Cars with a smooth ride

[Patrick Bateman]

Aside from the obvious answers at the top end (S-classes, 7 series, Range Rovers etc.) what run of the mill cars in the last 2 decades or so have what you'd call genuinely good ride quality?

I was in the back of two taxis last night, an Audi A6 and a Skoda Superb. Both quite nice inside, loads of room but the ride really wasn't very good for the kind of car they are. Was aware the A6 had a reputation but was surprised with the Superb.

One that comes to mind after owning two of them in sportier variants is the e39 5 series but curious to hear of any less obvious answers.

[Jazoli]

I’ve found it’s usually anything with 60 profile tyres and wheels under 17”, the fad for huge wheels is annoying, the ride on my car with the standard 19’s was appalling so I changed them to 17’s with a taller profile tyre and it made a world of difference.

[Huntsman]

Patrick Bateman said:

Aside from the obvious answers at the top end (S-classes, 7 series, Range Rovers etc.) what run of the mill cars in the last 2 decades or so have what you'd call genuinely good ride quality?

I was in the back of two taxis last night, an Audi A6 and a Skoda Superb. Both quite nice inside, loads of room but the ride really wasn't very good for the kind of car they are. Was aware the A6 had a reputation but was surprised with the Superb.

One that comes to mind after owning two of them in sportier variants is the e39 5 series but curious to hear of any less obvious answers.

Genuinely, nothing.

Even Jaguar with the XJ lost their way.

I drive a 1970 Rover P6 on 185/80/14 and there's nothing close.

Even my 1997 E class on 15's is poor by comparison, as was my Jag X300 and X350.

[Huntsman]

And...

This is a bit of a subject for me, I'm full on 'old man shouting at clouds'.

There is now a whole generation of motorists that dont even realise.

[paradigital]

I’d imagine the biggest non-sporty Citroen you can find is likely the nicest riding car you can get this side of a roller.

[Patrick Bateman]

Huntsman said:

Genuinely, nothing.

Even Jaguar with the XJ lost their way.

I drive a 1970 Rover P6 on 185/80/14 and there's nothing close.

Even my 1997 E class on 15's is poor by comparison, as was my Jag X300 and X350.

This is when direct experience is going to play a large part in the answer as that's going to be very rare.

I ran an x350 XJ for 24k miles and it had the most comfortable ride of any car I've had whilst still not being a complete boat.

[trickywoo]

Nothing made by Ford.

I’ve back to backed an e60 545i se with a Suzuki swift sport and the swift had the better ride. It’s genuinely decent and not just in sporty hatch terms. I do run mine on 205/45 vs the standard 195/45.

[Lincsls1]

You may laugh and mock, but my 2015 BASE model Astra, riding on 16 inch wheels and 65 profile tyres has a nice smooth ride.
I put it down to the fact it isn't trying to be sporty in any way, shape, or form, unlike the mass majority of other cars on the road.
Being an Estate, the wheelbase is longer too, which helps.
Its also quiet and rattle free, also helped by the soft suspension it runs.
Lots to be said for non-sporty variants.

[mjlloyd500]

I have a skoda superb estate with 17 inch wheels and it rides and drives superb. So don't know what the opening person is talking about

[Patrick Bateman]

I can only report as I found and this particular car wasn't much better than the A6.

[Latifisnc]

ls400 is the smoothest car I've been in

[Huntsman]

mjlloyd500 said:

I have a skoda superb estate with 17 inch wheels and it rides and drives superb. So don't know what the opening person is talking about

I'd be interested to know, how old are? How many cars from before 1990 have you driven?

[chrisman]

DS9 with active scan

[Fusion777]

W205 C350e SE, comes with air suspension as standard. 17" wheels.

[WrekinCrew]

paradigital said:

I’d imagine the biggest non-sporty Citroen you can find is likely the nicest riding car you can get this side of a roller.

I thought the BBC used C5s (Citroen, not Sinclair) as camera cars for horse-racing coverage as the ride was so good.

[bloomen]

Anything French. And a bit old.

Not sure why they do it so much better, but they always have.

[lufbramatt]

My work used to have a Citroen c5 estate as a pool car, with hydropneumatic suspension. The ride was amazing, a bit wallowy in the corners but oh so comfy.

[Charlie Croker mk2]

BMW X5 go5 , on 22" wheels 275/35 Front & 315/30 Rear With Air suspension . Fantastic ride quality . Far more stable than the FF Range rover that preceded it . Car has adaptive setting for country roads which stiffens the damping at certain times but never harms the ride quality .

[bennno]

Citroen Berlingo has a great ride, V90 on smallest alloys, E Class on smallest alloys

[swisstoni]

lufbramatt said:

My work used to have a Citroen c5 estate as a pool car, with hydropneumatic suspension. The ride was amazing, a bit wallowy in the corners but oh so comfy.

I had a C5 for a long time and very much agree. I live down a completely pock marked road and it seemed to just float over it.

I don’t know if Citroen still do that suspension. It was fault free for 10 years anyway.

The much maligned ABC on my Merc is also excellent for a sporty car.

Edited by swisstoni on Sunday 8th December 15:04