What's the best riding car you've experienced?

[grober]

Any CITROEN and I wish????????

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[E55BOF]

The Rolls Royce story is correct, except that Citroen didn't refuse.

 

[A.J.]

It may be one of these stories that get exaggerated with repeated telling, but I'm sure I've read that when Rolls Royce were designing the Silver Shadow they approached Citroen to licence their suspension system. Citroen refused.

The Shadow I did not have a good suspension set up, the Shadow II was a vast improvement

 

[John]

I can't really remember the ride quality of most of my earlier cars... as you suggest - it's more about handling then!

The ones that stand out for me were:

1997 M3 Evo. I remember being surprised at just how good the ride quality was for such an amazing-handling car (17s with 40 and 45 profile tyres).
E55K on AirMATIC. Amazing and I didn't even realise it had air suspension until I bought it. I wasn't really aware of air suspension before or just how good it could be. Different league on 18s.
CL on ABC. Amazing also despite being on 20s.
S500L on MBC. Different league from the air cars. Sublime on 19s.
'er indoors' Juke. Runs on 17s but not XL and the ride quality is impressive. Driven it big distances before I got the S sometimes (enough is enough) and was surprisingly comfortable ride quality.
My dad's 2020 Seat Arona. Surprisingly good ride quality also. 16s I think but substantial sidewall and obviously not XL.

2012/62 (facelifted previous gen basically) Lexus LS460. Despite being on 18s - utter shyte! Very disappointed.

 

[E55BOF]

I can't really remember the ride quality of most of my earlier cars... as you suggest - it's more about handling then!

My first cars were two sheds - a rear-engined Renault Dauphine and a swing-axle Triumph Herald. It wasn't about the handling, because neither of them had any...

 

[andyR43]

Smoothest ride Citroen CX and BX. Best handling was Peugeot 205 GTI.

 

[Swotty]

The Rolls Royce story is correct, except that Citroen didn't refuse.

Spot on - friend is chairman of the France Rolls& Bentley Club and is the font of all RR/Bentley knowledge. He replaces his RR units with Citroën ones as they were original fitment.

Yep, surprised me too.

Talking of Citroëns, I have just agreed to buy a C6 ... 2009 Executive 2.7HDi ... my very first diesel car. It's to replace the CL as shopping trolley.

Not the actual car - having trouble copying pics. Very smooth ride for a big car.

Can I also mention the ride on my 1996 Jaguar XJ6. It's the Sport version but still has a very pliant ride. It's Mrs Swotty's "most comfy car".

 

[Piff]

Back in the day we had several Citroens for various reasons - C2 for boys to learn to drive in, ZX as a second car for SWMBO and an XM which had a great ride.

 

[Bellow]

Did Rolls-Royce interconnect the front and rear or merely use the Citroen suspension units? I suspect the latter but could be wrong.

 

[A.J.]

It may be one of these stories that get exaggerated with repeated telling, but I'm sure I've read that when Rolls Royce were designing the Silver Shadow they approached Citroen to licence their suspension system. Citroen refused.

The Shadow I did not have a good suspension set up, the Shadow II was a vast improvement

Did Rolls-Royce interconnect the front and rear or merely use the Citroen suspension units? I suspect the latter but could be wrong.

Citroen did indeed supply RR with it’s proprietary hydropneumatic suspension back in the 1960's. It was used on the Shadow which would account for the great ride on the Shadow II. It was used by RR right up until 1980 !!

 

[colinallcars]

Having misinterpreted the thread title, I was going to put forward the MK3 Cortina I had in my late teens / early twenties with handle operated reclining seats.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

The RR Shadow I used Citroen hydro-pneumatic suspension on all four corners at launch in 1965

They then learned that all the work was being done at the back, so went to rear only Citroen suspension around 1970.

It is really the same tech as in MB ABC suspension. ("I mean that in a good way...")

 

[Bellow]

From Wiki:

''A distinctive feature was a high-pressure hydropneumatic suspension system licensed from Citroën, with dual-circuit braking and hydraulic self-levelling suspension. At first, both the front and rear of the car were controlled by the levelling system; the front levelling was deleted in 1969 as it had been determined that the rear levelling did almost all the work.[6] Rolls-Royce achieved a high degree of ride quality with this arrangement.''

It still isn't obvious if there was front to rear interconnection on the Shadow as Wiki defines hydropneumatic in terms of the suspension 'units' and lists their use in cars known not to be interconnected.
Hydropneumatic units can improve ride quality over steel springs without interconnection but is the interconnection that makes the Citroens so smooth riding. The 2CV is evidence of that.

 

[SpikyMikey]

As this thread has turned into a bit of a Citroën Fan Club meeting, I'll include this pic of the coolest version of the CX IMHO; the Loadrunner. This particular one is UK registered and still going strong according to the MOT history.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

As this thread has turned into a bit of a Citroën Fan Club meeting, I'll include this pic of the coolest version of the CX IMHO; the Loadrunner. This particular one is UK registered and still going strong according to the MOT history.

View attachment 120520

"For elimination of doubt" Citroens are rubbish, apart from their cheapness, disposability and the quality of some of their suspension systems. Grown engineers have been known to weep at the shenanigans required to maintain these wretched things. Which explains why only the French and a few of the natives of the DomToms ever buy these things. (They prioritise spending money on food far above a mere means of transport)

 

[John]

"For elimination of doubt" Citroens are rubbish, apart from their cheapness, disposability and the quality of some of their suspension systems. Grown engineers have been known to weep at the shenanigans required to maintain these wretched things. Which explains why only the French and a few of the natives of the DomToms ever buy these things. (They prioritise spending money on food far above a mere means of transport)

I've often heard them referred to as-hitroens... I've never owned one but being made by the French, I can well imagine they are just that.

 

[A.J.]

The RR Shadow I used Citroen hydro-pneumatic suspension on all four corners at launch in 1965

They then learned that all the work was being done at the back, so went to rear only Citroen suspension around 1970.

It is really the same tech as in MB ABC suspension. ("I mean that in a good way...")

The Shadow II was a much better drive, felt more in contact with the road

 

[E55BOF]

The CX was a complex (for its time), sophisticated, characterful car, and very good to drive. I've not had a Citroen since about 1995, though, so I can't comment on the current crop.

 

[AMGeed]

Having misinterpreted the thread title, I was going to put forward the MK3 Cortina I had in my late teens / early twenties with handle operated reclining seats.

I can also recommend the Austin Maxi for off road night time manoeuvres. Those fold flat rear seats were very handy.
Thanks Dad.

 

[davymead]

Bearing in mind I get to drive a lot of vehicles it’s probably got to be a Jaguar XJL Autobiography I drove a while back.
Absolutely serene car that genuinely puts anything I can think of in the shade for sheer ride quality.

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