Which are the most comfortable cars to drive long distances in?

anainar · 21st August 2007, 15:14

Did a few long distance travels... Here is a list

Bangalore - Karwar - 1996 - Ambassador
Bangalore - Ooty - 1996 - Matador van
Bangalore - Hogenakal - Hyundai Accent GLX - 2002
Bangalore - Mysore - Somnathpur - Hyundai Accent - 2001
Bangalore - Coorg - Toyota Corolla - 2005
Bangalore - Coimbatore - Innova Diesel - 2007
Bangalore - Chennai - Toyota Corolla - 2007

Of all the cars, i would obviously rate Corolla as the best ride I have ever had. Innova had a bit of NVH characteristics which is not great. Corolla flew in the drive to Chennai in GQ!

I would definitely want to take a ride in Tata Safari as that used to be my dream car/SUV once upon a time.

Did travel in Ambassador from Bangalore to Karwar in 1996 for a marriage. More than the car, it was the gang with which I went made that trip a lot more enjoyable. All said and done, nothing beats the rear leg room of Ambassador. I had acres for myself.

simply_sunny001 · 21st August 2007, 16:47

i wud rate Esteem as comfy ride provided the roads are smooth.

and otherwise i prefer Safari specially the backseat.

in small cars indica is gud cos of extra space it offers when compared to zen/santro/wagonR etc etc

ownerofazkaban · 21st August 2007, 17:07

Gulbarga ->M'lore in amby ISZU long time ago.
More recent B'lore->Gulbarga in Fiat Uno and
Many more trips in my M800, Blore to Sirsi, Udupi, Udupi->M'lore->B'lore.
Sringeri->Gulbarga. Too many of B'lore ->Sringeri trips.

I feel bring driven in Tata Indigo is the most confortable thing for long drives, M800 is exciting to drive but after a few hours on the road heavy fatigue sets in. Haven't got chance to travel in a big car.

meghan · 21st August 2007, 18:52

Did many long distance trips in a petrol Uno and a Santro Xing.

Found the Uno really smooth and comfortable at high speeds(around 110kmph) compared to the santro, though the lack of power is noticeable.

Santro is great for pickup but feels slightly unstable above 90kmph.

Akshay1234 · 21st August 2007, 19:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by simply_sunny001

i wud rate Esteem as comfy ride provided the roads are smooth.

and otherwise i prefer Safari specially the backseat.

in small cars indica is gud cos of extra space it offers when compared to zen/santro/wagonR etc etc

well almost any cars ride is good when the roads are smooth.

junkishya · 21st August 2007, 23:54

Fiat Palio .. when self driven ... Real good driving position, perfect seating .. No fatigue even after driving comtinuously from Hyderabad to Mumbai in 12 hours .. Car has good grip on the road due to it's overweight and has good cornering capabilities ..

Desert fox · 22nd August 2007, 03:43

Personal experience-Tata Safari. Innova is close behind,but Safari is better on rough roads(also driven/owned qualis and scorpio).

Cars-Skoda Octavia Vrs,Fiat Adventure respectively(have also driven/owned baleno,Honda vtec,indica).

spadival · 22nd August 2007, 12:31

On most cars with speed sensitive power steering, the steering gets a bit hard at higher speeds.

While this is a good safety feature, prolonged high speed driving on highways with gentle curves results in aching arms!! I found this problem on both Palio and Baleno. I had to periodically rest my right arm on the armrest (Thankfully, both of them have good RH arm rest)

I am yet to drive a car that has the right balance between speed and steering sensitivity.

wanderernomad · 22nd August 2007, 12:50

Have driven ZEN and Scorpio extensively over long distances in Hills and found that though the Scorp provides a more relaxed driving position the A pillar obstructs the visiblity over bends and causes a slight neck stress. Enjoyed the ZEN a lot but over long distances it did hurt your back and thighs a lot. The max distances i have done are :
1. 800 KMs in ZEN
2. 550 KMS (12hrs) over the toughest himalayan roads in a GYPSY and dont even ask how I got off the drivers seat after that.It was terrible.

GTO · 22nd August 2007, 13:07

Just completed a 1,600 km round trip to Goa in the C220; man that car is a mile muncher. The 65 liter tank ensures you dont need to stop for diesel. Did the entire dash from Mumbai to goa on the same tank, with a quarter to spare. There was hardly any traffic and the entire drive was spent cruising in 6th gear at a constant 90 - 100 kph...barely any audible noise from the engine or the tyres. Only three of us in the car translated to a lot of room for each. Even after the 600 km drive last wednesday, my folks (both senior citizens) emerged fresh as daisies!

