In search of a good ride!
Discussion
I travelled some distance last weekend in a friend's Porsche Macan Turbo. The thing that impressed me most was the ride quality and lack of road noise despite being fitted with pretty big wheels.
In this day and age when overly firm suspension and run flat tyres are the norm the air suspension seemed to be what was responsible for the compliant ride and consequent comfort level.
Given that a Porsche Macan Turbo is not in my budget (purchase cost or fuel cost) what other cars would offer similar good ride quality, whilst also being the kind of car to appeal to a typical PH enthusiast?
Assume a £20k - £25k budget..........
In this day and age when overly firm suspension and run flat tyres are the norm the air suspension seemed to be what was responsible for the compliant ride and consequent comfort level.
Given that a Porsche Macan Turbo is not in my budget (purchase cost or fuel cost) what other cars would offer similar good ride quality, whilst also being the kind of car to appeal to a typical PH enthusiast?
Assume a £20k - £25k budget..........
Genuinely thought this was going to be one of those dodgy threads / spam at seeing the title. "Local girls in your area" type thing.... 
As above though, what kind of car would you like? The Macan is a sort of mini-SUV segment car, similar to the T-Roc, Juke (ha), Yeti, Tiguan etc.
The run-flat tyres certainly wouldn't have contributed to the smoother ride, quite the opposite. These have very hard sidewalls so are actually contributing to the harsh ride, being soaked up therefore by the air suspension.
I'm not sure what £20k will buy to be honest, but is your preference for something fast, comfortable, sleek, economical, etc.?! Too broad a choice at the moment from your criteria!
As above though, what kind of car would you like? The Macan is a sort of mini-SUV segment car, similar to the T-Roc, Juke (ha), Yeti, Tiguan etc.
The run-flat tyres certainly wouldn't have contributed to the smoother ride, quite the opposite. These have very hard sidewalls so are actually contributing to the harsh ride, being soaked up therefore by the air suspension.
I'm not sure what £20k will buy to be honest, but is your preference for something fast, comfortable, sleek, economical, etc.?! Too broad a choice at the moment from your criteria!
I currently have a W211 E Class Merc which I use for long drivers and I must admit it's been excellent. Generally really comfortable and a fantastic cruiser.
Becuase the bulk of my mileage is made up of motorways, I will be opting for an S Class when I come to replace the E. If I'm impressed with a 16 year old E Class then I can't think of much better than more refinement in an S.
Becuase the bulk of my mileage is made up of motorways, I will be opting for an S Class when I come to replace the E. If I'm impressed with a 16 year old E Class then I can't think of much better than more refinement in an S.
Get a Citroen C6, probably the best ride I've ever experienced, excellent interior, and vastly more interesting and rare than any of the generic German alternatives.
Or, for slightly less money, you could get a mint C5 in Exclusive trim, which will be almost as comfortable and will have anything you could need in terms of mod cons.
If the Hydraulic suspension was good enough for Rolls-Royce, it's got to be the best.
Or, for slightly less money, you could get a mint C5 in Exclusive trim, which will be almost as comfortable and will have anything you could need in terms of mod cons.
If the Hydraulic suspension was good enough for Rolls-Royce, it's got to be the best.
Leftfield option but my word are they comfortable & they come loaded with kit, I'd say they're around Lexus standard:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
rlg43p said:
Of all the suggestions the RX seems the most appealing to me. I don't see myself in an S-Class or similar Lexus barge.
I was hoping that air suspension might be available in something less pensioner oriented........!
Perhaps something with adaptive suspension instead to meet in the middle?I was hoping that air suspension might be available in something less pensioner oriented........!
I have an ancient Cayenne - if you liked the Macan, I'm sure you'd like a ~£25k Cayenne.
I bought mine for a specific reason 6 years ago, but was convinced it would bore me to death - and once I'd used it for what I needed it for, it would be sold. As it is - it's a great car, and if / when it falls apart I may very well buy another one.
Only issue for you is that if you think Macan fuel costs were too much, you're unlikely to accept the Cayenne fuel costs - I think Macan's do about twice the mpg!
I bought mine for a specific reason 6 years ago, but was convinced it would bore me to death - and once I'd used it for what I needed it for, it would be sold. As it is - it's a great car, and if / when it falls apart I may very well buy another one.
