Three days, three states, one good car

East Tennessee road trips fall into a few categories, and the right car is very different for each.

The pure driving trip — Dragon, Cherohala Skyway, Blue Ridge Parkway — is about the road, not the destination. For this, the Supra (GT comfort at speed), the WRX STI (AWD tactical), or the BRZ (lightweight dancing) are the picks. You're not carrying much because the point is the driving.

The destination trip — Asheville, Cherokee, the Outer Banks as a further stretch — is about getting somewhere comfortably and having a good car while you're there. The Supra is the long-haul GT car: comfortable, quiet above 70mph, enough power to make passes effortless. The WRX GT is the practical choice — AWD, four doors, actual trunk, manual gearbox.

The group trip — four or more people with luggage — is Odyssey territory. Seven seats, sliding doors, real cargo. The Odyssey is not the exciting answer but it is the correct one for a family road trip or a friend group that needs to stay together.

The Cherohala Skyway (Tellico Plains to Robbinsville, 43 miles) is the flagship road. High elevation, minimal traffic, ridge-top views, sweeping curves — it's what people mean when they say East Tennessee has the best driving roads in the country. A Supra or STI on the Cherohala on a Tuesday morning in October is one of the great American driving experiences.

The Blue Ridge Parkway out of Asheville adds another dimension if you're willing to cross into North Carolina. 469 miles total, but the section between Asheville and Cherokee gives you an 80-mile stretch of National Park road at 45mph with endless overlooks. Pair it with Deals Gap on the way back and you have a full two-day driving loop.

Asheville itself is worth the trip if you haven't been. Four hours from Knoxville via I-40 (boring) or 3.5 hours via 129/74 through the mountains (not boring). The WRX GT or Supra on the mountain route is the obvious choice.

Be direct about this: the Supra trunk holds two soft duffel bags. The BRZ has a slightly better trunk. The MR2 has almost no storage — mid-engine means the trunk is in front (the 'frunk') and it's small. The Miata has a small trunk that fits one overnight bag comfortably and two tightly. These are not cars you load up for a week-long trip with checked-luggage-sized suitcases.

The WRX GT is the sports car exception. Four doors, actual rear seat, fold-down rear seats with a hatchback-style loading area. It's the AWD manual car that can actually carry luggage. For a 3-day trip with two people and real bags, the WRX GT is frequently the correct answer even if it's not the most exciting one.

The 2023 Civic Sport Touring holds more cargo than you'd expect from a compact and gets better fuel economy than any other car in the fleet. It's the smart choice for a solo road-tripper or couple who want the manual engagement without committing to a two-seat sports car.