Story and photos by Justin Pritchard
There’s nothing like driving near an ocean. Except maybe, for driving near a big lake, or a large river or through some nice scenery if you’re more an in-land type, like your writer.
When driving near the water, or some similarly serene scenery in the right machine, a special thing happens.
You relax.
 Mercedes-Benz CLS63. Click image to enlarge |
Thoughts of your trip, arriving on time, stuff requiring your attention and what to make for supper later on dissolve from mind. Instead, you just loosen up, unwind, exhale, and take it all in. It’s therapeutic, even.
I get my dose every week driving from Sudbury, Ontario to the Greater Toronto Area. My favourite scenery? The Muskokas. Just a bit past Port Severn you get to drive over Georgian Bay. Only for a few moments mind you if you’re going highway speeds – but hit it early in the morning when the road is empty and the sun begins to peek out and start the fog swirling and burning off, and it’s a tranquil thing to look at.
But, alas, the boss asked for a story about driving near an ocean – and some rides to do it with. Well, it’s not really an ocean at all, but Georgian Bay is my ocean.
I have driven near a real one mind you.
The Pacific Coast Highway in California is lined by mile after mile of delightfully twisting asphalt just a stone’s-throw from some of the prettiest scenery anywhere.
I was with fellow Autos.ca contributor Lesley Wimbush in a new Mustang GT Convertible for this cruise. The roof was down, the scenery was breathtaking, and the lusty 5.0L up front was busily turning gas and salty sea air into magnificent sound effects. I was grinning ear to ear, and Ms. Wimbush was gushing bad words like an irritated sailor.
There’s something cuss-inducingly magical about driving through a beautiful place, maybe near the water, in a machine that lets you take it all in.
So I give you my list of machines that work well to let their drivers enjoy the scenery – ocean or otherwise.
Criteria to make the list? Among other things, it’s some combination of a nice drive, a nice view outwards, comfort, and maybe some extra room or features to help enjoy it all with your favourite folks.
  Ford Mustang GT. Click image to enlarge |
Mustang GT Convertible
Do you like the awesomeness of cruising with fantastic V8 engine sounds, the scenery rolling by, and the wind in your hair/scalp/mullet? The Mustang GT Convertible offers up about the most cost-effective access to that experience going. The new 5.0L V8 is a gem, the convertible roof takes a hike in seconds, and the ride and handling are set nicely between lazy cruising comfort and winding-road athleticism. Plus, along the way you get all the benefits of cruising in a machine unmatched for recognition and nostalgia.
Chrysler Town and Country
 Chrysler Town & Country. Click image to enlarge |
Scenery is often better enjoyed with your favourite people along for the ride – which is exactly why the Chrysler Town and Country is on our list. Three rows of seating and a massive cabin mean you can take the family or friends along with room to spare, and tall windows and great outward sight lines mean everyone gets a good view. A squishy and quiet ride turn in upscale comfort along the way, and the rear seating row even tumbles backwards to make a handy tailgate seat if you want to stop for a picnic near the beach or at a scenic overlook.
 Porsche Panamera. Click image to enlarge |
Porsche Panamera
This Porsche ‘sedan’ is available in a plethora of trim grades and variations that deliver anything from a relaxed executive sedan to a fire-breathing track-weapon. Common to all models is an exceptionally comfortable cabin that’s surprisingly roomy for four adults, as well as the ability to rip through winding roads like a plasma cutter through tin foil. Go with the GTS or Turbo, and there’s enough power for the straight stretches to make your grandmother swear. Planning a guy’s road trip with some scenic roads en route? The comfort and driving experience here make the Panamera one of the ultimate machines for the job.
 Mini Cooper S Roadster. Click image to enlarge |
Mini Cooper S Roadster
Carefree, youthful, highly dynamic and top-down cruising are some of the highlights of this little British sports roadster. Ditching the rear seat and lowering the body saves weight and increases agility. The Cooper S Roadster turns in a highly personal driving experience for two. Main draw here? The Cooper S Roadster is fun to drive, roof-optional, plenty quick, and won’t see its fuel supply disappear like a Spongebob cake at a six-year-old’s birthday.
 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport. Click image to enlarge |
Corvette Convertible
The Corvette Convertible was the longest-running American convertible still cruising coastlines and scenic side roads. The 2013 Corvette packs sleek looks, world-class dynamics and a Magnetic Ride Control suspension system to keep things comfortable and responsive, simultaneously, along the way. And, of course, you get all of the goodness that comes from a big, simple and surprisingly fuel-efficient American V8 engine under the hood. The 2014 ‘C7’ Corvette will surely offer more of the same.
