Jaguar’s supercharged 420-horsepower XKR Convertible was recently named by Kelly Blue Book as the number one auto that drivers would like to take on a road trip this summer.

Coming in at number two was BMW’s 3-Series Convertible, and at number three? The Chevrolet Suburban.

The folks at Kelly Blue Book said on their website that they wanted to put together a list of autos that would be appropriate for any journey, “from weekend jaunts of one or two people to week-long escapades that involve one or two entire families and maybe a dog and a boat.”

While Kelly Blue Book was making their auto list, the independent research firm Rasmussen Reports LLC was surveying American workers about their vacation time and found that more than half of us don’t use all of our vacation days. One in five plan to go away for long weekends instead of full vacations.

Who among us wouldn’t love to take a long weekend jaunt in a high performance sports car, cruising down the coastal highway with the wind whipping through our hair and music blaring on the stereo, and most importantly, not a child’s whine or a dog’s bark to be heard for miles.

So I can understand why Jaguar topped the Kelly Blue Book list, and why the BMW convertible came in second. But how did the Chevrolet Suburban make the wish list? I mean, does anyone actually like packing up the family (and the dog) into minivan for a “week-long escapade”?

That’s not a vacation. That’s a nightmare.

Back when I was a kid, traveling by car included heated arguments between me and my sister over “Archie” comic books, complaints that we were breathing each other’s air, and requests to stop at every restroom between Rochester and Albany.

Given the option, I’m sure my parents would have preferred to spend three days driving in a two-seater sports car to the ocean, the grocery store, anywhere, as long as no one was in the back seat.

I know that today’s minivans are equipped with features designed to make family travel more comfortable, like individual seats and DVD players with individual headsets and individual heat and air controls. That way no one has to interact with anyone else on the drive.

But my friend Jane’s family vacation at a rented beach house proves that even if you manage to get to your destination without killing each other, you still have to live together for a week.

“I’m never doing that again,” she said decisively. Between her husband, her adult children and their significant others, and her parents, she was cooking and cleaning for 10 people. And when it rained, she played activities director, trying to find ways to entertain an entire group of adults. “If I take another family vacation, we’re going back on a cruise, where someone cooks for us and cleans up after us, and where everyone can find something to do and leave me alone.”

Jane’s experience highlights the 21% of workers who said they don’t use all of their vacation time because they come back more stressed.

While we might dream about a weekend jaunt in a Jaguar, most of us live a minivan life. And if we’re honest about it, the hassle of a family road trip does leave us with memories that last a lifetime.

But maybe next year, Kelly Blue Book should consider adding “cruise ship” to their list.

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