Smoothest Riding New Car?

L

Legal Eagles

Joined
Jun 15, 2021
Messages
166
As I get older, I find I miss the "land barge" ride of the old Cadillacs and Lincolns... you know, the zero road feel, floating down the road like sitting on your couch, ponderous ride. Throwing fuel economy and modern suspensions to the wind... the kind of car that you more "point" than drive... like an aircraft carrier on wheels...

One used to get something similar in the Chevy Caprice and old Lincoln Town Cars, but of course those are gone and good specimens are getting harder to find... I have a Grand Marquis with air suspension that is pretty nice, but it will not last forever...

All the "new" (2020+) vehicles I have driven, including large "luxury" brands, as well as the Chevy Suburban and Ford Expedition seem "harsher" than the Caddies and Lincolns of old (and even my Grand Marquis although the 16 year old suspension may have something to do with the softness. Vehicles today seem oriented more toward "sport" or "performance" than pure comfort. The Lexus LS is close, but even it does not have the swaying "ride on a cloud" quality of the old land barges.

I stipulate for purposes of this discussion that modern cars are better by almost every metric, but if your grandfather wanted a large car (which can hold 4 golf bags) with the softest ride possible and zero road feel, what would you recommend? Is it even possible to get a car like that anymore? Thanks for helping out an old man (at least in my mind...)
 
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These are really smooth riding. :ROFLMAO:
 
Rand said:
anything Long wheelbase + air ride
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Even these (like the Suburban) seem tuned more to performance than in the past... the steering and handling are more precise, with more feedback and road feel than the land barge I am looking for... the market apparently has passed me by...
 
I think a lot of this actually boils down to the seats themselves. I test drove an Impala in about 2015 and told the salesman that the seats SUCKED! He said they are making them that way now because the Chinese market likes harder seats. I told him to go sell it in China then, and walked.
Contrast this to the seats in my 2008 DTS, which several passengers commented on how comfy the seats were. In fact, my wife would fall asleep almost any trip we took in my last 3 Caddys.
I now have a 2018 E300 luxury with air suspension. Car rides really nice, not Caddy like, but the seats, though leather, are stiff as well. It kinda destroys the whole feel of the car itself.
The closest I have come recently to any car that rode like the Caddy, and was just as quiet, was a BIG KIA! I say big, because they don't make them any more, it's a 2009 Amanti!

So, this ends up being a Korean car, built for the American market. And guess which ride they were trying to achieve? Right, the Cadillac!
This thing just keeps going FOREVER, owned by a person that "maybe" changes oil and puts tires on it when somebody tells her to!

Amazing.
 
Its the big wheels and short tire sidewalls. Pick the smallest wheel on the vehicle you like. My mazda was available and came with either 20 inch or 17 inch wheels. I had them take off the 20 inch and swap them for the 17 off another mazda. Ride was much better on 17's.

I hate large wheels and short sidewalls especially on non sports cars.
 
JohnnyG said:
I think a lot of this actually boils down to the seats themselves.
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You know, you may be on to something... I had not considered the seats... part of the feeling of riding down the road on your couch is the fact the seats themselves feel like your couch! The sidewall comment is something to think on as well...
 
Legal Eagles said:
You know, you may be on to something... I had not considered the seats... part of the feeling of riding down the road on your couch is the fact the seats themselves feel like your couch! The sidewall comment is something to think on as well...
Click to expand...
Ram 1500 is pretty comfy despite solid axle they have rear coils.
 
Rand said:
Ram 1500 is pretty comfy despite solid axle they have rear coils.
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I agree, however it’s pretty comfy “for a truck”, I’m not knocking it though as I absolutely love mine. It definitely rides harsher than our grand caravan… I have a road I drive daily and in the truck it makes me jiggle like I’m on one of those fat vibrating workout machine things, in the van you can barely tell the road is all wash boarded.

But yeah… minivan. It’s like riding a cloud. My 2016 300S was also pretty smooth, but less in a land barge kind of way and more in a tightly controlled sort of way, but it had the “sport” suspension and 245/45r20 wheels and tires. I’m sure the models with 18’s or their luxury trim are more land barge like.
 
dishdude said:
At what price point? I'd think an S class or an A8 L would be a nice riding car.
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JohnnyG said:
The S class would be good too, if you want to pay the price.
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If your grandfather wanted a land barge, would you really recommend an A8L or an S-Class... those are driver's cars and way out of my budget... I am looking for something that "floats" not "drives"...
 
Legal Eagles said:
If your grandfather wanted a land barge, would you really recommend an A8L or an S-Class... those are driver's cars and way out of my budget... I am looking for something that "floats" not "drives"...
Click to expand...
Have you ever driven an S class?
I always buy CPO. The only issue I had with the last S Class I test drove is the wife and I couldn't figure out how to attach the fender flags! :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:
 
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