In a discussion we had last autumn about the relative merits of my ageing but reliable Volvo S60 and a new C30 as my regular solo motorway transport, Honest Superhans offered this opinion:
?the C30 shares its platform with the Focus (no bad thing but not a motorway cruiser like the S60).
And that set me thinking. What is a motorway cruiser? What are the requirements for a good one? And does it have to be big?
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I find my 2.0 TDCI Focus a comfortable motorway cruiser, cruise control engaged of course. Seriously though, it is powerful, comfortable, and quiet at a 70ish cruise. I would not have a car without cruise control.
Edited by Old Navy on 09/02/2009 at 10:58
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Missed the edit by miles -
The six speed gearbox helps with refinement, 2000rpm = 70mph, 75mph indicated.
Edited by Old Navy on 09/02/2009 at 11:26
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What is a motorway cruiser? What are the requirements for a good one? And does it have to be big?
Generally, the bigger the engine and the higher the gearing the better will be the motorway cruising abilities.
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A long wheelbase. Good seats and low wind noise/pillar rustle.
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A powerful engine, lots of aerials and battenburg paintwork?
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Quiet Engine, Quiet Ride, Soft supple ride, Low revs at 70, comfy seats, auto, cruise control, climate control.
Usually all provided by a big exec car with a biggish engine. Or larger engined Vectras with all the toys, which was built as a motorway rep crusier. Or a C5.
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Quiet Engine Quiet Ride Soft supple ride Low revs at 70 comfy seats auto cruise control climate control.
And a decent stereo/iPod connectivity.
My Mercedes E320CDI fits the bill perfectly!
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A good cruiser will not only have long gearing and be virtually noiseless at speed, but will have a limousine smooth ride and the ability to accelerate from 60mph to 80mph in the twinkling of an eye.
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Main issue is around comfort - quiet at speed, comfy seats, A/C etc.
Also needs to have enought grunt to overtake at motorway speeds.
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Requirements for an excellent mile-muncher:
High speed stability is a must aided by several factors.
- Long wheelbase, wide track and low body keep centre of gravity closer to the road.
- Larger wheels generate greater inertia making the car less inclined to 'wander', go too large and you'll ruin the ride.
-Supple suspension that can keep the bumps firmly in check while maintaining a good ride quality.
Also important is the engine/drivetrain.
- Large capacity, low output units generate lots of low-down torque or 'shove' making for effortless cruising. Turbo diesels are also good.
- High gearing and/or 6th gear means the engine can just tick over at motorway speeds, a torquey engine is required though.
As for the rest of the car.
- Effective sound deadening and noise insulation.
- Cruise control to easily maintain a constant speed.
- Comfortable and supportive seats are extremely important, this is where SAAB & Volvo excel.
- A host of other luxuries e.g. climate control and heated/ventilated seats, contribute to superior long distance comfort.
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Sounds like a job for a Volvo S80 D5 - especially as it has a superb sound system.
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Everyone has mentioned silent, comfortable cruising. Only one has mentioned effortless acceleration in the higher speed ranges, very important on motorways where press-on drivers are constantly baulked by mimsers and sometimes just the weight of traffic. And only one has mentioned high-speed stability, crucial to comfort at high cruising speeds when a car with restless road behaviour can be exhausting over a long mileage. I would add a capable chassis under braking, not necessarily found in motor-boat-like softly-sprung large cars (American cars in the past, although they seem to have improved).
A lot of people have mentioned cruise control. I still don't like it although I drove a Subaru Forester so equipped just a few weeks ago in New Zealand. If you have to override it every thirty seconds or minute or two at most it just seems a nuisance. On truly empty roads perhaps it would help one to doze, if that seems a good thing.
That silver Lexus hybrid tested by Martin Gurdon would probably be all right. But so would Blue's V6 Mondeo or BazzaBear's nice red Alfa.
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'Motorway cruiser': what makes a good one?
I munched 400 miles in six hours dead yesterday - Stirling to Wallingford - only the last 12 miles on single carriageway, left at 0900. One short stop at Stafford services for the usual.
The 405 TD (on diesel right now) was pretty easy at 75 indicated, and got through just over 40 litres. I find the 405 suspension set-up is pretty good.
My only problem was the radio coverage on the M74 - my RDS is not so good, and it was not holding R4 very well.
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Lud, as you have discovered, appropriate use is the secret of cruise control. It takes a while to get it sussed.
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Sounds like a job for a Volvo S80 D5 - especially as it has a superb sound system.
Funny you should say that, because on paper the S80 D5 should be the best of the best, but I've found my 2005 one is not that great because the vague steering makes motorways less relaxing that you might think. Other that that, it's does everything else as described here perfectly.
The new S80 D5 isn't so great either, thanks to a slightly noisy engine and an annoying plastic section jutting out by your left knee, stopping you from resting it. After 300+ miles it can actually be a bit painful.
In fact, in the real world, my old Vectra 1.9 CDTI (even with SRi suspension) was better than either S80 for long motorway runs!
I regularly do the Brum-Perth route (Scotland, not Oz! ;), so I've a fair bit of experience of these kind of runs too.
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Please stop making me think about VW Phaetons! I still want one when I know I should be getting a Mazda 6 (which I may well go out and get this week if I can find the time).
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Any big from Lexus, Jaguar, Mercedes, Audi, BMW etc etc. But how about a Citroen C6? Or CX GTi turbo for the classic enthusiasts.
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A National Express coach?
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Ha - a very good suggestion, if I could choose my fellow passengers.
I went to the Cheltenham Gold Cup a couple of times with some mates and we hired the luxury coach regularly used by MUFC. It was supremely comfortable as a passenger, and the ability to get up and walk around (and go for a wee) made the comfort even better.
Not sure I would like to drive one all the time though.....
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It'd be a pink fluffy dice to park but probably wouldn't get clamped though!
Edited by Webmaster on 09/02/2009 at 17:37
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AlanV
I saw my first VW Phaeton on A34 round Oxford a month ago - did look the biz
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I saw my first VW Phaeton on A34 round Oxford a month ago - did look the biz
They do have a very understated presence. Kind of classless elegance and simplicity.
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A 11 years old Lexus LS400 for sub £2k with FSH is unbeatble.
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My (old model) diesel Superb is an unexpectedly good motorway cruiser. I actually bought it as a tow car but it is unexpectedly good on a motorway. Rear comfort aside, as has been pointed out, a long wheelbase gives a stability bonus which was unexpected, but it's definitely better on a motorway than the equivalent Passat. High gearing, quietness and cruise are other attributes, although it could do with a better radio.
The diesel advantages are all well documented, but the ability to do a comfortable 600 miles to a tankfull is a great help in avoiding stops where fuel costs are excessive. I'd be lucky to cover that distance in one hop though...
659.
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Gah. Stobbit, AE. I'd just come to the very sensible, SWMBO driven decision that I shall get a Mazda 6, maybe even a 3, when Phaetons hove their irresistible bulk in to view once more.
Must. Buy. Mazda.
Edited by Alanovich on 09/02/2009 at 15:03
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The Phaeton has always been one of my favourite cars, ever since I first sat in one at a motorshow. A big, understated barge of a thing. Lovely.
I would only recommend buying one if you would frequently be in a position to enjoy its long-distance cruising abilities and weren't going to use it for day-to-day donkey work, AlanV. Early ones must be mega cheap by now.
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I'd agree with Lud and Espada think the 60-80 (or possibly 50-75) acceleration is the key point, and perhaps the hardest to judge without trying the thing. Curiously, the six-speed gearbox can be counterproductive here.
I have the luxury of two biggish, torquey diesels to compare - my 2.4-litre, 5-speed Volvo and our 2.2-litre, 6-speed Toyota Verso. Both will sustain motorway speeds comfortably and reasonably quietly. The Volvo will pull comfortably in 5th from 45 or so, and will be back at 70 after being baulked by a lorry as if nothing had happened; but the Verso in 6th doesn't want to drop below about 60, and its top-end sweet spot is more like 70-90, which is (a) less useful and (b) potentially, ahem, counterproductive.
Of the two, I much prefer the Volvo - and that's before you get on to its peerless seats and HU-803 audio system. Despite being a gear short, it also uses less fuel - presumably because of superior aerodynamics.
So we've heard a lot of big cars mentioned - Volvo, Lexus, Phaeton - but does anyone here do a regular long motorway trip in a smaller car, say Focus-size and with less than a 2.0 engine? At what point do the easy acceleration and relaxed manner drop away and leave you panting to keep up with the flow?
