Jersey Shore, Cape Cod and Delaware Beach Weekends: Which Jeep or Minivan Fits

Beach weekends in the Northeast are an exercise in loading and waiting. You pack bikes, boards, chairs and a cooler on Friday, then spend a long time on the Garden State Parkway, the Cape Cod bridges or the roads that feed the Delaware beaches. At the end, you may face a soft-sand access road, a crowded lot or a narrow beach-town street. The right vehicle depends on how much you carry, whether you tow, and whether the trip ends on pavement or on sand.

Start with the gear

The minivans have the most enclosed space. The Pacifica and the Voyager both list 32.3 cubic feet behind the third row, 87.5 behind the second and 140.5 with the rear seats stowed. The Voyager LX has second- and third-row Stow 'n Go seating, so the load floor goes flat without lifting heavy seats out. The Pacifica's S Appearance Package, $1,945 on Select and $1,795 on Limited, adds a black Stow 'n Place roof rack.

The Grand Cherokee holds up to 70.8 cubic feet, or 84.6 in the longer L. A four-door Wrangler lists 72.4 cubic feet with the rear seat folded, and its open cabin means wet gear and sand can sit where you would rather not.

The Gladiator is the odd one out, because everything goes outside the cab. Its bed measures 60.3 inches with the tailgate closed and 81.3 inches with it open, with 44.8 inches between the wheel wells and 35.5 cubic feet of volume. A board longer than the open bed will hang out the back, so tie it off and flag it. The Cargo Group with Trail Rail System, $2,095 on most trims, adds a roll-up tonneau cover, Trail Rails, a lockable underseat bin and a 115-volt bed outlet. A Multi-Function Accessory Rail from Mopar is $275 more.

Towing a small trailer or a boat

Many shore households tow something, whether it is a small boat, a jet ski, a pop-up camper or a utility trailer for a house rental. This table lists what each vehicle is rated to pull.

Vehicle	Maximum tow rating	Cargo	Fuel tank
Jeep Wrangler (four-door)	3,500 lbs, up to 5,000 on Rubicon when equipped	72.4 cu ft, seats folded	21.5 gal
Jeep Gladiator	4,500 lbs on Sahara, up to 7,700 on Sport S with the 4.10 axle	35.5 cu ft bed	22 gal
Jeep Grand Cherokee	6,200 lbs	70.8 cu ft (84.6 on the L)	23 gal
Chrysler Pacifica	3,600 lbs with the Trailer Tow Group	140.5 cu ft	19 gal
Chrysler Voyager	1,500 lbs	140.5 cu ft	19 gal

The two-door Wrangler tops out at 2,000 pounds, which is a bike rack rather than a boat. The Voyager's 1,500 pounds covers a small utility trailer or a hitch rack with a couple of bicycles, and Chrysler points to the Pacifica with the Trailer Tow Group for anything heavier.

The Grand Cherokee's $995 Trailer-Tow Package adds a Class IV receiver hitch, a 7-pin and 4-pin wiring harness, heavy-duty engine cooling and rear load-leveling suspension. On the Gladiator, the $995 Trailer Tow and Auxiliary Switch Group (Sport S and Sahara) adds a Class IV hitch, and the Willys comes with that group already. Check your trailer's loaded weight against the rating before you go.

Driving on sand at Island Beach State Park and the Cape

Some beaches allow driving on the sand under their own rules, and Island Beach State Park in New Jersey and the beaches of Cape Cod are well-known examples. Permits, vehicle requirements, seasons and closures differ by location and change from year to year, and some stretches close to protect nesting birds. Check the park, town or National Seashore website before you go, and do not rely on a general guide for the rules.

A few practical points apply wherever you drive. Soft sand rewards a vehicle with ground clearance and low gearing. Jeep lists the Wrangler at 9.7 inches (Sport) to 12.9 inches (four-door Rubicon with the largest tires), and the Gladiator at 10 inches up to 12.9 with the 35-inch tire package. The Grand Cherokee has 8.4 inches on standard suspension, 10.9 inches with its air suspension raised, and 11.4 inches on a Trailhawk in its highest setting. The Wrangler and Gladiator offer a low range in their transfer cases (2.72:1 on most trims, 4.0:1 on Rubicon), and the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk adds a two-speed transfer case with a 2.72:1 low range.

Airing down is the other half of beach driving. Lower tire pressure spreads the tire's footprint, so it floats on sand instead of digging in. Follow the pressure advice from the park or the tire manufacturer, carry a gauge and a compressor, and air back up before you reach pavement. Keep your momentum, avoid sharp turns, stay out of the soft sand near the dunes and check the tide before you park. Bring a shovel and a tow strap, and never drive into saltwater flooding. Jeep's fording figures of 30 inches or more on the Wrangler describe a controlled water crossing, not a flooded shore road after a storm.

The minivans are the wrong tool for the sand. The Pacifica sits 5.1 inches off the ground in front-drive form and 5.4 inches with all-wheel drive, so keep it in the lot and let the family walk.

Wrangler doors-off and the Gladiator bed

Open-air driving is the reason many people look at a Wrangler for the shore. The Sport lists a removable top and quick-release door hinges that need no tools. With the doors off, the wind, sun and sand are with you, so bring sunscreen and a plan for your wallet and phone. Doors need safe storage at home or in the garage, and local rules on driving without them are worth a quick check.

The Gladiator gives you the same open-air feel plus an outdoor bed. Use the tonneau cover and the lockable underseat bin to keep valuables out of sight at trailheads and dune parking lots. The trade-off is length: the Gladiator is 218.0 inches long with a 44.5-foot turning diameter, which makes tight beach-town streets harder than they are in a Wrangler. A two-door Wrangler turns in 32.7 feet, and the four-door in 38.8.

Salt, sand and the rinse

Salt air and sand are rough on a vehicle, and winter road salt makes it worse. After a beach trip, rinse the underbody, wheel wells, brakes and door sills with fresh water, and clear sand from door jambs and sliding-door tracks. Protective gear makes the cleanup easier. Chrysler's Interior Protection by Mopar package, $995 on the Pacifica LX and Limited and on the Voyager LX, includes all-weather cargo and Stow 'n Go floor mats, a cargo-area liner and a rear cargo bin. Jeep's Wrangler Sport lists fuel tank, transmission and transfer case skid plates, which protect those parts from impacts but do not keep salt off the underbody.

The family answer: Pacifica and Voyager

For five or more people, the minivans are hard to beat on a Friday-night run. The Pacifica Select adds power sliding side doors and a power liftgate, which are easy to use with sandy hands. The Safety Sphere group, $1,715 on Select, adds a 360 camera and parking sensors for crowded beach lots. The 2027 Pacifica is gas-only, with a 287-horsepower V6 rated at 19 city and 28 highway in front-drive form, and no plug-in hybrid. As a rough estimate, the 19-gallon tank times 28 mpg gives about 530 miles, which matches Chrysler's highway claim for the Voyager.

Starting prices are $41,595 for the Pacifica LX and $41,395 for the 2026 Voyager LX, before destination.

Matching the vehicle to the weekend

Pick the Wrangler for open-air runs and sand access, the Gladiator when a bed beats a cabin, and the Grand Cherokee for a mix of passengers, luggage and a trailer. Choose the Pacifica or the Voyager when the people count is higher than the sand count. Prices change, so confirm them on the manufacturer's site.