I just didnt want to get out of it !
As per the title really, what is the most comfortable car you've owned or driven?
I once had a job where my future boss was so desperate to employ me that I managed to talk him in to letting me have a 54 plate BMW 525d SE as a
company car..... and I was only about 26 years old. I loved it. Full leather, lots of toys, and it was by far the nicest ride I have ever had in a
car...... well...... that sort of 'ride' anyway.
I have had several other nice cars as company cars since leaving there, but none of them had the quietness and smooth ride as the 5 series.
For me was a sixties Citroen ID 19
or the DS model.
I have driven Rolls Bentleys & loads of cars over the years
But my old Citroen was by far the most comfortable.
My dad said exactly the same thing about his old CX, and he's driven Jags and Rollers too.
Alfa 164 for me - full leather , air con , automatic climate control and electric everything...........oh , and Gods own engine
I just didnt want to get out of it !
Audi 57 plate A6 avant ( on 17 inch rims ) when it is working see my post here
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=175428
but for a long distance mile cruser can get the seat just right stick cruse controll on on board Satnav and a 5 cd full of favorite MP3 tracks its a
good place to be I would have number 3 when the time comes. but after my last dealing with Audi Main stealer it may be time for a change. Comfortably
do 1k miles to france on holls over 2 days with family DVD headrests ( and bluetooth headphones for kids ) cruise control set at 80 auto wippers,
lights.
Regards
Agriv8
[Edited on 18/10/12 by Agriv8]
Austin Princess not the one the queen mummy used to go round in, the 70's model, it was like driving around on a big sofa. Trouble was you had to
keep getting out to put more fuel in it.
Cheers,
Bob
Lexus IS200 was pretty smooth.
But for budget comfort my £37.50 (yes decimal place is right) Triumph Acclaim, that was like driving a sofa!
A few years ago i was given a h-reg 1.8 sierra sapphire for free from one of my mates. It was such a comfy car, didnt have loads of toys but felt like you were driving about on your sofa. I ran it for 6 months and it was excellent realy wish i hadnt got rid of it.
Loved my old CX...
[img]
[/img]
Had a couple of Citeon BX's in my time when the Hydro S***tic suspension worked carpet ride ( good for hitting Sleeping policemen at silly Speeds as well )
Lexus is220d. I think its the air conditioned seats, nothing like having your balls blown at 70mpg
quote:
Originally posted by franky
Lexus is220d. I think its the air conditioned seats, nothing like having your balls blown at 70mpg
Depends what you're looking for - do you mean comfortable as in ride/seat, or luxurious: Some cars are great when you spen most of your time
stuck in a traffic jam, but are rubbish at speed or on twisty roads because they roll so much.
My favourites:
Jag XJ40 probably the best for those huge touring trips across europe on fast/ good roads
A BMW 3 or 5 series for long distance/more twisty stuff,
My Mk2 cortina had horrid, hard plastic seats, and rolled like it had no suspension when you pressed on a bit, but the seats shape suited the curve of
my back perfectly and its the only car I've never got backache in after a couple of hours (despite the fact I always look for lumbar support
adjustable seats etc), so that would probably be the best if I was going to take a job as a taxi driver! The honda Accords is a pretty comfortable
place to sit too, but rolls too much on corners and I don't like the handling much. The audis I've driven (various A3 and A4 models) all had
hard suspension and were noisy/crashy/tiring to drive compared to the equivalent era BMWs (on the country lanes and A roads where I drive most) - this
wont matter if you drive mostly in towns or motorways though.
Regards
Hugh
Anything with a torquey engine and an autobox makes me relax and we're already halfway there.
I also tend to avoid large wheels with unyeilding small sidewall tyres.
A size down in rim and a bit up in sidewall every time for me.
Anti fashion.
On that basis.
Current car, Passat B6, 2.0 TDI, 16" (not the cooler looking 18"
rims, DSG transmission.
It's more comfortable than lying in bed.
It's no sportscar but can make progress.
My S class Merc, was the most comfortable car ive owned, just sold it a couple of months ago, which I regret 
.
[img]
s class
[/img]
my old S reg v70 AWD turbo. Best Car Ive ever had
Best seats in a car I have had was two Volvo v70's.
Second best seats and most comfortable overall was a top spec disco II.
My Saab 9-5 is pretty good
driven: my dad's disco 3 in bog std. spec
owned: probably an xr4x4 that I never had on the road (got it for a donor but never used it) - it was quite comfy at 70mph on a stubble field even
with 2 broken springs :lol:
but if that doesn't count then it'll have to be my mk1 focus 
you might have guessed that comfort is not a big factor in my car choices - I'm driving a 1989 landrover 110 at the moment while my focus is off
the road (again 
) in preference to the disco 3...
