Heading to Canada? Drive One of These

CARS.COM — It’s been a long, arduous and contentious election season, but take heart my fellow Americans — as Tuesday’s presidential election approaches fast, we are in the home stretch. And for many of you out there, depending on who wins, the finish line might actually be the U.S.-Canada border.

Related: Seven Cars to Buy Instead of 2016 World Series Tickets

Actor Bryan Cranston recently said — with ostensible sincerity — that he would move to Canada if Republican candidate Donald Trump prevails over Democrat Hillary Clinton. That’s become a bit of a common refrain among celebrities in recent months, with several threatening to defect to our neighbor to the north, another continent or (in Cher’s case) even another planet.

Since everyone knows that celebs are “just like us” (aren’t they?), we figure a lot of Americans also must be considering an impromptu emigration if their candidate loses. Well, if you’re gonna be seeking asylum from these United States in the land of moose, Mounties and Molson, you’ll need appropriate transportation to breach the International Boundary.

Here are the best cars for defecting to Canada:

2017 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class

For $36,355, including a destination charge, you get all-wheel drive and heated front seats for that cold Canadian climate. Plus, you’ll get to hear your new compatriots be all like, “Sooo, ya drive a GLA, eh?”

2017 Volvo S90

Volvo’s all-new-for-2017 flagship sedan comes standard with the safety-conscious Swedish automaker’s City Safety system. The S90 is the first Volvo model to get the brand-new large-animal detection as part of its auto emergency braking system. You can feel confident enough as you take a drive through the countryside blasting the Pixies and singing along — “Caribou-uuuuu-uuuuuuu …” — that if you actually encounter one, your car is programmed to recognize and avoid it.

2016 Nissan Leaf

Cars.com Consumer Affairs Editor Kelsey Mays wants to do his part to protect the air quality and natural beauty of his new environs, so his choice for fleeing the Land of the Free would be the 2016 Nissan Leaf — or Maple Leaf, as he’ll lovingly refer to it up there. So what if this electric car’s 84-mile range is now trumped by the Chevrolet Bolt EV’s 238? It starts at nearly $8,000 less. Besides, as long as there’s a Tim Horton’s within 42 miles of Mays’ house where he can get some coffee and Timbits, he’s all good in the North Woods.

2017 Ford F-450 King Ranch

Maybe you’re not the come-quietly, culturally acquiescent type. Make your presence immediately known with this ostentatiously ‘Merican pickup truck: The 2017 Ford F-450 King Ranch. The one we built on Cars.com boasts 19.5-inch forged polished aluminum wheels; snowplow capabilities; power-deployable running boards; and chrome exhaust tips, step bars, mirror caps, and front and rear bumpers. That’s in addition to a 6.7-liter turbo V-8 that makes 440 horsepower and 925 pounds-feet of torque, and a fuel economy so irrelevant it’s EPA estimated at “N/A.” Sure, it’ll cost you a cool $78,000 with destination, but trust us, it’s the most efficient way to let “America’s hat” know the neighborhood’s changin’.

2018 Buick Avenir

Or maybe you prefer elegant over ostentatious. You wanna let ’em know you mean business but that you come in peace. Buick’s Avenir sedan concept presaged a new lineup with spiffed-up styling intended to bring a little more premium class to the Buick brand. Sure, you’ll have to wait a while into 2017 after the new prez is inaugurated, but it’ll be worth it. Even the car’s name should appeal to the French-Canadian crowd while serving as a clear statement of your intent — “avenir” can be translated to Francaise as “to come up.”

2016 Chevrolet Chicago Blackhawks Camaro

There was a time when this one might’ve caused instant alienation north of the border, especially among Vancouver Canucks fans. But since no Canadian hockey team made the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2016, Canadians and the Chicago Blackhawks now go together like gravy and fries, so rumbling through the border crossing in this 2016 Chicago Auto Show attraction should earn you instant Canuck cred … right?