Suburban Dad: We're Driving on Vacation So You Don't Have To

Yes, it’s true: Suburban Dad, Mom and kids are hitting the road, leaving today on a two-week excursion from the Midwest, through upstate New York, down to Gettysburg, Pa., and Washington, D.C., on to Burlington, N.C., and finally back to Chicago.

Along the way, I’ll be filing reports on the four cars we’ll be taking on the trip:

• We start with the all-new Ford Flex, the apparent love child of a Mini Cooper and Honda Element, outfitted with all the luxury of a Lincoln Navigator.
• Next, we’ll trade the Flex for a Dodge Journey (start cooking up those “Don’t Stop Believing” jokes now), which we’ll pick up in New York. My wife is already a little concerned about how small it seems, but I’m psyched to try out those in-floor coolers.
• We’ll end our Journey by picking up the Mazda CX-9 (Cars.com’s Family Car of the Year for 2008) not far from the historic battlefields of Gettysburg, then drive it through D.C. and down to Burlington, where we’ll…
• Pick up a 2009 Honda Pilot. I’ve spent some time in the Pilot, and I think it should be a great capper to our two-week escapade.

Check back with us daily over the next two weeks as we tell you not only how the cars perform, but also how my wife and kids like them, how fuel-efficient (or not) they are and, eventually, which was our favorite vacation vessel.