I don't like most the sort of disconnected feeling you get from driving some of the 'comfortable' cars
[Edited on 18/10/2012 by mcerd1]
my current car the nissan bluebird, unlike modern cars the seats are big and really soft, suspensions soft too and very light steering. Haven't
been in a modern car that matched it, even BMW's. Fantastic for long distances
Most uncomfortable would be my SIII Landy, it's just horrid! the most unpleasent ride it could have and the inside is just awful, duct tape
everywhere, holes in the seats and so noisy it's pointless to fit a radio and smells like the inside of an oil drum. About 50miles and I've
got a headache
chalk and cheese the pair of them
[Edited on 18/10/12 by Mr Whippy]
e39 5 series touring with cloth interior, i could drive that thing all day long, its already got 180k on and still a nice smooth quiet ride, and i've slept in the boot many times, which is also quite comfy, but it bit cold sometimes!
quote:
Had a couple of Citeon BX's in my time when the Hydro S***tic suspension worked carpet ride ( good for hitting Sleeping policemen at silly Speeds as well )
2005 Range Rover Vogue. The whole family would stay sat in it rather than go in the house. You could use the remote to pre-heat the seats and cabin or set a timer. I really miss the heated steering wheel...
Most comfy - Volvo 440 - super comfy seats, and very soft suspension!
Most comfortable mile muncher - Volvo 960 LWB 3.0l with slush box and all the toys... You could cover whole continents without feeling tired. We drove
3000 miles in 4 days and still felt well enought to party hard each night!
SAAB 9-5, no comparison with any other cars I have had: 6 beemers from 316i to 535i, 2 ford grannies,Rover SD1,2 Ford Mondeo's,
Citroen CX, Citreon BX, Jeep Cherokee, Isuzu Trooper, Mercedes C220 and a few others, over 47 years.
I have a lower back problem and we regularly travel up to Portsoy, between Banf and Elgin, a 10 hour journey, the only car I have done the trip in
without having to be helped out, was/is the 9-5.
Smooth ride, classic range rover, had later ones and the air suspension was just not as nice.
Most comfy, facelift XJS for me.
A 2008 Audi A6 Avant.
Probably my old G reg' Passat closely followed by the Fury. Only two cars I could/can spend all day in and my back not get bad.
citroen zantia , get my vote
had it three yrs really comfy ride
Best driving position, seat firmness, control layout that suited me, leg position etc - my old Capri
Most comfortable and wafty - my old Hilux Surf SSRX
My current car - Focus ST. The MOST comfortable seats I've ever sat in, big thick heated leather Ricaro's, and great suspension.
Xantia for me too, it was sooooo comfy and relaxed.
Previous comments about large wheels and low profile tyres spot on, tends to ruin otherwise good cars.
Most comfortable Ive ever owned; Old L reg Renault Espace.
Most comfortable I've sat in; an old Citroen.
For me, it's a Citroen BX - when my kids were little and we'd just got the car, my son said "Let me know when we are about to go over
the railway lines" (near my house) - to which my reply was "Do you mean the ones we drove over 30 seconds ago?"
Unfortunately, although it was smooth and comfortable, it used to roll horribly on corners. I still bought 2 of them though...
PT Cruiser 2.2 CRD luxury
limited edition Sea mist Green
For me, a rover 75 with the 15inch wheels though. The optional 17s destroy the comfort and leave you with a terrible car.
Other than that the e34 518 my father in law gave me that we mildly restored (read got it an mot) was lovely to drive, very comfortable, but rolled
terribly.
Loads of votes for Citroens!!
May I add my Citroen GS, sadly deceased!!
Daft as it sounds, my Locost is very comfy. Felt fresh as a daisy after marathon road trip to South of France.
Mate in Midget was crippled!!
Another vote for Citroen, this time my old XM estate , so much smoother and more comfotable than Xantia's or BXs
Saab Aero Coupe
Another vote for rover 75, i had the tourer, and if it was disiel , would still have it now
boring as f**k but was by far one of the best cars ive owned
quote:
Originally posted by Marcus
Loads of votes for Citroens!!
Either of the two 5 series I've had. Great cars.
Got to be my 2006 jag XJR, the only thing it was uncomfortable on was the pocket when it came to filling up regularly
I have my own business and drive lots of different cars I have a few customers with s60 and v70 volvos and the seats are like armchairs v comfy but maybe im getting old....
My first SD1 was v comfy. Saying that, shortly after I bought my bus (Espace IV), I drove from Kent to Paris then on to Luxembourg and wasn't too
stiff getting out Now nearly had the bus 5 years - longest I've ever kept a tin top, and just over 60k!
ATB
Simon
quote:
Originally posted by zilspeed
Anything with a torquey engine and an autobox makes me relax and we're already halfway there.
