Marshmallow ride and soft brakes, please...
Discussion
I've been smoking around in a friends 1984 500 SEC for a few weeks as he borrowed our old Focus for tip duty and some other stuff. And I have absolutely loved it. I have driven the car before (we share access to all of our cars - useful for Londoners who don't drive much, it means access to a varied fleet) - but last week I came to realise how damned comfortable it is.
Modern roads are terrible - especially in London. Potholes, speed humps, speed pillows and all manner of things to upset your ride. This thing just crushed everything into submission. OK it has absolutely no handling prowess whatsoever, but for the kind of journey I will be doing wotyh a new baby in August, that doesn't matter a damn.
Is there anything vaguely modern that has such crushing ride quality competence? I just bought an Audi Q3 2.0 TFSI for my mother, to replace her now defunct, 20 year old A6. The old A6 rode gently (probably on account of shagged suspension). Her new Q3 is a lovely thing - better in every way: interior, safety, handling and performance. But the ride on the 20 inch tryes is bad, even in Comfort. It would wake a baby up. The lesser models I test drove with smaller wheels were a bit better, but not much. Same with the Mercedes GLA and LR Evoques I tried.
And the brakes. Oh god, the brakes. They hurl you at the horizon when applied at low speeds.
The Jag XF I had as a loan car when my car was in for service last summer was a nasty surprise too. It rode OK, but did not deal with London's myriad of bumps at all well. And it had awful, grabby brakes.
I want something modern (I like modern care interiors and toys - they are great), but with an old school, wallowy ride. I am about to have a baby, and would like to buy something wieldy in London's streets, high enough to deal with speed pillows, and serene enough that I don't wake the child every time I go over a speedbump or stop for a traffic light...
Or are all modern cars the same?
Modern roads are terrible - especially in London. Potholes, speed humps, speed pillows and all manner of things to upset your ride. This thing just crushed everything into submission. OK it has absolutely no handling prowess whatsoever, but for the kind of journey I will be doing wotyh a new baby in August, that doesn't matter a damn.
Is there anything vaguely modern that has such crushing ride quality competence? I just bought an Audi Q3 2.0 TFSI for my mother, to replace her now defunct, 20 year old A6. The old A6 rode gently (probably on account of shagged suspension). Her new Q3 is a lovely thing - better in every way: interior, safety, handling and performance. But the ride on the 20 inch tryes is bad, even in Comfort. It would wake a baby up. The lesser models I test drove with smaller wheels were a bit better, but not much. Same with the Mercedes GLA and LR Evoques I tried.
And the brakes. Oh god, the brakes. They hurl you at the horizon when applied at low speeds.
The Jag XF I had as a loan car when my car was in for service last summer was a nasty surprise too. It rode OK, but did not deal with London's myriad of bumps at all well. And it had awful, grabby brakes.
I want something modern (I like modern care interiors and toys - they are great), but with an old school, wallowy ride. I am about to have a baby, and would like to buy something wieldy in London's streets, high enough to deal with speed pillows, and serene enough that I don't wake the child every time I go over a speedbump or stop for a traffic light...
Or are all modern cars the same?
Trouble with a big Citroen is I'd like something that's a nicer place to be inside...
I kind of want something that does Audi inside, but 1980s Merc underneath. I doubt such a thing exists.
This isn't a what car thread as such - I'm genuinely interested in finding out if any small-medium modern cars do the soft cosseting thing, or if they are all geared to tautness?
I kind of want something that does Audi inside, but 1980s Merc underneath. I doubt such a thing exists.
This isn't a what car thread as such - I'm genuinely interested in finding out if any small-medium modern cars do the soft cosseting thing, or if they are all geared to tautness?
Big wheels and skinny tyres are the enemy of a decent ride.
A C Class Sport with the Airmatic option on 17" rims is probably the best medium option for a smooth ride.
I got my mother a 65 plate Hyundai i30 with 15" wheels and that rides well for a relatively cheap tin sprung car.