Only issue for you is that if you think Macan fuel costs were too much, you're unlikely to accept the Cayenne fuel costs - I think Macan's do about twice the mpg!
It's perfectly possible to have a very comfortable car without air suspension; it's just that it's quite difficult to do it without air suspension and with the low-profile tyres/hard suspension which is currently en vogue. A lot of people who travel in my less-than luxurious 14 year old Outback comment on how smooth and comfortable it is - no mystery to it it's just a decent bit of sidewall and a sensible amount of suspension travel which means it doesn't have to be rock hard. A barely audible flat 6 petrol helps too. Of course the downside is that it's not the last word in handling finesse, but it's good enough for me. I'd give the nod to a Lexus RX as already mentioned - I've considered one myself at roughly your budget before. In fact there's a chap in my village who went from an RX to a Bentayga and who told me that while the Bentley is very very good, once the initial wow factor rubbed off he's not at all sure it's that much better than the RX.
davek_964 said:
I have an ancient Cayenne - if you liked the Macan, I'm sure you'd like a ~£25k Cayenne.
I bought mine for a specific reason 6 years ago, but was convinced it would bore me to death - and once I'd used it for what I needed it for, it would be sold. As it is - it's a great car, and if / when it falls apart I may very well buy another one.
Only issue for you is that if you think Macan fuel costs were too much, you're unlikely to accept the Cayenne fuel costs - I think Macan's do about twice the mpg!
I've been looking at £25k Cayenne's on Autotrader - they do appeal. Would be concerned about maintenance costs. I bought mine for a specific reason 6 years ago, but was convinced it would bore me to death - and once I'd used it for what I needed it for, it would be sold. As it is - it's a great car, and if / when it falls apart I may very well buy another one.
Only issue for you is that if you think Macan fuel costs were too much, you're unlikely to accept the Cayenne fuel costs - I think Macan's do about twice the mpg!
My friend's Macan did 22.5 mpg. I suspect a diesel Cayenne would be better than this......
What version of Cayenne do you have and what have running costs been like?
rlg43p said:
I've been looking at £25k Cayenne's on Autotrader - they do appeal. Would be concerned about maintenance costs.
My friend's Macan did 22.5 mpg. I suspect a diesel Cayenne would be better than this......
What version of Cayenne do you have and what have running costs been like?
Hmm - somebody told me once that Macan's do 30mpg. My Cayenne averages about 15 (short journeys).My friend's Macan did 22.5 mpg. I suspect a diesel Cayenne would be better than this......
What version of Cayenne do you have and what have running costs been like?
Mine is an early 4.5S (53 plate). I bought it in Feb 2013 I think, and it had ~80k miles on it. Now, it's just over 105k.
My first service was very expensive but that was my fault - when I went to view the car, I'd decided on the way not to buy one - so I didn't check it over properly. I changed my mind a few days later, and it turned out it needed a few things sorting (not least one leaking air shock).
Apart from that initial service, running costs have been pretty low. Very little has broken on it in the 5 years I've had it.
Window regulator broke, but that could happen on any car. The aux belt in the engine snapped and took a pulley with it.
Suspension height sensor failed on one wheel - should have been cheap to fix, but the part had changed and meant you had to buy the new module and all 4 sensors for ~£300 if I recall correctly.
Was losing coolant last year - assumed it was the radiator, but turned out to be a cracked expansion tank - was a few hundred to sort at an indy.
Think that's about it.
I admit I don't take particularly good care of it. I serviced it myself two years ago (oil / air filter change) - this year I might pay to get it serviced at an indy.
If anything non serious broke with mine I'd probably ignore it - but to be honest, not much does. The one persistent fault it has always had is abysmal radio reception - which has got worse now, because if I switch the heated rear window on it kills radio reception. But it doesn't bother me enough to solve it.
I clean it about once a year - but if I hoover the inside and wipe a duster over it, it will literally look like new.
It's a relaxing car to drive when you want it to be - but if you feel like it, stick the suspension in sport, gear change to manual and blast down a twisty road - it's far more fun than it should be.
It's a quick car for its size.
Mine is probably worth about 50p these days, but is still a very impressive car.
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff