These four cars are the ultimate outdoor adventure vehicles

Imagine waking up on a deserted beach and walking down to the ocean with the sun shining on your back. Here in New Zealand, you don’t have to pay a thousand bucks a night to have that experience – all you need is a good vehicle, a tent and some camping gear. 

We can’t help you with the camping gear but we can definitely help you with the wheels – here are five of the best vehicles for camping, off-roading and summer adventures.

Suzuki Jimny

Bold claim – The Suzuki Jimny is the most exciting, fun car that’s come out of Japan in decades. This little beauty came top three in the 2019 World Car Awards for design and was named 2019 World Urban Car of the Year, and we’re not surprised. 

Its retro looks and incredible off-road capability make it hard to beat if you’re looking for a car to adventure in. This thing has a full ladder chassis, Suzuki’s ALLGRIP PRO system and a surprisingly grunty 1.4 litre engine and can go just about anywhere you want to take it (including beach-side campsites over dunes).

Nissan Navara

If you want to be able to go anywhere, the Nissan Navara is for you. This absolute beast of a ute combines brute power and smart tech for an adventure vehicle that’s both fun and capable. 

The top of the range N-TREK Warrior has a 1.5 metre long tray that will fit tents, bikes, kayaks and all the rest of your gear. It also has a 2298 CC diesel engine with a crazy 450 Nm of torque and 140 kW of power, which comes in handy for towing the boat and powering up steep inclines. 

Isuzu D-Max

The Isuzu D-Max is made of tough stuff and can handle a muddy track with the best of them. But it’s also got a full range of smart features that make it a great road trip car like:

• Emergency lane keeping. 
• Blind spot monitoring. 
• Terrain command 4X4 select dial. 
• Android & Apple Auto. 
• Traffic sign recognition. 

Add to that leather accented seats and a booming 3,000 CC engine and you’ve got the ultimate adventure vehicle. 

Kia Sportage

For something that can handle the less extreme end of off-roading, the Kia Sportage is a brilliant road trip car with all the bells and whistles that can still handle the rougher roads around campgrounds. Our favourite is smart cruise control, a feature which automatically maintains your chosen speed and distance from the car in front by accelerating and braking.

There’s also a start stop button and smart key, almost 1,500 litres of cargo space and a rear view camera to save you from backing into tents at the campground. All this makes for a comfortable, stylish and affordable car perfect for summer road trips.

Keen to come come and take a look and find your ultimate camping & adventure vehicle? Drop in to your local Niccars dealership and have a chat to one of our expert dealers today.