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

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshays (Post 4948341)

Thank you so much. Well, against all odds and mere speculation on the road condition leads my inclination towards the City. The presence of the cruise control was the deciding factor considering the 3k odd km I will cover in 4 days.

As long as the roads are good or even decent, the City is a stellar drive on the highway. I generally cruise between 80-110kph and at these speeds, it is a super comfortable ride to cover long distances in.

In the sub-30 lac space, for two people, I'd gladly choose Duster AWD if I were to do a cross country tour. On any kind of road and at any speed - no other car keeps you as comfortable as the Duster AWD does.

Add a 3rd person, and the rear legroom raises it's ugly head. In that context I'll choose the Hexa. It's noticably more comfortable than the other 7 seater MPV's and SUV's.

Never ignore the Corolla. Not for nothing had it won the tag of the world's best selling single model of a car.
I have done extensive distances in a Corolla and what stands out is its sheer ease of driving and superior NVH suppression capabilities.
The large seats support you well, the rear seat is very comfortable for long distances. Brake, Throttle, Clutch efforts are well within containable limits.

Its pretty spiffy on the highway too. The large hearted, 1.8 litre gasoline engine spews out good amounts of torque and its low revving nature, (for a petrol), means less downshifting while overtaking slow moving vehicles on the highway.
The ride is pliant, not bouncy at the rear like the Honda City's, not overtly firm either.
Yes, its not a corner carver and utterly boring to drive, with copious amounts of understeer, generous body-roll and a steering that is not far from a somnambulist, that is, if you wish to flick it through a series of bends.

But, at the end of the day, when you emerge fresh from the driver's seat even after a 900-1000kms drive, you know the Japs have done something right!

Quote:

Originally Posted by arjab (Post 4948533)

Never ignore the Corolla. Not for nothing had it won the tag of the world's best selling single model of a car.

Is India's Corolla Altis the same as the North American Corolla? I've estimated by visual approximation that the American Corolla is smaller than India's Corolla Altis. Besides, there's been this ongoing confusion in my mind - why is a compact, cheap sedan over there the same as a premium model here? Holds true for the Chevy Cruze, Civic etc as well.

The Scoprio MHawk. I have done multiple trips fro Mumbai to Himachal and back and then from Mumbai to Sikkim and Back.

Even after doing approx 900 kms on the road, we used to exit the car fresh. Maybe it was the youth :) or maybe the car.

The Cruise control is a dream feature on highways, the big 2.2 ltr Mhawk is a good and capable mile muncher on the straights and doing 110/120 kph is a comfortable space for the MHawk.

Obviously, the Innova Crysta is in a league of its own when it comes to long distance driving.

In sedans, I was surpised at how comfortable the Rapid was, during my Mumbai- Rajasthan-Mumbai drive.

cheers,
ac

VW Vento 1.6 TDI is the tank I prefer for highway run , especially in the notorious single lane highways of Kerala. Have done 7 drives from Thiruvananthapuram to Mangalore (Including return journey). Even though it is just 640 km, it is a real grueling task which takes around 15+ hours of non-stop driving. Anyone who has done that will appreciate it. Most part of this highway is without any median(many places single lane also) and one literally has to take "high risk" every time to perform a simple overtaking maneuver. Moreover those heavy trucks carrying LPG/other petroleum products makes it really difficult to build momentum. Many a times we are exhausted to the point that we will decide to overtake without even knowing what is on the other side leading to catastrophe.

This is where my Vento comes into picture. It is so comfortable in executing quick overtaking maneuvers without downshift that a small push of A pedal takes me ahead of traffic. Only sore point in the journey are those frequent pot holes which is spread across the stretch of the road that brings all the vibrations into the car. Otherwise even after 15+ hours of non-stop ride I feel that there is more juice left in me and my machine.

Innova crysta 2.8G. It is the car that never let me down in the comfort department. I have driven it on long stretches like Chandigarh to Bikaner( approximately 600km) and I did it within 8 hours with a single 20 minutes essential break. There were no aching muscles, no rigid back except for that my eyes were a bit red( thanks to some late evening driving in the final stretch), I didn’t feel tiredness.

Nothing beats my '06 Skoda Octavia in sheer highway comfort. But as it is the Elegance trim level, it only has part leather seats. But still I haven't driven any other car that feels as planted as it does. And as I own the TDi, mileage is not a worry at all and I managed to get 26 kmpl in my car. When we went on a trip Coimbatore to Mysore,Hampi, Mantralaya, and also Bangalore on the return route. I filled up only thrice in that entire trip in my 55 litre tank.

Did a quick 200 km drive on the expressway with our new Ecosport and really loved the effortless overtaking and the overall handling and confidence inspiring mannerisms of the car. This is a lovely cruiser and as long as one is above 1400-1500 RPM any overtakes are a piece of cake. Also, the seating position is spot on for me as are the driving ergonomics. The wave of torque and the feelsome steering, along with the refined nature of the TDCI engine really makes this a stellar and comfortable drive on the highway. Not for nothing is the Ecosport rated so highly as an expressway gem, understanding this first-hand now.

Looking forward to doing many more long distance trips with the car.clap:

Innova Crysta all the way...
Did a 1500km whirlwind trip to Kumbh in Feb'19 with 5 on board plus luggage, all in barely 38 hours..!
At least 2 out of the 4 passengers (barring myself, who owned the vehicle) want ed to actually buy a Crysta after the trip, such was a huge impression it created due to its sheer comfort and its road manners.

A very unexpected entry of a now discontinued car - Ameo DSG. Purely as a two seater, it is extremely fun to drive as well as comfortable. I have done many long trips like Mum- Goa, Mum-Daman and Mum- Karnataka. Being an automatic diesel along with its compact size, it is very easy to drive around in cities as well as on the highways. With a stiffer suspension it is fun to drive on corners as well. Even after 800 odd KMs of drive in a day, Ameo hasn't tired me a bit.
Currently in Goa and been driving almost all corners of the state makes me appreciate the car even more. The only grouse is the headlights.

The almost non existent rear seats are used as pantry for long and continuos driving.

It's been a long time since the last post in this thread, and considering the recent changes in the automotive landscape, especially with the arrival of highly competitive line-ups from Tata and Mahindra, I would like to revive this thread and hear about the experiences of BHPians. Specifically, I'm interested in how these flagship cars from Indian brands compare to german cars like the BMW 5 series, BMW X3, BMW X5, and Mercedes GLS on Indian highways for long journeys.