The 220 really comes into its real character on the highway.

manavdotcom · 22nd August 2007, 13:12

OPEL - Corsa. Amazing ride on Long drives.

ap9dm · 22nd August 2007, 23:51

Swift - only car I have driven a lot
820 kms in 14 hours (2 hours stop for an interview in between)

racingmadness · 27th August 2007, 03:12

I ve done HYD -GOA, stretch without any overnight halt in Alto LX thrice and twice in BALENO.........
Alto is a good car if 3 people are travelling, 4 people - it gets cramped on highways.......but BALENO was a scorcher........very quick and comfortable drive....especially the front seats are amazing....the dead pedal added to the comfort......it managed to swallow the ghats mostly in 3rd -4th gear......

Other comfortable cars are Innova, Safari, Amby.

GSHA · 30th August 2007, 20:43

Baleno - I have owned one for 30 months. Did 38,200 km on it during the 30 months. Of which, close to 16,000 km is on the highway.

Alto - I have owned on for 30 months (prior to the Baleno). Did 36,200 km on it. Of which, close to 12,000 km is on the highway. [The Alto has nothing to write home about. I took it on the highways simply because I was enthusiastic about driving].

I have traversed Bangalore-Chennai on the Chittor and Vellore routes countless times, on motorcycles and cars. Well, that is my mode of transport between Bangalore and Chennai. Also, have taken the road down south to Madurai / Sivakasi / Kodaikanal on a couple of dozen instances, again by motorcycle and cars. Once I have covered a maximum of 575km in one day. All trips to Chennai were at a max of 360km per day. All trips to Madurai and Sivakasi were usually around 520~550km per day. Took usually around 10 hours for the 520km+ run, including a 30 minute breakfast and 1 hour lunch break. My running speed is around 110kmph give or take 10. When the stretch ahead is clear and nice, I push to 140kmph.

I am yet to find a better driver seat than the Baleno [My new Cedia inclusive]. The way the driver's seat wrapped around my torso, and yet I had access to all the dials / switches / gear lever, was amazing. Possibly, I fit the dimensions of the Baleno better than my current Cedia.

On my Cedia, I find the driver's seat does not wrap around as sharp as that of the Baleno - to accomodate a wide size set of people (lean to very fat person). Which leaves a lot of space between my Lats and the seat sides.

The other factor I consider is the engine rpm (and so the noise) at which you can cruise at 100kmph. The Cedia cruises at 100kmph at 2500rpm, due to its tall 5th gear. The Baleno hovers around 2800rpm at the same speed. The lower the rpm at cruise, the lower the noise.

And then the road-tire contact noise. The older the tires, the more the are worn out, the more is the running noise.

Running wind noise is not much of an issue in the Baleno and Cedia alike with windows rolled up all the way, up to speeds of 120kmph - beyond which the window beadings start howling.

The engine noise, plus the tire noise, plus the wind noise factor in greatly to fatigue. Well, sometimes it may be possible to drown these noises by turning up the volume in the music system. But, the best method I have adopted to date is to plug my ears with simple cotton plugs to cut the noise out. This way, I felt less tired over a non-stop run from Bangalore to Chennai on the GQ in 4 hours and 15 minutes. And that was the shortest I ever took to cover the 360km stretch!!! The less tired you are, the better the concentration and hence the better average speed!!!

From a ride quality perspective, I believe the Baleno and the Cedia match up pretty well.

Once I took a driver to run my Baleno until Madurai. I was in the back seat on that run. The driver was good and he covered the distance to Madurai (460km) in just 7 hours 30 minutes - including a short 20 minute breakfast stop at Salem. I slept well in the back seat and got up fresh for lunch at Madurai. And I really was able to run a long day beyond that!!!.

Qmar · 30th August 2007, 23:45

I have Driven the V2 petrol over long distances.. on various occasions anywhere between 450 to 800 kms at a stretch... very comfortable ride, due to bulk holds the road well, AC is splendid even under scorching sun....

