Plan Weekend Escape With Top Road Trip Cars

If you're planning to step on the gas and split town for Memorial Day weekend you're going to need the right car.

Whatever kind of trip you're planning, Kelley Blue Book's list of the "Top 10 Road Trip Cars of 2009" will get you there in style.

While Memorial Day weekend usually ushers in the beginning of the summer driving season, the editors at Kelley Blue Book realized this year will be even bigger with most people increasingly pinching their pennies.

"Given the gloomy state of the economy, the lure of escaping everyday life via the open road is more appealing now than ever," said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book. "And if that were not motivation enough, the current crop of cars and trucks offer more than its share of gems that just beg to be driven."

For 2009, Kelley Blue Book broke the list down into common road-trip categories, naming its top pick for each:

• Cross-Country Trip: Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI
• Solo Flight: Porsche Cayman S
• Towing Trip: Ford F-150
• Driver's Trip: Chevrolet Corvette Z06
• Camping Trip: Honda Element
• Spring Break Trip: Ford Mustang Convertible
• Ski Trip: Lexus LX 570
• Family Outing: Honda Odyssey
• New Grad Trip: Mazda3
• Romantic Getaway: Jaguar XKR Convertible