Smoothest riding car?

[Conan]

2 minutes ago, Lacquer Peel said:

Your 850 is on big wheels and sports suspension though, I find the ride a little brittle on my 850 TDI but it is generally a comfy car and soaks up bumps. 

That is a fair observation. But I have driven the 850 on 16 inch wheels and normal suspension and still find it pretty harsh. I have never driven them on 15 inches though so that might be acceptable.

 

P2 and P3 rides better anyhow. That would be the better option if comfort is king.

[Eyersey1234]

28 minutes ago, Timewaster said:

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. 

My Mrs is also a bit queasy in the car so sitting the queasy kid in the front doesn't really work. 

My other idea was a Honda HRV  so they can both sit in the front. 

I could also cure the problem by buying a Multipla. The family would disown me and refuse to travel anywhere in it. 

 

I was just going to say a Multipla so they could both sit in the front though if they both refuse to travel in it that also solves the problem 😂

[Mally]

I was only ever sick in one car with a certain driver, Rover P6 auto.

He used to run me home from work sometimes, and when in slow moving traffic, he pumped the brake often

I'm not saying you are a crap driver, but is she sick in other peoples cars?

Deffo sit her in the front, better for her, and keeps you neck dry.

Eddies car would be good, she would be so impressed* she would forget about everything else.

 

[loserone]

1 hour ago, Timewaster said:

Frv

 

I have just the thing for you

[loserone]

The ride is pretty good too to be honest, well damped if not quite enough travel for the ludicrous roads around here.   It's very competent.

 

But dull 

[Macscrooge]

Lexus RX?  Mine has the air suspension but I gather they’re all pretty smooth. 

[artdjones]

Just don't get a Consul 375. I was sick 8 times in my aunt's one between Fishguard and Cardiff in pre motorway days. I was bringing up bile in the end.  And when I got home the first thing I did was run down to the corner shop buy a pork pie and scoff it down. Young boys digestions are very strong.

[Asimo]

Car sick isn’t helped by soft ride.  As said above, comfy cars can be the worst for the motion-sickness sufferer. 
Sitting in front helps some children and some adults. There are “take before travel” medications that help.

[Snake Charmer]

The smell of hot vinyl in 60's and 70's Fords still makes me car sick just getting in them. I did a major hurl out the front passenger window of a MkII Cortina estate that my father had to wash off. He was impressed with the amount on the roof and back screen let alone the side windows.

[sutty2006]

Agree with the motion sickness tablets. Looking back through the archives im fairly certain my mother would pill me up with motion sickness tablets before long car rides/ferry crossings/flying. Only till I was about 9-10 yrs old once the body got used to it. Have you tried that yet? 

[Minimad5]

My old Mercedes E320 Estate.

Rear suspension was floaty and soaked up bumps etc, and the M112 V6 was ridiculously smooth.

I'd love another (even in Derv flavour)

[Cento16v]

The Disco 3 made my wife feel a bit car sick and she's never had that before.

 

[bezzabsa]

Citroen pickarse....really really comfy ride with comfy seats too...plus large glass area so said sproglet has a lot to look at - hopefully forward facing!!!

my kids were great, even fell asleep in a series 3 swb landy with the 2 1/4 diesel...Feck knows how they did it!!!

[Uncle Jimmy]

5 hours ago, Barry Cade said:

Peugeot 604.

The 604 had fantastically good ride, being a passenger over long distances in one was a pleasure; driving one, at least a V6, wasn't too bad either. 

[Uncle Jimmy]

The XJ6 was renowned for it's suspension on it's release, in fact it was thought to be the best in the world at the time. Whether that continued through into more modern cats I don't know.

In terms of 'modern' cars ride is a difficult find, we've had 20 plus years of daft low profile tyres, shock absorbers that don't absorb and springs that world suit a Tiger tank.  An LS400 would be good, maybe some Infiniti or other high end Jap stuff, Benzes that run on air. My current Saab '93 has hard suspension to me at least and it was purportedly turned down a bit on later cars. The W124 I owned was good.  

[Daviemck2006]

Citroen dispatch/pug expert/fiat scud van with double front passenger seat. Great motors, comfy but not floaty.

Sent from my SM-T585 using Tapatalk

[Cento16v]

3 minutes ago, Uncle Jimmy said:

The XJ6 was renowned for it's suspension on it's release, in fact it was thought to be the best in the world at the time. Whether that continued through into more modern cats I don't know.

In terms of 'modern' cars ride is a difficult find, we've had 20 plus years of daft low profile tyres, shock absorbers that don't absorb and springs that world suit a Tiger tank.  An LS400 would be good, maybe some Infiniti or other high end Jap stuff, Benzes that run on air. My current Saab '93 has hard suspension to me at least and it was purportedly turned down a bit on later cars. The W124 I owned was good.  

The X300/308 was better riding than the X350/358, but had much worse handling.

My XF rides well at speed as long as the dynamic suspension mode isn't on, and that's on 20 inch wheels with 35 profile tyres. Crap round town though.

 

[straightSix]

5 minutes ago, Uncle Jimmy said:

The XJ6 was renowned for it's suspension on it's release, in fact it was thought to be the best in the world at the time. Whether that continued through into more modern cats I don't know.

In terms of 'modern' cars ride is a difficult find, we've had 20 plus years of daft low profile tyres, shock absorbers that don't absorb and springs that world suit a Tiger tank.  An LS400 would be good, maybe some Infiniti or other high end Jap stuff, Benzes that run on air. My current Saab '93 has hard suspension to me at least and it was purportedly turned down a bit on later cars. The W124 I owned was good.  

