Having just got rid of a small hatch because the ride was so hard and "knobbly" -- yes, I know I should have road tested it first- but how many times does one find that your favoured model is not available?- I am finding great difficulty in buying something that gives me a comfortable ride, when our roads have never needed better suspension! I need a compact car, heavy enough to occasionally pull a small 2-berth caravan, so 100hp diesel is needed. I had 3 years happy motoring in a Skoda Fabia 1.9, which met all my requirements, comfortably- but its replacement is proving difficult. Don't suggest the new one-I've tried it. As soon as I request the big diesel in so many models the spec. shoots up to include"big alloys" and low-profile tyres. Road tests and my experience shows that low profiles are harder, and in every case I find the base model has a smoother ride-- but not the engine I want. Why are we offered a firm ride after over 110 years of suspension development, and worse road surfaces?
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I agree, I blame many insecure motoring journalists who think they're cool if they slag a car off as being wallowy and all over the place if it doesn't ride like a pallet truck.
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Skoda Fabia (100 bhp) diesel? But newer than the one you sold ;-) ?
Can you go bigger than a Fabia?
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Buy the one you want and negotiate to swap the wheels with the lower specced one?
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Learned a lot since I started this, and also from the responses from contributors. Yes, Kia Cee'd dealer will swap to larger section tyres fitted to "base" model - tried a Focus Zetec 1.6 TDi-- "Sports" suspension hard and Knobbly (in my humble opinion) but hint from dealer that the low profile alloys could also be changed for the steel wheels and softer tyres-so a possibility there. The most tempting is the Toyota Auris, also with a promise to revert to low spec wheels and tyres in the T3 version with 6-speed box and 2.0 litre diesel. Quite a compact car, but still not as bump-absorbing as I would like. Might try a Skoda Octavia, but a bit large. Decisions,decisions- the buying process is not the happy one it was when I baught my beloved old model Fabia-it did everything I wanted!
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Try a Megane with the 1.5 106hp DCi engine, it's very comfortable to ride in, decent power and weight for pulling. Even with fat tyres and low profile tyres my wifes megane irons out the road and gives a great ride for long distances and over our local cobbles. Shop around and your get a new one for less than 11k.
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Ahem!!
Berlingo?
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Ahem!! Berlingo?
And i'll second that.
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Correct....Berlingo HDI should do the job just fine
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As an off the wall alternative, try a non-turbo Subaru Forster. gumball tyres, long suspension travel and well designed for towing.
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My Berlingo rides on 175/70 R14 tyres. I suspect that not many cars today do that.
And yes, the ride is excellent.
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The Megane rides quite well despite its silly 17 inch wheels but nothing like Renaults of yesteryear. Renault 25 anyone? Ah yes.
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I think it's because so many makes effectively tried to model their suspension balance on a Germanic style of firm suspension. Certainly no French cars I've ridden in recently have anything like the ride of a Renault in the 1980s or a Citroen BX even though all of those such cars were conspiciously lighter than the current breed.
So many manufacturers seem unable or unwilling to produce a "workhorse" type car these days unless it is a 4x4...so mid range/large cars such as Volvos and Saabs all look a bit like middle aged people in running shoes..So all cars are expected to have low profile tyres fit for 130mph autobahn cruising.
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I buy cars based on ride quality and ability over speed humps.
I road test them based on that. (No test = no sale).
I tried a variety of small cars and found most were unbearable over bad surfaces.
Yaris has 175/65 x14 tyres: quite acceptable.
Some low profile tyres are so low I could virtuallly guarantee to scrape the rims on some potholes.
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Try a Megane with the 1.5 106hp DCi engine it's very comfortable to ride in decent power and weight for pulling.
Seconded. I ran one as a company car in Dynamique estate (sorry, Sports Tourer) guise, and it was a brilliantly comfy mile muncher.
I really liked the car. Comfy, smooth, quiet, lively and effortless. 60 MPG easily achievable on a run, but plenty quick enough when you need it. Not as good in the corners as the mk1 Focus it replaced, but I felt less tired and more alert after 400 miles in this than after 50 in the Focus.
Cheers
DP
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Am I missing something here? If you want a nice comfortable car there are many available for you to buy. If you want a small citycar, then buy one of those instead.
The two do not really converge so expecting them to do so will result in the unsatisfaction displayed in this thread.
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Have you thought about getting the base model and then getting the engine chipped to the spec you want.
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The two do not really converge so expecting them to do so will result in the unsatisfaction displayed in this thread.
But why not? What rule is there to say this is the case? Why can't there be a Polo/207/Fabia/Clio sized car that has comfortable seats and suspension, plus a large diesel engine that will eat up the miles and overtake easily?
I agree with the OP, that the manufacturers have read the market wrong, and not every customer wants a sports set up and rock hard ride to go with a powerful engine.
peanut.
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I have zero sympathy with this thread.
You have free choice and a selection of makers and dealers who let you test drive.
Anothet bunch of whingeing poms:-)))
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Peanut - the answer is cars such as the Citroen BX diesel or turbo diesel but even more so cars from the mid to late 80's by Peugeot - the 305 in particular had a superb ride quality and good diesel engines, also the 205 was comfy, compact and with XUD engine the perfect combination. 405 similarly.
Nothing similar today unless you go for a base model Clio or 207 with modest 175/65 tyres but then you have potential problems of modern common rail diesel or electronic problems long term.
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I have zero sympathy with this thread. You have free choice and a selection of makers and dealers who let you test drive.
Having just bought a new car that fits this spec (small-ish car, comfortable and a diesel engine with some oomph), and having done all the research and test drives, I beg to differ, madf.
What I found that was that some cars and spec combinations were very hard to find, and even harder to get a test drive in. For example, I eventually gave up getting a test drive in a 1.9TDi Polo - the dealer said that they were extremely rare, and didn't manage to get his hands on one to test drive. Can't help but wonder that they are rare because no-one buys them, because they can't test drive them, because they are rare.
I don't think there is the choice - like the OP said, larger diesel engine means sports set-up in the minds of the manufacturers. Guess it plays well to the marketing dept and brand image. The base spec models don't seem to have the larger engines.
Peanut.
PS Settled on a Fiesta Zetec S TDCi - flippin' amazing car, and surprisingly comfortable given its 'sports' dsigination.
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