I am sure you can travel the stars especially if you team up with others and are either part of a multiplayer ship crew or join a flotilla. As for those ships that are going to make a habit of traveling the stars you'd want to look towards the large explore ships. But then you have to ask yourself what sort of gameplay loop are you looking for? Because jumping from one planet to another inside Stanton a small system takes 15 plus minutes of waiting when you could spend the same amount of time running missions, mining etc.When I think "best damn space sim ever" I expect to be travelling the stars, not making the shuttle run from Phoebus to Europa.
And when I think of space sim SC has it in spades honestly even making a shuttle run from Phoebus to Europa would be all part of a space sim and being able to take off from Area 18 clear the atmosphere then warp to Wala to visit a small podunk mining outpost is very much in keeping with the sim like atmosphere and a lot of fun. Not sure how being limited in fuel and jump drives diminishes from the space sim part nor how not going from solar system to solar system diminishes the experience or limited the playability when there is so much to see or do just within one planetary orbit let alone a whole system.