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our vw 1.9pd bora was a surprisingly good m-way cruiser. very little wind/road noise, the engine a muted rumble and supple suspension. plenty of power at that speed as well. now have a 2.0pd touran, suspension a bit stiffer but seems to be reasonably quiet. time will tell. jag.
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An empty motorway makes the best motorway cruise.
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I clock 30,000 business miles and 12k family miles. Mine is a 1.9 Cdi Megan Estate with cruise, air con, decent radio. Miss my 6-CD autochanger, but does 55+ on the 300 mile hike in 4.5 hours. Family - 2.2 espace - comfy chairs, quiet and great view. In both cases 6-speed, good overtaking ability and ability to see easily over shoulders etc on todays busy roads essential.
I recently did the journey in 1.2 petrol Punto and 1.4 petrol Corsa - never again. The rev's at 3500 hurt my ears compared to the 2000RPM of the diesels, and I found both very "twitchy" and less sure footed.
£20k for an 08 Pheaton - very tempting - but its only automatic...
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My recently acquired MK3 VW Golf GTi is good on the motorway. It's 2-litre 8v engine is very torquey whilst it acheives 70mph @ 3k revs, its quieter then many cars I've owned at that speed.
However, i doubt it's 16v version would be the same in that situation as I believe the gearing is lower.
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The big VAG diesels like the Superb will do 70 mph at a shade over 2000 rpm. Very relaxed cruising and will pull like a train to - erm - higher speeds.
659.
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I meant to say mine is the petrol version. :-)
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Two cars I've owned were excellent motorway cruisers - a Citroen Xantia diesel (went from Essex to Edinburgh without even a loo stop!) and a Saab 95 - Edinburgh to Exeter without a stop.
The Saab especially was super - lot of power, very comfortable and supportive seat, good sound system, and heavy enough not to get blown about by the trucks & gales over Beatock & Shap.
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All good, especially the 9-5 - a car that gives me a little twinge of regret that I've never had one, and probably now never will. But we're still on big cars - I don't think we've had anything smaller than Jag's Bora.
I'm curious about the question of a long wheelbase. I can understand that longer = more stable but how much do you need? The S60's wheelbase - so my benchmark - is 2,715mm; the C30's is 2,640mm - a difference of only 75mm, although the difference in overall length is much greater. Would that be enough to stop a C30 with a D5 engine being a top-drawer one-up cruiser like the S60?
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"but does anyone here do a regular long motorway trip in a smaller car, say Focus-size and with less than a 2.0 engine?"
I used to have a 1.8 Focus I which was excellent for longer trips until the drivers seat started collapsing at 40,000 or so miles, by 50,000 I had to get rid as it used to cause real pain to my lower back. In terms of performance I never found it lacking, but round town and when pushing on the mpg suffered - mid 20s round town, mid 30s at 80ish.
As others have said the ability to get from 50-70 quickly matters for motorway trips and the Audi is excellent in this regard even in 6th gear.
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Will, the biggest problem with the C30 on the motorway (from the day I borrowed a 2.4 auto version) was that the suspension was so hard, the car just bounced around too much and seemed to crash over the smoothest of roads.
The wheelbase issue didn't even come into it!
This stability thing is a funny thing to put down too, my S80 does get knocked around a lot less by high winds etc than our Zafira, but then the Zafira is much higher, so it's hard to really see what makes the biggest difference out of those two variables.
I don't remember the Vectra getting knocked around much, and the wheelbase on that was 2700 compared to a mighty 2791 for the S80.
So, I'm guessing you certainly don't need more than around 2.7 metres really. Maybe it makes more difference for towing perhaps?
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I can confirm that the Mondeo tdci is much better than a Boxster S as a motorway cruiser, mostly due to the large blindspot in the Boxster when the hood is up and also sixth gear is unusable until you're doing 90mph.
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Talking about smaller motorway cruisers:
My MG ZR I had a very comfortable seating for longer journeys & can easily keep a constant speed too, this was the 1.4 btw.
The Ford Fiesta I had previous to that had an awfully uncomfortable seat for any journey over an hour until I borrowed my Dad's cushion, it wasn't so bad.
My old Pug 205 1.1 was good at motorway work despite no working radio, it had a good fuel tank range of 500 miles on a good run. The seats were comfortable despite they had covers over them. The only criticism I had with it on the motorway was because it had a tallish body, you felt like you were being pushed about in windy conditions.
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