Worst riding car you've had/been in?
Discussion
My mums Audi A1. It was spec'd by the first owner with 18" wheels which makes the ride terrible and the road noise even worse. It looks quite good but 16" wheels would have made all the difference.
It only has 120bhp and although handles well, the lack of performance doesn't justify it having the type of ride quality it does.
It only has 120bhp and although handles well, the lack of performance doesn't justify it having the type of ride quality it does.
The worst a astra gte 16v with spax coilovers & 17" wheels was terrible first thing I done to that car was replace the suspension & a set of 15" wheels
2nd worse a pug 208 GTi by Peugeot sport bought last year from a pug dealer we thought we could live with the ride but ended up taking it back 3 days later & swapping it for normal GTi (much better ride)
2nd worse a pug 208 GTi by Peugeot sport bought last year from a pug dealer we thought we could live with the ride but ended up taking it back 3 days later & swapping it for normal GTi (much better ride)
Sometime in the mid 90s, a group of us were picked up in a minicab that was an FSO Polonez.
The ride was outstandingly bad. Even though it was a relatively short journey, every imperfection on the road was communicated to the passengers without fail. It seemed that running over a pebble would have sent a crash through the whole body shell.
What made it even more outstanding was that this was combined with almost no control of body roll and an alarming tendency to lurch around corners makes this number 1 on my list of worst ride / handling combinations experienced in a car!
The ride was outstandingly bad. Even though it was a relatively short journey, every imperfection on the road was communicated to the passengers without fail. It seemed that running over a pebble would have sent a crash through the whole body shell.
What made it even more outstanding was that this was combined with almost no control of body roll and an alarming tendency to lurch around corners makes this number 1 on my list of worst ride / handling combinations experienced in a car!
MK1 Ford Focus.
Not that it was terrible, but the expectations did not match reality. I suspect every motoring journo of the day got a blowie off the Ford PR team in return for writing glowing reports of sublime and accurate handling, which meant I was expecting something amazing instead of well... Average.
Whereas if they'd said "meh, it's a small hatchback so it's quite light, s'alright I suppose" then I'd have probably been happier with it.
Conversely, I was pleasantly surprised by the Vauxhall Vectra as I had Jeremy Clarkson's "pull the ESP fuse and floor the throttle on every corner for max understeer" video in my mind. It wasn't going to be worrying the Citroen oleopneumatic suspension team for waft or anyone at Lotus for precision, but as large FWD cars with decently powerful engines go it was alright.
Not that it was terrible, but the expectations did not match reality. I suspect every motoring journo of the day got a blowie off the Ford PR team in return for writing glowing reports of sublime and accurate handling, which meant I was expecting something amazing instead of well... Average.
Whereas if they'd said "meh, it's a small hatchback so it's quite light, s'alright I suppose" then I'd have probably been happier with it.
Conversely, I was pleasantly surprised by the Vauxhall Vectra as I had Jeremy Clarkson's "pull the ESP fuse and floor the throttle on every corner for max understeer" video in my mind. It wasn't going to be worrying the Citroen oleopneumatic suspension team for waft or anyone at Lotus for precision, but as large FWD cars with decently powerful engines go it was alright.
I had my ID3 in for a recall and they gave me a brand new Q2 S-Line with 19” wheels as a loaner. Christ, is was like there was no suspension at all. Even over smooth roads it was bad. On the cratered moonscape that makes up the rest of Lincolnshire’s roads it was virtually undriveable.
It was a well built car but it will need to be as it is going to shake itself to pieces.
It was a well built car but it will need to be as it is going to shake itself to pieces.
donkmeister said:
MK1 Ford Focus.
Not that it was terrible, but the expectations did not match reality. I suspect every motoring journo of the day got a blowie off the Ford PR team in return for writing glowing reports of sublime and accurate handling, which meant I was expecting something amazing instead of well... Average.
Whereas if they'd said "meh, it's a small hatchback so it's quite light, s'alright I suppose" then I'd have probably been happier with it.
Drive one back to back with the preceding Escort, then it makes sense.Not that it was terrible, but the expectations did not match reality. I suspect every motoring journo of the day got a blowie off the Ford PR team in return for writing glowing reports of sublime and accurate handling, which meant I was expecting something amazing instead of well... Average.
Whereas if they'd said "meh, it's a small hatchback so it's quite light, s'alright I suppose" then I'd have probably been happier with it.
Grande Punto in Sporting trim or Alfa MiTo in Lusso trim.
Same car, presumably same horrendous damping and suspension settings.
Loved them both for their looks and character but my word they couldn’t go down a road properly.
In the MiTo you had to back off on the motorway if it got too bumpy otherwise you got launched.
Same car, presumably same horrendous damping and suspension settings.
Loved them both for their looks and character but my word they couldn’t go down a road properly.
In the MiTo you had to back off on the motorway if it got too bumpy otherwise you got launched.
I recently borrowed a Mercedes C300d AMG look/line/style with 19"rims and runflat tyres.
It made me travel sick driving it. It constantly jiggled even on a reasonable road surface.
Hit a bump and the car lurched sideways like it had a live axle and cart springs.
Unbelievably bad. An SE on 16 or 17" rims would have been far nicer to drive and ironically would be faster down a lane than the one with all the "performance" inspired tat.
It made me travel sick driving it. It constantly jiggled even on a reasonable road surface.
Hit a bump and the car lurched sideways like it had a live axle and cart springs.
Unbelievably bad. An SE on 16 or 17" rims would have been far nicer to drive and ironically would be faster down a lane than the one with all the "performance" inspired tat.
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