More Aussies choosing roadtrip holidays:: survey

A new survey of 1000 Australian families, commissioned by Ford, has found that 77 per cent had opted for a tour of this country’s most famous sights and drives, including Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef and the Great Ocean Road.

“We noticed a trend of Australian families choosing to drive to family holidays rather than opting for more expensive overseas travel,” Ford Australia president and CEO Graeme Whickman said.

No surprise was that SUVs proved the most popular vehicle type (67 per cent), reflecting the general growth in SUV sales across the Australian market.

Also of no surprise is that a significant number of respondents value safety features (42 per cent) and vehicle reliability (37 per cent) above all else in choosing a vehicle for their holiday. Storage capacity also figured, with 15 percent of those surveyed highlighting carrying space as their number-one priority.

Perhaps recalling their own childhood pleas of “are we there yet” and games of “I spy”, 47 per cent of respondents said that the expansive range of on-the-road entertainment options stood out as the biggest change to family roadtrips since they themselves were kicking the back of the front seats.

Tablet devices proved the most popular distraction for the back rows, with 63 per cent of parents tossing the iPad over the divide. (Remember to disable automatic approval of app purchases…)

CarAdvice readers gearing up for their own roadtrips should stay tuned through 2016, when we’ll bring you a new series of tips on the best ways and places to enjoy your holiday drive, and to experience the best motoring this country has to offer.

After all: holidays may be all about the destination, but getting there should be at least half the fun.

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