Xj40 with touring suspension and 15inch wheels is the best riding car I've ever been in. Better than my old CX and current s class with airmatic. The later X300s lost a bit of that quality and it's only gotten worse since

[rickvw72]

My accords the comfiest thing I’ve had, and I’ve had range rovers, a lowered beetle and a Fourtrak so I know comfort when I see it.

Really is very smooth indeed. In fact it’s most  brilliant, which is exactly the reason why I spend loads more money on uncomfy, thirsty and noisy members of the fleet. 

[Lacquer Peel]

4 hours ago, Conan said:

That is a fair observation. But I have driven the 850 on 16 inch wheels and normal suspension and still find it pretty harsh. I have never driven them on 15 inches though so that might be acceptable.

 

P2 and P3 rides better anyhow. That would be the better option if comfort is king.

Mine is on 16s but has fresh dampers all round which must help a bit. The suspension isn't that sophisticated and they have set it up for handling over ride, it's an ok balance. 

[Spiny Norman]

Rather than focus on the car, if you haven't done so already it might be worth researching the medical causes and possible remedies for motion sickness. Watch what she eats beforehand, keep her off her phone and engaged in whatever banter goes on in the car, fresh air and frequent stops all help.
When you're a kid time moves more slowly so a 'quick' 50 mile blast down the road will seem like an eternity especially if she feels ill.

Apologies if this is teaching granny to suck eggs...
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/motion-sickness/

[Fabergé Greggs]

I’m always impressed at the ride of my Morris 1100- it has some of the speed bump capability of a hydro Citroen without the detached floaty feeling imho. It’s also a pretty good over sharp edges etc, any citroen that I’ve had has been great over bigger bumps but a little harsh over smaller imperfections. Is that described as good primary/ poor secondary? I can never remember. Like some other suggestions, it ain’t gonna help you much though. 
 

The roffle win C2 VTS was the worst riding car I’ve ever had.  Combined with hoon mode fully engaged it’s the only car that I’ve managed to make MYSELF carsick in. 

[Jon]

16 hours ago, Timewaster said:

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. 

My Mrs is also a bit queasy in the car so sitting the queasy kid in the front doesn't really work. 

My other idea was a Honda HRV  so they can both sit in the front. 

I could also cure the problem by buying a Multipla. The family would disown me and refuse to travel anywhere in it. 

 

 

Edit. Its an Frv not an Hrv.

 

 

 

Rather than buying a 3 seat up front car, could you not sit in the back and have your wife drive and daughter in the passenger seat, when you all travel together?

Sounds like the cheapest solution, assuming your wife has a licence.

[Inspiral_Mondays]

17 hours ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

The one I'm in:

 

I remember how huge the CX seemed to be. Now it‘s dwarfed by that F31.

[Timewaster]

1 hour ago, Jon said:

Rather than buying a 3 seat up front car, could you not sit in the back and have your wife drive and daughter in the passenger seat, when you all travel together?

Sounds like the cheapest solution, assuming your wife has a licence.

A perfectly logical solution.

Mrs does drive but only when she has to. She doesn't enjoy it at all.

[Sham]

You don't want anything too softly sprung, and the magic carpet ride hydropneumatic Citroen's are notorious for causing travel sickness by virtue of seeing the world move, but not feeling it move.

I had travel sickness as a kid, and the only cure was sitting as close to midway between the axles as possible, getting the movement but a bit less of it due to angles and things.

SUV style high riding vehicles also move around more, sometimes making things worse. My kids occasionally feel queasy when reading or something in the Vitara, and say the Octavia is better as it doesn't rock as much.

Want you need is a longish wheelbase, where all seats are between the axles and not above one in a lowish riding and well damped car that doesn't float like a Citroen. 

[Bear]

Wallowy but soft:

Cadillac Eldorado, Chrysler Fifth Avenue (torsion beam front end), CX, DS, BX. XJ40.

Soft and handle well:

XM, Xantia, X350 Jag, C5 Mk II.

Soft but not wallowy:

Mercedes 124/210 estates, Renaults before Laguna/19.

Handle well but surprising ride:

Lotus Elise.

[dollywobbler]

Dacia 1310. Seriously. Bit of a kick in the teeth for all the Citroens I've owned, but the GSA is just a touch too soft and can set off motion sickness. The Dacia's ride is amazin. I'm sure Cats remembers a particularly bad road in Italy that it just absorbed in its stride, while all moderns were forced to slow down.

[HMC]

It’s been touched on but nausea in a car isn’t just the ride. It’s also  arguably a combination of lesser factors also-  the seats.  performance available+ transmission, driving style of user, road type and the wierd curve ball of interior smell.

We had a mk1 Previa as a nearly new car and one of my brothers would generally only become unwell in that car; which he put down to the smell. Anecdotal and possibly incorrect. As it was fairly new it was a subtle but heady combo of adhesives and plastics/ rubbers. 

On a personal level I find I’m less susceptible if the view out is good/ large glasshouse/ I’m not in the back and I’m not also reading or on my phone browsing the internet.

TL:DR maybe my conclusion is that it’s a mixture of factors not limited to the ride, although that’s a biggie. Careful questioning and a bit of experimentation may help to diagnose and help manage, if not solve it.

[Timewaster]

18 minutes ago, dollywobbler said:

Dacia 1310. Seriously. Bit of a kick in the teeth for all the Citroens I've owned, but the GSA is just a touch too soft and can set off motion sickness. The Dacia's ride is amazin. I'm sure Cats remembers a particularly bad road in Italy that it just absorbed in its stride, while all moderns were forced to slow down.

Funnily enough, when I was a kid, my dad had a Renault 12 and I used to puke on every journey!

It is easy to see where she gets it from. The other two kids have no issues with travelling. 

We try travel pills but they zonk her out. Every family outing she mooches around almost like she is stoned, which is no fun and defeats the object.