on the seat in my 2024, though the seat is a bit better than my 2020. My 2020 looked damn good to me, especially how I had it dressed up on every and all my road trips with my CB radio to communicate with truckers and listen to them talk. I drove my 2020 Accord across the whole US. All 49 US states! And half of Canada. On the highway, I would get 37 to 42 mpg going the speed limit. When I get to the city I am visiting, I hypermile and it is guaranteed over 55 mpg each time while in the city. Here are some beautiful pictures of my 2020 HAH. I miss the car. I wish I had a base model 2024. Too bad there is no base model Accord Hybrid anymore. I am just in for the gas mileage, and a base model comes with way too many accessories than I need. My 2024 EX-L comes with too many extras that I will never bother with.

And here I am getting into Glacier National Park with my 2020 HAH. When you go, make sure to visit the park one day starting from 5:30am. Get inside the park before Sunrise. You will love it!!! You will have views that cannot be replicated for life! It is like a whole different park altogether. Drive all the way on going-to-the-sun road up to Logan Pass (the top of the park), and enjoy this view in the second picture I took posted below.

Thanks all for the input so far.

@PetitFrereAccord nice pictures. I'm no stranger to road trips, just trying to decide if it's better to take the SUV or Accord. And if the Accord what should I do to prepare for it, if anything.

Inspired by your pictures, here are some of mine. First in CO in 2015 with my old Land Cruiser (people blurred out), and a couple on our way to the Maze District, Canyonlands NP. View attachment 556158 View attachment 556159 View attachment 556160

Your pics brought a smile to my face, just had to add last years pic of us on Imogene Pass, one of our favorite trails. We will be out there again this year.