Comfortable car for a weekly commute
Discussion
Asked this question before and have been through a few cars for my daily, looking for a comfortable car to drive 300 mile round trip Isle of Wight to st Neots, at present have a 530d E39, previously Jag s type diesel, Audi A6, Bmw 330d, really fancy a l322 range rover 4.4 diesel, budget is up to £12000, any other suggestions must be diesel and very comfortable, something that will waft along at 70mph on motorways and under 5metres long ( ferry prices)
Nothing with low profile tyres or sports suspension, if wafting is the criteria. I have a disco 4, and apart from the fuel consumption it's a wonderful long distance companion. Having said that, on the long runs even the mpg isn't so bad, seeing 34-35 mpg+ doesn't take a lot of effort. Regularly in the lower 30's though.
GreatGranny said:
Those seats look very comfortable, especially the rears.Mercedes CLS350cdi:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202205286...
Infiniti FX GT: Not an RR but they're loaded & you'll get a nice one with sensible miles, there's also the bonus that these are ULEZ/CAZ compliant:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202205165...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202203153...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202205286...
Infiniti FX GT: Not an RR but they're loaded & you'll get a nice one with sensible miles, there's also the bonus that these are ULEZ/CAZ compliant:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202205165...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202203153...
ninjag said:
GreatGranny said:
Those seats look very comfortable, especially the rears.In my experience of wanting a similar car, which includes Lexus LS400, Mercedes E class and Audi A8, surprisingly none of them were particularly comfortable.
For me, larger Volvos, Saab 9-5s (not 9-3s) and large french cars were the most comfortable. The first two were also more reliable, but the french stuff tends to be cheaper to buy or newer for the budget, depending on how you look at it.
You will get far better MPG out of a 2 litre diesel than out of a 4.4 litre Range Rover. I haven't sat in one, but when I was researching middle sized tow cars recently with a £10k budget in mind, the BMW X3 in either 2 litre or 3 litre guise kept coming to the top on spec and bang for buck, and was capable of 50 mpg or thereabouts.
Know what you mean about the IOW ferry - I felt lucky last summer to get away with £185 return for car and caravan (12 metres total length) from Southampton. The worst was £388 from Lymington to Yarmouth, which is a quarter the distance. Most expensive vehicle ferry crossing in the world per mile, I read somewhere. Felt a tad off-ripped, but the caravan site itself was about the same amount cheaper as a consequence, so it wasn't all bad news.
For me, larger Volvos, Saab 9-5s (not 9-3s) and large french cars were the most comfortable. The first two were also more reliable, but the french stuff tends to be cheaper to buy or newer for the budget, depending on how you look at it.
You will get far better MPG out of a 2 litre diesel than out of a 4.4 litre Range Rover. I haven't sat in one, but when I was researching middle sized tow cars recently with a £10k budget in mind, the BMW X3 in either 2 litre or 3 litre guise kept coming to the top on spec and bang for buck, and was capable of 50 mpg or thereabouts.
Know what you mean about the IOW ferry - I felt lucky last summer to get away with £185 return for car and caravan (12 metres total length) from Southampton. The worst was £388 from Lymington to Yarmouth, which is a quarter the distance. Most expensive vehicle ferry crossing in the world per mile, I read somewhere. Felt a tad off-ripped, but the caravan site itself was about the same amount cheaper as a consequence, so it wasn't all bad news.
Edited by QBee on Monday 6th June 05:13
QBee said:
In my experience of wanting a similar car, which includes Lexus LS400, Mercedes E class and Audi A8, surprisingly none of them were particularly comfortable.
For me, larger Volvos, Saab 9-5s (not 9-3s) and large french cars were the most comfortable. The first two were also more reliable, but the french stuff tends to be cheaper to buy or newer for the budget, depending on how you look at it.
You will get far better MPG out of a 2 litre diesel than out of a 4.4 litre Range Rover. I haven't sat in one, but when I was researching middle sized tow cars recently with a £10k budget in mind, the BMW X3 in either 2 litre or 3 litre guise kept coming to the top on spec and bang for buck, and was capable of 50 mpg or thereabouts.
Know what you mean about the IOW ferry - I felt lucky last summer to get away with £185 return for car and caravan (12 metres total length) from Southampton. The worst was £388 from Lymington to Yarmouth, which is a quarter the distance. Most expensive vehicle ferry crossing in the world per mile, I read somewhere. Felt a tad off-ripped, but the caravan site itself was about the same amount cheaper as a consequence, so it wasn't all bad news.
I've just sold a Lexus LS 400 after 9 years. If yours wasn't comfortable, something was wrong. In addition to the great suspension, they had the first car seats with their own suspension system, complete with anti roll bar.For me, larger Volvos, Saab 9-5s (not 9-3s) and large french cars were the most comfortable. The first two were also more reliable, but the french stuff tends to be cheaper to buy or newer for the budget, depending on how you look at it.
You will get far better MPG out of a 2 litre diesel than out of a 4.4 litre Range Rover. I haven't sat in one, but when I was researching middle sized tow cars recently with a £10k budget in mind, the BMW X3 in either 2 litre or 3 litre guise kept coming to the top on spec and bang for buck, and was capable of 50 mpg or thereabouts.
Know what you mean about the IOW ferry - I felt lucky last summer to get away with £185 return for car and caravan (12 metres total length) from Southampton. The worst was £388 from Lymington to Yarmouth, which is a quarter the distance. Most expensive vehicle ferry crossing in the world per mile, I read somewhere. Felt a tad off-ripped, but the caravan site itself was about the same amount cheaper as a consequence, so it wasn't all bad news.
Edited by QBee on Monday 6th June 05:13
lornemalvo said:
I've just sold a Lexus LS 400 after 9 years. If yours wasn't comfortable, something was wrong. In addition to the great suspension, they had the first car seats with their own suspension system, complete with anti roll bar.
We are all built differently. I have always had back issues and a skinny bum, so my comments are my personal experience. That's probably where the difference is, I hate hard seats in cars, I get bum ache very quickly.I came to my first LS400 in 1995 from 10 years of large Renaults.
The 1980s Renault seats were really comfy armchairs, and the Lexus seats had been designed to be similar to German executive cars of the time, so were firmer, and a bit firm for me.
A Volvo 850 T5 followed my second Lexus (new dog ownership made an estate imperative) , and while I preferred the Lexus overall, the Volvo had seats that were more comfortable for me. I now am on my 4th Saab 9-5, and for me they are both practical and really comfortable. The seats in the 2005 onwards cars are slightly more comfortable for me, but I found the reliability of my 2006 one to be poor. I am now in a 1999-2002 model (chrome grill, walnut dash model) and they are really reliable and still comfortable.
As I said , it is all personal.
So the OP needs to have decent test drives in whatever he considers buying, or at least take a book/ipad with him and ask to sit in the seller's car for upwards of an hour
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