Saloons vs Luxobarges (refinement and comfort)
Discussion
I'm looking for a comfortable and quiet commuting car, and I am curious to know what the differences are between say a Mondeo and a VW Phaeton are. My point being will I be satisfied with a new Mondeo / Passat etc, or will a luxobarge give my back and ears an easier time? If we keep this strictly relating to comfort, noise, harshness etc.
This is my experience relating to the comfort of three cars on the same test road (all the latest models).
Saloon, Merc C Class - Average, not really my thing.
Executive Saloon, Merc E Class - Lovely car, you can see where the extra money has been spent over the C-class. If I had to quantify the improvement in ride and noise I'd say 40% better.
Luxobarge, Merc S class - Strange one, at low speeds it appeared to be no quieter than the E class which was dissapointing, but at 110mph it was no louder than at 30mph.
Ultimately though, I'd say the E class provides 90% of the comfort of the S Class, so a 10% gain for about £30k is quiet steep. Just to throw something into a mix, I recently went out in a Mk6 Golf TDI, and fook me it was comfortable. Again it gave me the impression that it provides 90% of the refinement of an S class, but for a fraction of the cost.
Of course this is all subjective, the only way to accurately measure refinement would be with a health and safety ometer. So, for a 140 mile commute, do I want a modern cheap and cheerful saloon or do I push the boat out with a luxobarge?
This is my experience relating to the comfort of three cars on the same test road (all the latest models).
Saloon, Merc C Class - Average, not really my thing.
Executive Saloon, Merc E Class - Lovely car, you can see where the extra money has been spent over the C-class. If I had to quantify the improvement in ride and noise I'd say 40% better.
Luxobarge, Merc S class - Strange one, at low speeds it appeared to be no quieter than the E class which was dissapointing, but at 110mph it was no louder than at 30mph.
Ultimately though, I'd say the E class provides 90% of the comfort of the S Class, so a 10% gain for about £30k is quiet steep. Just to throw something into a mix, I recently went out in a Mk6 Golf TDI, and fook me it was comfortable. Again it gave me the impression that it provides 90% of the refinement of an S class, but for a fraction of the cost.
Of course this is all subjective, the only way to accurately measure refinement would be with a health and safety ometer. So, for a 140 mile commute, do I want a modern cheap and cheerful saloon or do I push the boat out with a luxobarge?
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