French cars traditionally had a good ride, but I've not much experience of recent ones.
A C Class Sport with the Airmatic option on 17" rims is probably the best medium option for a smooth ride.
I got my mother a 65 plate Hyundai i30 with 15" wheels and that rides well for a relatively cheap tin sprung car.
French cars traditionally had a good ride, but I've not much experience of recent ones.
Nanook said:
my FIL's A8 on air suspension is rather smooth, given Audi's normal approach.
My late father had a D3 A8 which I did a few thousand miles in (registered to him, insured by my mother and driven by the then 26 year old me who, at the time, had a non-EU driving licence). The ride was good…but still had a slightly brittle quality (this was on 19s) so I think it might miss the Flashman mark.Harry Flashman said:
Trouble with a big Citroen is I'd like something that's a nicer place to be inside...
The C6’s interior is almost okay but I suspect that the electronics are looking quite geriatric now. I also suspect it’s a car (like a 322 RR is to me) which is, “nice for someone else to own,” as opposed to being the owner and living in constant fear of mechanical catastrophe. As an aside, there are no petrol ones that I can find for saleHarry Flashman said:
I kind of want something that does Audi inside, but 1980s Merc underneath. I doubt such a thing exists.
I totally get this. Mercedes seem to have gone off what appealed to me (focusing on small diesels with huge wheels, usually in a shade of white to match the owner’s teeth). If they made a car like a 190E 2.6 in this day and age I would have one; comfy ride, nice hifi and comfy seats are greatly underrated things. BMW have done the same as (in the UK, at least) it’s seemingly impossible to buy a 6 in anything other than M Sport trim.All I can suggest is (if prepared to go 1990s):
E38
A friend has a 750iL and aside from an urban 9mpg it’s about as relaxing and cosseting as it gets. Double glazed, comfort chairs and a good hifi that can be updated easily enough.
D2 A8 / S8
Another friend has an S8 and, whilst I would describe the ride as, “taut,” it’s never crashy. A friend of my father’s did 285,000 miles in an A8 in period and found it a relaxing way to travel (hence it was kept for so long).
If it needs be 2000s or newer, an S500 (SWB) or 750i with a debadge and little wheels? A very nice way to travel and almost invisible in London as most will assume it’s an Uber XL,
If it need be new and with modern toys (and you can survive with an incorrect number of cylinders and rather patchy London dealer coverage) is it worth looking at Volvos? If you avoid the R Design ones, the wheels and ride should be right and they do seats, hifis and interiors like very few others seem to in this day & age. I had a new XC60 as a rental in the SoF last year and whilst dynamically it was profoundly “ok,” the chairs, hifi and double glazing made it very relaxing for pottering.
Insanely, a lightly used leaf.
Heavy, because of all the batteries. Softly sprung. 15” wheels with 60 profile tyres.
Brakes are, well, odd.
Strange mapping from regen to brakes, but if you can just use regen you don’t need the brakes and it’s fairly smooth.
Dashboard is someone’s idea of futuristic about 7 years ago....
Or my Merc, but that has air suspension and the smallest wheels possible.
Heavy, because of all the batteries. Softly sprung. 15” wheels with 60 profile tyres.
Brakes are, well, odd.
Strange mapping from regen to brakes, but if you can just use regen you don’t need the brakes and it’s fairly smooth.
Dashboard is someone’s idea of futuristic about 7 years ago....
Or my Merc, but that has air suspension and the smallest wheels possible.
Harry Flashman said:
I just bought an Audi Q3 2.0 TFSI for my mother, to replace her now defunct, 20 year old A6. The old A6 rode gently (probably on account of shagged suspension). Her new Q3 is a lovely thing - better in every way: interior, safety, handling and performance. But the ride on the 20 inch tryes is bad, even in Comfort. It would wake a baby up. The lesser models I test drove with smaller wheels were a bit better, but not much.
