Hitting the road in the 90s could have meant a fun adventure or a miserably dull family trip, and having the right car would make or break the experience. As Millennials can now wax nostalgic for their 90s road trip cars, here are three worth revisiting.

1994-1997 Toyota Previa

The Toyota Previa is a prime example of a proper road trip car. It’s a minivan, yes, but it’s also rear-wheel-drive and has a manual transmission. The 1994-1997 model years were ideal. The Previa was suffering in the United States against more powerful minivans, so Toyota fitted the Previa’s 2.4-liter inline-four with a supercharger. This gave it 158 horsepower. 

The car also had all-wheel drive with its supercharger and a mid-mounted engine. The Previa has plenty of storage space and enough seating for seven people. Removing the rear seat rows yields enough space for a sportbike, as long as the windscreen comes off first. The Previa is as close to a sports minivan as one is ever going to get.

1996-1999 Mercury Sable GS Wagon

The progression of parent-owned kid carriers in the 1990s started with the station wagon before it was replaced by the minivan and then the SUV. However, station wagons still hold merit. The Mercury Sable from 1996-99 had a 3.0-liter V6 that made 200 horsepower, which made it the most powerful Sable to date. It’s also part of what made the Sable a perfect road trip car.

It only had an automatic transmission but had no problem with acceleration. Though it was front-wheel-drive, the Sable could handle well enough, even carving through narrow mountain roads. Plush leather provided comfortable seating, and the trunk floor opened to two back-facing seats. 

J80 Toyota Land Cruiser

The Toyota Land Cruiser is possibly one of the most iconic SUVs ever released, but it’s had a tumultuous history. It started as a rugged off-road car that could take a severe beating but offered little in the way of amenities. Now, it’s mutated into an expensive luxury SUV, but to be fair, the Land Cruiser produces a lot of horsepower. It’s still a great road trip car.

The J80 (1990-1997) fits the bill for cheap, rugged, comfortable off-road performance but lands in the middle of the Cruiser’s transition into the luxury SUV class. The J80 got large brakes, a new six-cylinder engine, a full-time AWD system, and anti-lock brakes. It also had an option for locking differentials, and it received an independent coil-spring suspension.

Road trips can be fun experiences, but only with the right car. Be it a station wagon, SUV, or even a sports car, comfort and reliability are paramount. The 1990s were chock-full of interesting road trip cars to choose from. After all, during those ten years, passenger cars evolved from wagons to minivans to SUVs. Luckily some of the best examples of all three existed within that time.

This article was originally published on August 5, 2021, and was updated on May 24, 2024 for freshness.