21st August 2007, 15:14	#151
anainar BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 341 Thanked: 10 Times	Did a few long distance travels... Here is a list Bangalore - Karwar - 1996 - Ambassador Bangalore - Ooty - 1996 - Matador van Bangalore - Hogenakal - Hyundai Accent GLX - 2002 Bangalore - Mysore - Somnathpur - Hyundai Accent - 2001 Bangalore - Coorg - Toyota Corolla - 2005 Bangalore - Coimbatore - Innova Diesel - 2007 Bangalore - Chennai - Toyota Corolla - 2007 Of all the cars, i would obviously rate Corolla as the best ride I have ever had. Innova had a bit of NVH characteristics which is not great. Corolla flew in the drive to Chennai in GQ! I would definitely want to take a ride in Tata Safari as that used to be my dream car/SUV once upon a time. Did travel in Ambassador from Bangalore to Karwar in 1996 for a marriage. More than the car, it was the gang with which I went made that trip a lot more enjoyable. All said and done, nothing beats the rear leg room of Ambassador. I had acres for myself.
	() Thanks

21st August 2007, 16:47	#152
simply_sunny001 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: London & Rohtak Posts: 1,340 Thanked: 18 Times View My Garage	i wud rate Esteem as comfy ride provided the roads are smooth. and otherwise i prefer Safari specially the backseat. in small cars indica is gud cos of extra space it offers when compared to zen/santro/wagonR etc etc
	() Thanks

21st August 2007, 17:07	#153
ownerofazkaban BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: BLR Posts: 456 Thanked: 80 Times View My Garage	Gulbarga ->M'lore in amby ISZU long time ago. More recent B'lore->Gulbarga in Fiat Uno and Many more trips in my M800, Blore to Sirsi, Udupi, Udupi->M'lore->B'lore. Sringeri->Gulbarga. Too many of B'lore ->Sringeri trips. I feel bring driven in Tata Indigo is the most confortable thing for long drives, M800 is exciting to drive but after a few hours on the road heavy fatigue sets in. Haven't got chance to travel in a big car.
	() Thanks

21st August 2007, 18:52	#154
meghan BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Mountain View Posts: 114 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	Did many long distance trips in a petrol Uno and a Santro Xing. Found the Uno really smooth and comfortable at high speeds(around 110kmph) compared to the santro, though the lack of power is noticeable. Santro is great for pickup but feels slightly unstable above 90kmph.
	() Thanks

21st August 2007, 23:54	#156
junkishya BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 152 Thanked: 73 Times View My Garage	Fiat Palio .. when self driven ... Real good driving position, perfect seating .. No fatigue even after driving comtinuously from Hyderabad to Mumbai in 12 hours .. Car has good grip on the road due to it's overweight and has good cornering capabilities ..
	() Thanks

22nd August 2007, 03:43	#157
Desert fox BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: bangalore Posts: 228 Thanked: Once	Personal experience-Tata Safari. Innova is close behind,but Safari is better on rough roads(also driven/owned qualis and scorpio). Cars-Skoda Octavia Vrs,Fiat Adventure respectively(have also driven/owned baleno,Honda vtec,indica).
	() Thanks

22nd August 2007, 12:31	#158
spadival Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Melbourne, AU Posts: 1,773 Thanked: 26 Times View My Garage	On most cars with speed sensitive power steering, the steering gets a bit hard at higher speeds. While this is a good safety feature, prolonged high speed driving on highways with gentle curves results in aching arms!! I found this problem on both Palio and Baleno. I had to periodically rest my right arm on the armrest (Thankfully, both of them have good RH arm rest) I am yet to drive a car that has the right balance between speed and steering sensitivity.
	() Thanks

22nd August 2007, 12:50	#159
wanderernomad Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Chandigarh Posts: 2,534 Thanked: 1,276 Times View My Garage	Have driven ZEN and Scorpio extensively over long distances in Hills and found that though the Scorp provides a more relaxed driving position the A pillar obstructs the visiblity over bends and causes a slight neck stress. Enjoyed the ZEN a lot but over long distances it did hurt your back and thighs a lot. The max distances i have done are : 1. 800 KMs in ZEN 2. 550 KMS (12hrs) over the toughest himalayan roads in a GYPSY and dont even ask how I got off the drivers seat after that.It was terrible. Last edited by wanderernomad : 22nd August 2007 at 12:51. Reason: Wrong milegae.
	() Thanks

22nd August 2007, 13:07	#160
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,464 Thanked: 300,013 Times View My Garage	Just completed a 1,600 km round trip to Goa in the C220; man that car is a mile muncher. The 65 liter tank ensures you dont need to stop for diesel. Did the entire dash from Mumbai to goa on the same tank, with a quarter to spare. There was hardly any traffic and the entire drive was spent cruising in 6th gear at a constant 90 - 100 kph...barely any audible noise from the engine or the tyres. Only three of us in the car translated to a lot of room for each. Even after the 600 km drive last wednesday, my folks (both senior citizens) emerged fresh as daisies! The 220 really comes into its real character on the highway. Last edited by GTO : 22nd August 2007 at 14:06.
	() Thanks