My missus Tiguan (so basically same as Q3) is very comfy on its 16" winter wheels and tyres. Hard to kerb those wheels too, as there's so much tyre sidewall!My friend is looking to sell her elderly fathers A6. Its on an 04 plate low mileage leather auto and the toys. He apparantly had Audi fit softer springs when it was purchased as he wanted a soft ride. I'm told it has a full marshmallow ride and soft brakes too. owned currently by a gentleman (since new) in his early 80s who can no longer drive. It sounds ideal for you. PM if you want more info. its in Ashford and not currently advertised.
Thanks for the offer of the A6: mum's 2003 A6 is what we replaced with the Q3! But I really want something g nearly new. I have a classic Merc and Saab: this is for baby transport duties and absolute reliability and mod cons are a must.
I also want something that is a bit of an event and not too large. Discount RR L322s for size and reliability issues.
Leaf is a nice leftfield idea: we were thinking about the new one, but I would lease such a car as I think the tech is moving quickly and each new generation would make the last obsolete.
Current way left field idea is Audi RSQ3 (for the engine and practicality around London) but on some 16 inch wheels with badges removed. A properly great engine and hopefully soft around town in comfort mode...
I also want something that is a bit of an event and not too large. Discount RR L322s for size and reliability issues.
Leaf is a nice leftfield idea: we were thinking about the new one, but I would lease such a car as I think the tech is moving quickly and each new generation would make the last obsolete.
Current way left field idea is Audi RSQ3 (for the engine and practicality around London) but on some 16 inch wheels with badges removed. A properly great engine and hopefully soft around town in comfort mode...
I think you might be limited to 18s as the smallest wheels you can fit to an RSQ3 for brake clearance. Not sure but worth investigating. I also think the Q3 can be quite marginal for fitting a child seat in the rear nearside seat and still being able to fit a passenger in the front*.
The chap I use for airport runs has a Leaf (gen I shape). Only issue I can think of is that the boot may not be child-stuff friendly* but it's otherwise quite a nice car for the purposes you need. Dirt cheap lightly used, too.
(*)Despite being childless, I have seen the ranges of space that my sisters and friends deem necessary and I have a feeling that the Leaf is at the lower end.
The "will a child seat fit," is a surprising test as I couldn't fit in the front seat of my sister's XF, with a child seat behind and I can't comfortably fit in my mother's E91 with a child seat behind.
Excluding any desirability from the mix, one of my sisters has a Sharan which I have driven a few hundred miles in. It was really qukte a pleasant way to travel. Not exactly involving (but that's not the point) but very comfy to lollop along in.
The chap I use for airport runs has a Leaf (gen I shape). Only issue I can think of is that the boot may not be child-stuff friendly* but it's otherwise quite a nice car for the purposes you need. Dirt cheap lightly used, too.
(*)Despite being childless, I have seen the ranges of space that my sisters and friends deem necessary and I have a feeling that the Leaf is at the lower end.
The "will a child seat fit," is a surprising test as I couldn't fit in the front seat of my sister's XF, with a child seat behind and I can't comfortably fit in my mother's E91 with a child seat behind.
Excluding any desirability from the mix, one of my sisters has a Sharan which I have driven a few hundred miles in. It was really qukte a pleasant way to travel. Not exactly involving (but that's not the point) but very comfy to lollop along in.
I think any modern car will be harsh in comparison. I had an oldlate 80s Mazda 323, and a 90s Honda Civic, and the one thing that sticks out is they have very soft springing and damping. I believe it is this over all else that makes them so soft over s
tty potholes. No modern car has soft springs.
tty potholes. No modern car has soft springs.dazmanultra said:
For something that you can buy new/nearly new, you could try a Merc GLC with small wheels
The "small wheels" thing is likely to be tricky on very recent cars. Like I mentioned earlier, our mk1 Tiguan is running on 16" Winters but has 17" standard and that changed to 18" just after we bought it. I think the new one is 18" minimum. And anything that's marketed as remotely sporty will likely have big brakes so need biggish wheels to clear the calipers.I know bigger wheels look better but with potholed roads covered in speedbumps they're a complete nonsense.
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