When it comes to road-tripping, some people want to do things a little differently. With the right vehicle, you can be as comfortable as you would be sitting in your living room, but it takes a little effort and planning. By working with a specialist upfitting service, you can create the perfect vehicle for your road-tripping needs – here’s where to get started.
Choose a base vehicle
Before you can start creating your perfect road-tripping vehicle, you need to choose a base make and model to start from. You’ll want to choose something that’s reliable, that holds retail value, and with a high degree of comfort and performance. Something like a Mercedes Vito can be a great option for road tripping, with a great level of ride comfort and power enough to get you along any mountain road.
Decide on capacity
Next, you’ll want to decide how many people you want the vehicle to be able to carry. A Mercedes Vito, for example, can carry up to nine people. However, that will be relatively cramped – once it’s been upfitted, it probably won’t carry more than six.
In general, the fewer people you decide you need to cater for, the more space you’ll have to add comfort and entertainment options for the people you are carrying. You’ll also want to make sure that there’s still enough room to carry luggage with you – exactly how much room you need will depend on the length of the road trip.
Choose an upfitter
Nowadays, there are specialised upfitter providers such as Senzati who can take care of the whole process for you. Take a look at the reviews of the options you’re looking at, and see what the vehicles they’ve upfitted in the past look like. Some service providers may specialise in different kinds of upfitting processes, and it’s best to find one that matches your requirements as closely as possible.
Entertainment options
If you’re going on a long road trip, you can only look out of the window for so long. To make the trip as enjoyable as possible, you’ll want a range of great entertainment options, including a high-quality sound system, and some discreet screens in the back for watching films and gaming.
Safety
If you’re going on a road trip, the chances are you’ll be covering a lot of miles, sometimes on suboptimal roads. As a result, it’s crucial that you choose an upfitting provider that prioritises safety. They should be authorised by the manufacturer of the base vehicle to conduct further modifications, and they must go through the government vehicle approval process. It’s not worth cutting corners here, where your health and well-being are concerned.
Upfitting a people carrier for a road trip can be a very exciting process. As long as you follow the basic steps listed above, you should be able to create something that’s absolutely perfect for your requirements. With the help of a good upfitter, you’ll find that there really isn’t too much to worry about.