Small cars that drive like luxobarges

[hornetrider]

Nissan Leaf. No, really. Try one.

[twoblacklines]

Not small but very cheap - Lexus Ls400

I just found out I don't fit in one

[Impasse]

Renault 5 Monaco. Old Skool solution.

[Fresh Prince]

ging84 said:

CX53 said:

ging84 said:

Isn't that exactly what the 6 series the A7 and the CLS or what ever merc are calling thier big coupe this week are meant to be.

They all take thier biggest luxury car, and squish the panels in a bit to make it a bit less lonely inside and a bit easier to do a 3 point turn.

They're all still massive though, I park next to my colleagues A7 every day at work and it's huge

Your right the Mercedes and the audi are probably a bit too big, the 6 series is a more sensible size, as it's not based on thier biggest luxury car, but thier still fairly whafty 2nd biggest, so probably more comparable with the E coupe and the A5, i don't think any are bigger than a current mondeo.

All the above are in the E-segment market. A7 is based on A6 platform, as is CLS on E-class platform. 6-series GC is probably the longest of the lot at c.5m. A5 is an A4 coupe, which is D-segment (3/4-series etc).

I think the answer above touches on a truth though, ever since the 2CV the French have been very good at wafty small cars. My wife's Renault Modus is very good at soaking up big bumps (small wheelbase means some niggles remain though). For its size it is a remarkable motorway cruiser, the low levels of tyre roar and wind noise make it better in some NVH respects than a current F30 3-series.

[Nickbrapp]

I've just spent the day in a golf mk6 bluemotion hatch on 16inch wheels and I found it to be very comfy, and it was silent at 80mph which surprised me as I have a estate golf with the same engine which is quite unrefined


I guess anything with lots of sound deadening and soft suspension is refined

[TazLondon]

It's a shame the French don't make premium-segment cars any more. I appreciate that a C3 or C4 might provide a good wafty ride, but the interior is going to be fairly utilitarian. Gone are the days of the XM, C6, Vel Satis etc.

[vournikas]

NNH said:

Skoda seem to have cracked the wafting thing. I've ridden in quite a few Octavias (and Superbs) and they're very comfy barges. Haven't driven one though, so can't comment on that.

Coincidentally (off the back of a car posted on the Bargain Basement thread), we picked up a Mk 1 Superb two weeks ago.

For a "budget" corner of the VAG market back in 2004, and with 102k on the clock, it is remarkably refined and grown up. The ride quality is exemplary and almost as good as my old Jag, suspension "bump-thump" is very well damped, and it has just enough kit. The interior and exterior lighting (vanity / puddle / footwell / interior pull handle back-lighting) really is very well judged also.

I will admit, it aint a small car though but I suspect measurably smaller than the same sector of car in 2016!

[Lester H]

Impasse said:

Renault 5 Monaco. Old Skool solution.

Nice. Don't forget Peugeot 206 Roland Garros either. Racing green metallic with magnolia hide and door card inserts, soundproofed etc etc. For nothing now and not all are rubbishy because of original buyer profiles

[Nickbrapp]

TazLondon said:

It's a shame the French don't make premium-segment cars any more. I appreciate that a C3 or C4 might provide a good wafty ride, but the interior is going to be fairly utilitarian. Gone are the days of the XM, C6, Vel Satis etc.

The c5 and ds5 are both sublime cars as is the Peugeot 408, may be in class below

[groomi]

Around the late 80's/early 90's there were attempts to do this in different ways.

You had cars liken the Metro Vanden Plas - velour door cards, leather seats, wooden door caps etc, but still a crappy tinny thing.

Then you had the Vauxhall Carlton. Not small in size, but very small in price. But with big velour seats and weighing the same as a mk2 MR2, the 2.0l engines felt much larger and not stressed. Very Luci barge on a budget.

That also proves the point that the physical size is necessary to get that feeling. No amount of cow and trees can improve a tin box.

[Timberwolf]

Nickbrapp said:

Any Volvo or any Citroen.