I also tend to avoid large wheels with unyeilding small sidewall tyres.
A size down in rim and a bit up in sidewall every time for me.
Anti fashion.
On that basis.
Current car, Passat B6, 2.0 TDI, 16" (not the cooler looking 18"
It's more comfortable than lying in bed.
It's no sportscar but can make progress.
With all honesty, the seats in my Luego are the perfect fit.......I mean that.....but the ride kind of takes the 'comfort' out of
it....
Other than that....I used to regularly cover the 1200 miles from S Wales to Inverness and back (weekly)....and my Sierra 2.0 GLSi was like an
armchair....only bettered by my WRX.....although SWMBO reckons that our diesel Astra was the best....
Certainly the most uncomfortable was our Rover 214....nearly broke my back in that one......then again, maybe my back is an odd shape......
All that said, I was lucky enough to drive a Passat diesel hire car from Munich to Turin 10 years ago.....and it sticks in my mind as the best drive
ever and got out the other end like a new man.....
quote:
Originally posted by theduck
For me, a rover 75 with the 15inch wheels though. The optional 17s destroy the comfort and leave you with a terrible car.
Other than that the e34 518 my father in law gave me that we mildly restored (read got it an mot) was lovely to drive, very comfortable, but rolled terribly.
My old bosses Bentley Turbo, it was like a gentleman's club on wheels, complete with leather armchairs......bloody quick as well
Sorry just read the 'owned' bit, that would be the current 5 series tourer. 8 spd auto is so relaxing to drive.
[Edited on 19/10/12 by Wadders]
I remember my friend being yet another fan of the old Citroen's, even the hatchback one (ax?) was still really comfortable. Unfortunately
I've never owned a car that I would call 'comfortable', as my car history is predominantly Vauxhall...
quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
I remember my friend being yet another fan of the old Citroen's, even the hatchback one (ax?) was still really comfortable. Unfortunately I've never owned a car that I would call 'comfortable', as my car history is predominantly Vauxhall...
2005 Subaru Outback Premium edition - one of the most comfortable and quiet long range cruising cars around - never felt tired at the end of long stints behind the wheel (even after a few 11 hour 1200 km trips some of which was on bad roads and as the only driver) Have promised myself another one as my retirement car one day.
Mine has to be my last car, rx8 231 fully loaded with all extras.
But given the type of cars I usually own, apart from my first car which was a 206, it is pretty much the only car that was comfortable lol.
So then, do we conclude that the majority of medium and up sized cars with smaller rims and bigger tyres are reasonably comfortable to drive?
Or...that you get used to a car's seats unless they really don't work for your particular frame?
Or...that everyone has a different frame and has found a car that suits this?
Strikes me tht all the development money and time OEMs put into seat design around the bell curve of human beings has paid off
On the other hand it could be that most of us have limited experience!
Still rate my old mk1 Leon Cupra TDI as the best all round car I've had. Others would curse the stiff suspension and 17" rims, but the firm
supportive seats, driving position, drive train, climate control, pretty much everything just worked in harmony for me for 100k miles in 3 years.
best i remember is a 406 v6 exec, just nice and soft, with a nice armrest. I think a decent armrest is probably as important as the soft springs.
Rover 75 for me. Lovely piped leather heated, electric, memory seats
Comfiest car ever. Took a few folk in it with BMWs mercs Etc and they all said rover a quieter smoother ride
Cars just get more 'comfortable' - 10 years ago I would have have said Saab because I loved them - but I drove a 10 year old one recently
and compared to my newish latest model company Passat it was pretty horrible in all respects tbh (yes, including seats). I wouldn't really call
either a 'drivers' car though
quote:
Originally posted by loggyboy
Lexus IS200 was pretty smooth.
But for budget comfort my £37.50 (yes decimal place is right) Triumph Acclaim, that was like driving a sofa!
Citroen XM 2 litre turbo automatic for me. Had the thing for just two weeks bu what a car. Best seats ever, combined with the magic carpet ride
suspension and (indeed!) a decent armrest. As a close second: Volvo V70 2.5T AWD automatic. Almost as comfy and a lot better put together.
Worst: the MK, 106 Rallye, my current Megane GT (18" wheels with low-profile tires), Alfa 147 (slammed to the ground version ;-)). In that order.
More or less.
quote:
Originally posted by sebastiaan
Citroen XM 2 litre turbo automatic for me. Had the thing for just two weeks bu what a car. Best seats ever, combined with the magic carpet ride suspension and (indeed!) a decent armrest. As a close second: Volvo V70 2.5T AWD automatic. Almost as comfy and a lot better put together.
Worst: the MK, 106 Rallye, my current Megane GT (18" wheels with low-profile tires), Alfa 147 (slammed to the ground version ;-)). In that order. More or less.