Any large diesel estate - Ride comfort

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Mon 23 Jan 2012 12:07
Any large diesel estate - Ride comfort - Peter.N.

I know this subject has been done to death but I haven't yet seen a really objective answer that meets my needs.

I have been running hydropnumatic citroens for the last 25 years or so and have got used to there excellent ride, my last XMs are coming to the end of their lives and I am looking for a suitable secondhand large estate car that has a good ride. My only requirement is that I don't feel the bumps, I don't care about handling I don't drive fast enough.

I have recently purchased a Peugeot 406 Hdi estate estate which is very nice to drive but the ride is dreadful in spite of the fact that the car is reviewed as having a good ride. I am thinking possibly about a Merc E class as the handling is described as being a bit wooly which is just what I want. A '50s american car would suit me fine but you can't get those with a common rail diesel!

Why do so many modern cars feel as though they don't have any suspension? I didn't feel the bumps with my last Morris Oxford.

Can anyone help, or does my dream car not exist?

Thanks, Peter

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Mon 23 Jan 2012 12:31
Any large diesel estate - Ride comfort - daveyjp

Jag X type SE with 16 inch wheels.

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Mon 23 Jan 2012 13:10
Any large diesel estate - Ride comfort - craig-pd130

How about a Citroen C5 estate? They have the latest generation hydropneumatics and have been around for a while.

Also, if you're running XMs you're probably connected to the independent Citroen experts ...

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Mon 23 Jan 2012 13:38
Any large diesel estate - Ride comfort - Peter.N.

I have considered a C5 but they seem to be fraught with problems and are not nearly as well built as the XM - I might be persuaded if I can't find anything else. They are not very easy to work on and I don't bend as easily as I used to.

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Mon 23 Jan 2012 14:21
Any large diesel estate - Ride comfort - craig-pd130

I'm not putting any spin on this but I thought the XMs had a bit of a reputation (the plug-in earth connectors, etc etc), what problems does the C5 range have?

Only driven an XM briefly (a '93 2.0 petrol turbo estate auto) which I enjoyed, although the engine and gearbox didn't seem to be communicating with each other particularly well ... I remember spending what seemed like an eternity heaving on the throttle before the thing kicked down ...

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Mon 23 Jan 2012 14:46
Any large diesel estate - Ride comfort - madf

The C5 has a well deserved reputation for electrical gremlins... teh ability to design and build modern electronics systems to operate in bad conditions appear to be beyong the wit of Citroen when combined with complex bits and pieces added. . Sounds a sif there are interactions with failed parts affecting others..

Very noticeable on older cars..Luck of draw stuff.. Some good some terrible. Beyond the ability of many dealers to fix.

I'd not contemplate an older C5 .. too much risk.

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Mon 23 Jan 2012 15:49
Any large diesel estate - Ride comfort - ChannelZ

Try a Mk3 Mondeo on 16" wheels. My hatchback Mondeo on 16" steels is pretty smooth, smoother than for example an Octavia, which is supposed to be comfortable.

Vectras are OK too, again if you avoid the SRI spec. The standard suspension can be a bit floaty and bum-clenching on corners, though.

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Mon 23 Jan 2012 16:10
Any large diesel estate - Ride comfort - Peter.N.

Thanks for all your comments so far folks. The Mondeo is something I had considered, floaty suspension I don't mind and the smaller the wheels and larger the tyres the better, I will have to see if I can try one.

I should have mentioned Its got to be manual. I have been running XMs for over 15 years and have never had a fault I could not repair although I agree the electrics are not the best, the later ones are much better. Having been an electronics engineer for all my working life I still rather quake at the C5 system, I do have a Lexia but haven't been able to get it to work yet.

I am waiting for a friend to loan me a Mercedes E class to try, does anyone have an opinion on their ride?

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Mon 23 Jan 2012 17:05
Any large diesel estate - Ride comfort - madf

Try an Avensis.. Big and comfortable.. Lots of taxi drivers cannot be all wrong..

Mercedes are a piece of junk: quality of electronics would make Citroen blush.. And if it's more than 6 years old, so will the rust. Lots of designed in faults#.. Of course if you can afford £700 per service.... Designed to pay for Mercedes glass palaces.

# carbonned in injectors and glow plugs can cost ££££s..

Edited by madf on 23/01/2012 at 17:08

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Mon 23 Jan 2012 17:11
Any large diesel estate - Ride comfort - craig-pd130

A Mondeo IV with standard suspension and 16" wheels with 55-profile tyres (standard Zetec trim) has an excellent ride on pretty much any surface -- I had one for 3+ years and nearly 40K miles, it was absorbent and supple without ever being wallowy.

The NVH suppression is also very good, very little road noise comes into the cabin. They're also exceptionally roomy & comfortable.

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Mon 23 Jan 2012 18:42
Any large diesel estate - Ride comfort - cologne2792

He is the independent Citroen experts!

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Mon 23 Jan 2012 21:16
Any large diesel estate - Ride comfort - Collos25

A Chrysler 300m estate diesel an e class under the skin and wallows around like a rubber life boat.

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Tue 24 Jan 2012 15:22
Any large diesel estate - Ride comfort - Oli rag

I'm surprised you find the 406 poor, is their something wrong with the dampers? The one and only time I travelled in a 406 I thought the ride was excellent.

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Tue 24 Jan 2012 17:16
Any large diesel estate - Ride comfort - brignac

One of the old Volvo 940/960s would fit the bill, although not sure how many are still available...

They offer exactly the ride you are after

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Tue 24 Jan 2012 17:17
Any large diesel estate - Ride comfort - Peter.N.

Probably not poor when compared with an Audi or BMW but definitly hard compared with the XM, I have to travel over about a quarter of a mile of forest track to reach the road and when I get there its full of potholes, you can feel the big holes in the Citroen but once you get moving on the lanes the XM is smooth. Having driven hydropnumatics for many years I have got used to them and anything with springs feels hard - apart perhaps for the big Jags, but they don't do a manual estate.

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