22nd August 2007, 13:12	#161
manavdotcom BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Chennai Posts: 145 Thanked: 14 Times	OPEL - Corsa. Amazing ride on Long drives.
	() Thanks

22nd August 2007, 23:51	#162
ap9dm BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 32 Thanked: 0 Times	Swift - only car I have driven a lot 820 kms in 14 hours (2 hours stop for an interview in between)
	() Thanks

27th August 2007, 03:12	#163
racingmadness Newbie Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Washington DC Posts: 7 Thanked: 2 Times	I ve done HYD -GOA, stretch without any overnight halt in Alto LX thrice and twice in BALENO......... Alto is a good car if 3 people are travelling, 4 people - it gets cramped on highways.......but BALENO was a scorcher........very quick and comfortable drive....especially the front seats are amazing....the dead pedal added to the comfort......it managed to swallow the ghats mostly in 3rd -4th gear...... Other comfortable cars are Innova, Safari, Amby.
	() Thanks

30th August 2007, 20:43	#164
GSHA BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 108 Thanked: Once	Baleno - I have owned one for 30 months. Did 38,200 km on it during the 30 months. Of which, close to 16,000 km is on the highway. Alto - I have owned on for 30 months (prior to the Baleno). Did 36,200 km on it. Of which, close to 12,000 km is on the highway. [The Alto has nothing to write home about. I took it on the highways simply because I was enthusiastic about driving]. I have traversed Bangalore-Chennai on the Chittor and Vellore routes countless times, on motorcycles and cars. Well, that is my mode of transport between Bangalore and Chennai. Also, have taken the road down south to Madurai / Sivakasi / Kodaikanal on a couple of dozen instances, again by motorcycle and cars. Once I have covered a maximum of 575km in one day. All trips to Chennai were at a max of 360km per day. All trips to Madurai and Sivakasi were usually around 520~550km per day. Took usually around 10 hours for the 520km+ run, including a 30 minute breakfast and 1 hour lunch break. My running speed is around 110kmph give or take 10. When the stretch ahead is clear and nice, I push to 140kmph. I am yet to find a better driver seat than the Baleno [My new Cedia inclusive]. The way the driver's seat wrapped around my torso, and yet I had access to all the dials / switches / gear lever, was amazing. Possibly, I fit the dimensions of the Baleno better than my current Cedia. On my Cedia, I find the driver's seat does not wrap around as sharp as that of the Baleno - to accomodate a wide size set of people (lean to very fat person). Which leaves a lot of space between my Lats and the seat sides. The other factor I consider is the engine rpm (and so the noise) at which you can cruise at 100kmph. The Cedia cruises at 100kmph at 2500rpm, due to its tall 5th gear. The Baleno hovers around 2800rpm at the same speed. The lower the rpm at cruise, the lower the noise. And then the road-tire contact noise. The older the tires, the more the are worn out, the more is the running noise. Running wind noise is not much of an issue in the Baleno and Cedia alike with windows rolled up all the way, up to speeds of 120kmph - beyond which the window beadings start howling. The engine noise, plus the tire noise, plus the wind noise factor in greatly to fatigue. Well, sometimes it may be possible to drown these noises by turning up the volume in the music system. But, the best method I have adopted to date is to plug my ears with simple cotton plugs to cut the noise out. This way, I felt less tired over a non-stop run from Bangalore to Chennai on the GQ in 4 hours and 15 minutes. And that was the shortest I ever took to cover the 360km stretch!!! The less tired you are, the better the concentration and hence the better average speed!!! From a ride quality perspective, I believe the Baleno and the Cedia match up pretty well. Once I took a driver to run my Baleno until Madurai. I was in the back seat on that run. The driver was good and he covered the distance to Madurai (460km) in just 7 hours 30 minutes - including a short 20 minute breakfast stop at Salem. I slept well in the back seat and got up fresh for lunch at Madurai. And I really was able to run a long day beyond that!!!.
	() Thanks

30th August 2007, 23:45	#165
Qmar Newbie Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 9 Thanked: 0 Times	I have Driven the V2 petrol over long distances.. on various occasions anywhere between 450 to 800 kms at a stretch... very comfortable ride, due to bulk holds the road well, AC is splendid even under scorching sun....
	() Thanks

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