I read the previous thread about Top Gear and their fixation with speed etc. and I thought it about time we put comfort on the agenda. Most modern cars are adequately fast, so we will all get where we want to go in reasonable time - but are they all comfortable enough?
I'll start the ball rolling, with the objective of teasing out: a) the most comfortable car, and b) the most uncomfortable car. My nomination for the most uncomfortable is the Renault Scenic. My wife and I recently spent a holiday in Scotland with another couple and used our two cars alternately for day trips. Mine is a Xantia - my pal's is a Scenic.
The Scenic's bearable in the front, but the back is atricious. How did Renault design the seats and suspension? The back seats must have been designed for dwarves and the suspension for JCB drivers who are on holiday. Anybody lured to one of these vehicles by their excellent space packaging needs to sit and ride in the back before parting with their money.
Anybody care to disagree and/or nominate the most comfortable car?
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toyota camry is comfy, and under rated
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I went from permanent cronic backache in a Fiat Marea to permanent chronic backache in a Mercedes C180 to utter,total bliss in a Vauxhall Omega.
This is almost certainly due to the long seat and the fact that the seat can be tilted back to ensure support of back of knee when feet are on the pedals.
I've done a day's work in Edinburgh followed by a drive to Southampton and felt fine in the morning.
However, this is the voice of a 6'4" lanky git, so shorties might find it otherwise.
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As someone of normal size (5'7") I hired an Omega for a one day sprint from Sussex to North Devon and back. I simply could not get comfortable in it and finished with chronic back pain. My Volvo 740 is the most comfortable in all the seats with my Renault 19 a close second. Most uncomfortable was my old Mazda E2200 van.
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the most comfortable car seat i had was in a bluebird.
the primera was a better car but the seats were new and improved(not)
still i had a vauxhall tigra after that and sufferred back,knee,neck,shoulder and arm ache, as well as heartache for buying such a totally impractical car.
Back to a lovely comfortable Nissan (Almera) now so i am happy again
N
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Another vote for the Omega. Lovely car.
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Most comfortable car My old 1986 Carlton. Broke my heart when she failed an MOT and had to be put down.
Most uncomfortable a basic Renault Clio I was loaned as a courtesy car after my current Carlton was in for some body repairs.
Glad to hear the Omega is comfortable for us bigger chaps intend to make it my next car.
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I know it's not quite what Ian is getting at, but the most uncomfortable TRIP I have ever endured was in a Porsche 2.7 RS, ex-race car, with no trim and no heater, from Copthorne to Donnington Park and back one snowy December day. We were three-up, but car had a full roll cage. As a passenger the option was the front left seat with no heater and frozen feet, or twisted round the cage in the back but with at least a bit of heat from the gearbox below ! Uncomfortable most certainly, but also one of the most fun days ever, with a competent and trusted driver and very little traffic. Often sideways up the M1, and an indecent average speed - I know, totally unsociable and irreverent and naughty, but still fun ! Bonus was that the museum was almost empty due to the weather, the only other visitor being the revered racing journalist Denis Jenkinson.
Most comfortable driving position ever was a Hillman Avenger Tiger, closely followed by an early Rover 216 Vitesse. Current Volvo V40 takes some beating overall however.
Happy days, Adam
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The most uncomfortable car I have ever driven (We have a fleet of 400 or so at work of different makes and types) was a 97 model Vectra. This thing was sheer purgatory no matter how much the seat was fiddled with.
Being a regular sized type I was surprised given that this was a mass market car.
as ever
Mark
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If you're on to discomfort, the Shogun Pinin must take the biscuit. Had one on rent today (no I didn't expect, or ask for, this model - it was just the car they gave me) and I've never driven anything that bounced about so much. On the concrete section of the A34 it got into a lovely rythm and shook me about something wicked. Didn't realised how bad it was on 'normal' roads 'till I got back into our Corsa. Avoid!
Regards
john
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the most comfortable was my 92 Merc 190e. You only realised just how comfortable those hard seats were when you drove long journeys. No aches or pains. Least comfortable was a Peugeot 405. You needed very short legs and a had to be less than 6 foot tall, however, I could forgive that car almost anything because the handling was so good.
In recent years, the bmw 5 series was uncomfortable on long runs. The Golf is surprisingly good on long runs, more leg room and head room than I expected and the seats just right for me.
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No beating the 'oldies' for comfort. Lots of them, specially the De Luxe versions had overstuffed armchairs and sofa's (column gearchange) for seats. You could slouch in the most comfortable position with no worries about posture control or seat belts. I would say that one of the most comfortable cars ever was the Rover P6. I think I'm right in saying that the seats in this car formed part of the suspension to a greater degree than others of the same era.
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I remember someone who had Renault 16 seats as chairs in his flat, very comfy, car leaned like a dinghy doing roll tacks in light airs though.
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I would nominate the old Renault 21 - never an ache over hundreds of miles a day. Mind you I've no complaints with the Ford Focus either
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Beg Pardon, Andrew?
5'7" Normal? Vertically challenged, more like. I'm surprised you could see over the Omega's dashboard.
Vin
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