Land Rover LR4
If the scenic coastal road you’re travelling is covered in snow or ice, or has recently been washed out by a mud-slide, you’ll appreciate the LR4’s capability. Actual four-wheel drive (none of that sissy soccer-mom AWD) means the LR4 will tackle anything tossed its way by Mother Nature. The posh cabin works towards an upscale experience, and the creamy and quiet ride encourages relaxation and socialization along the way.
With stadium seating and multiple sunroofs, everyone gets a great view. Need to tackle a trail up to a lookout point? The LR4 is one of the market’s best machines when it comes to bringing its on-road comfort with it onto the road less travelled.
  Land Rover LR4 & Ferrari 458 Spider. Click image to enlarge |
Ferrari 458 Spider
Though I can’t comment first-hand as I am not wealthy, I would bet that driving a Ferrari 458 Spider down a coastal route would be an experience not to be missed. I don’t even care that this pasta-rocket would get nine miles per gallon and likely catch fire along the way – I’d burn to a crisp at 10,000 rpm with a smile on my face and the scenery flying by.
  Honda S2000. Click image to enlarge |
Honda S2000
Honda axed this track-terrorizing little roadster from production some years ago – but a quick search of the used car ads (Honda S2000s on autoTRADER.ca of course) can set you up with one on the cheap. Then, it’s off to the coast to experience intensely precise handling, balance, and the glorious sound of a strung-out little four-banger making VTEC noises and screaming away under the hood. Ditch the roof to add to the effect – it folds away in about four seconds. Okay, it might not exactly fulfill the comfort part of our requirements, but it is so packed with awesomeness that we couldn’t leave it off this list. When it comes to a cheap, precise and affordable convertible experience, a used Honda S2000 is a modern classic.
 Lexus LS 600 HL. Click image to enlarge |
Lexus LS
The Lexus LS is a V8-powered, bovine-lined sensory deprivation tank popular with big-dollar shot-callers that need to get around in a discreet hurry. In the LS, the serenely quiet ride and ultra-cushy suspension mean the only thing entering the car from the world outside is the view. Even at speed, wind and road noise infiltration to the cabin are minimal – and the library-quiet ride comes with the smug satisfaction of piloting a four-wheeled business lounge with one-finger effortlessness. Sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery in this one.
 Mercedes-Benz CLS63. Click image to enlarge |
Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG
Oceanside highways are usually near rock cuts, which are largely useless for anything other than reflecting snorting, boosted V8 noises back towards the driver responsible for making them. See where we’re going here?
The Mercedes CLS 63 AMG’s exhaust note has two characteristics that make it ideal for blasting off of coastal rock cuts for your listening enjoyment: one, it’s almost startlingly loud and two, it sounds like automatic weapons and fireworks fired by Chuck Norris. The CLS 63 is fast and grippy and classy and comfortable – but driven on a coastal highway near a rock cut, we dare you to try not to play tailpipe music exiting every corner.
  Acura MDX. Click image to enlarge |
Acura MDX:
This popular Japanese crossover has a few things working towards enhanced enjoyment of a scenic drive. First, it handles. No, not like a Honda S2000, but with a sporty, eager edge not characteristic of most utes under about $100,000. Second, it’s got room for seven. That’s two couples and some gear, or mom, dad, the kids, and their pals. Third, it’s safe and confident and probably won’t break down along the way because it’s an Acura. Translation? MDX covers off all of the sensible stuff required for transportation of one’s partner and offspring while still managing to be nice to drive.
  Jeep Wrangler & Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. Click image to enlarge |
The Sequel: Jeep Wrangler
For my sequel, the Jeep Wrangler is the star of the show. Why? It’s cheap. It can climb stuff. It can wear surfboards. It can get to places most crossovers won’t. Oh, and you can remove the doors, roof and windshield and leave them at home. Hell, Wrangler packs the most ‘open’ driving experience on this side of an Ariel Atom (which you can’t drive onto a beach) or a motorcycle (which you can’t fit a surfboard on).
Ocean’s Thirteen: Porsche Boxster, by Jonathan Yarkony
   Porsche Boxster. Click image to enlarge |
Yup, they made two sequels of the modern-day Ocean’s Eleven remake with faces like George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones, so I get an editor’s pick to add to the list: The Porsche Boxster, specifically the latest 2013. Anyone who knows me knows I have something of an ‘affection’ for the Porsche 911, but the Boxster is my choice for a convertible cruiser in the Porsche lineup. There is something absolutely magical about the driving experience, the power is all you need (though the S offers a power bump if you’re feeling greedy), the PDK offers relaxed and smooth automatic shifting or whip-crack sharp manual shifts, the chassis can shift from sporting and flat to reasonably comfortable, and the redesign gives it a look that borders on exotic. It seems like a car purpose built for driving up California’s PCH, and the combination of those two is high up on my bucket list.
Crash test results
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