My S40 with its supposed sport suspension (including vaguely ridiculous manufacturer-fit strut brace) and road roar inducing tyres would beg to differ!

I'm being a bit disingenuous there as most of that is a spec issue with a car that's half pretending to be a hot hatch. I reckon if you got a T5 or 2.4i with the soft springs and small wheels it'd be most of the way there. Would have to be those engines for me, though, a barge isn't a barge with only four cylinders under the hood. You can even get an autobox for the full experience. (Pretty sure Volvo/Aisin Warner had stopped making them out of chocolate by the time the second generation S40 came out)

[cptsideways]

I'll refer to my 3 pot Lupo here for refinement, even as a diesel it is stupidly quiet at motorway speeds & quite refined, though the 3L engine also has balancer shafts unlike the other 3 pots from VAG, sounds great too (for a pesky deseasal)

[TazLondon]

Nickbrapp said:

The c5 and ds5 are both sublime cars as is the Peugeot 408, may be in class below

I read some reviews on the DS5 and they don't appear to be great! But I'd be interested in real-world experiences. I priced one up at well over £40K on the Citroen Configurator site!

[stuttgartmetal]

Had a mini clubman estate auto in the mid nineties, that had 16000 miles on the club
Orange, it was
Drove more quietly and wafted more subtley than a jag.

That aside, my old man had a b class diesel that was pretty barge ish
Look for an auto one of them

[itcaptainslow]

TazLondon said:

Nickbrapp said:

The c5 and ds5 are both sublime cars as is the Peugeot 408, may be in class below

I read some reviews on the DS5 and they don't appear to be great! But I'd be interested in real-world experiences. I priced one up at well over £40K on the Citroen Configurator site!

The DS5 ride quality is awful-had one several times whilst I was working at Citroen either overnight or as a demo swap. It tries to be a sporting saloon but doesn't achieve it-really wish Citroen had made it a quirky waft wagon as true to their heritage. Shame as it's a cracking looking thing full of lovely styling details and the cabin is a nice place to spend an afternoon on the motorway.

[Hudson]

My old MK4 Golf V6 4motion fits the bill:

- small wheels with big sidewall tyres
- comically bad MK4 suspension to float about on
- heated leather seats
- lazy understressed VR6 that will do 30mpg if you try and stick to about 65mph


Any spirited driving will result in a fiery death, upside down in a ditch, but it was comfortable for just wafting along for miles on end up and down a motorway. Plus it's small so you can park it in town. You can pick one up for under a grand, sell the 19" BBS replicas to the local yoofs, get the original 16's on it and recoup some money.

[DRFC1879]

Mrs 1879 had a Lexus CT200H for a bit and that would fit the bill quite nicely for what you're after. Very refined. £8k should get a decent one.

Edited by DRFC1879 on Wednesday 24th August 14:41

[IanCress]

Nearly all cars these days come with very low profile tyres. If you want the cushioning effect of a decent amount of rubber beneath you then you need to look at a crossover or SUV. Perhaps something like the new Kuga Vignale or upcoming Skoda Kodiaq would give decent ride quality with a half decent interior.

[R E S T E C P]

TazLondon said:

Thinking 3-Series/Mondeo sized cars

2007 onwards Mondeos are pretty huge. Wafty and comfortable yes, but you really feel the size, and even ones with sport suspension lean too much in the bends.

I had a 2012 Passat 2.0 TDI DSG which I found excellent for wafting. It's a fair bit smaller than a Mondeo (especially width - much narrower!) but plenty of room inside and probably the best combination of waftability and handling that I've ever felt. Obviously further towards the wafty end, it's not at all sporty, but it's flatter through the bends than a Mondeo.
Very uncomfortable seats and driving position for me though - your mileage may vary!

[hobobaggins]

Any A3 with small wheels and the acoustic blocking glass fitted from the comfort pack, also Audi let you deselect sports suspension.
I think one of the Nissans lets you add the soundproof glass on it, don't remember which though off hand.