[drifter]

Of the cars i've driven: (my personal opinions)
Ratings: Bad, Average, Good, Excellent

Indica Petrol - Driver Rating - Average. Passenger Rating - Good.
(Steering too high)

Accent CRDi - Driver Rating - Good. Passenger Rating - Average.
(rear seat passengers could complain on lack of legroom)

Safari Dicor - Driver Rating - Average. Passenger Rating - Excellent.
(3000rpm redline can be a pain at times)

Scorpio - Driver Rating - Average. Passenger Rating - Average.
(Flawed ride and handling)

Innova D - Driver Rating - Good. Passenger Rating - Good.
(Engine note intrusive, comfortable seats)

Fiesta D - Driver Rating - Average. Passenger Rating - Average.
(Engine refined, but no top end; Rear space comparable to the accent)

Swift D - Driver Rating - Good. Passenger Rating - Average.
(Lovely engine. Rear seat space abysmal)



Drifter

[lurker]

Usually, its the full-size cars that are more comfortable during long drives.

Hatchbacks usually do not measure up in comfort unless they are the Citroen C6 or the Renault Megane 2007/Vel Satis types.

As for Merc's and BMW's, the latter in India is believed to have a harsh ride due to the unique tyres they are using and the Merc rear seats are not too comfortable unless they are E240 or larger type.

[warchild]

i have done long distance on zen, palio, Gypsy , OHC, wagonR, Santro, Swift, old Mahindra's & jonga's.

driver's point of view fiat palio & adventure has one of the best ergonomics.

[indian21r]

Long distance, for driving it has to be a Skoda Ocatavia, consistently driven at 150+ kmph. Lack of leg room is the only issue otherwise no strain.

Innova again very easy to drive as well as sit. But slow around 110 max.

Indigo a very spacious car. Well speeds were around 130-145 kmph. Decent ride.

Esteem feels very good to drive. seating is also decent enough.

Well and now comes the King Safari 3000 kms in 10 days with most of the driving in a span of 4 days. No strain what so ever, Well I was driven around this , so do not know how it feels, Safari pre2000 model.

Indica almost a similar experience to Indigo

M800 , Zen are all ok but lack space.

-RBI

[Torque-ative]

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

. Engine is not a main criteria for this thread but the seating position, accessibility to the gear lever and all the other pedals etc here is more important. What I want to know is which is that one car you could drive for hours and hours together, yet not feel the strain.

1. City 7 speed CVT
2. CRV Auto
3. Accords v6 Auto
4. Corolla Auto

Reason ? Two words "SEAMLESS ACCELERATION"

[Zappo]

Most of my long distances are on the Indica/Indigo duo. And I think these two are really comfy cars when it comes to a real long drive. A few months back I covered the longest distance in a day, in fact in just 15 hours to be exact. We covered approx 900 kms distance in a turbo Indica. And it was a breeze. I have developed even more respect for this understated hatch since then.

[prabuddhadg]

My longest drive has been in an Amby, about 400 km in West Bengal/ Orissa. In my M800 I never drove longer than 150km. My Petra has been driven about 250 km. I always felt comfortable in all of them, but the Petra, naturally is the best. The Amby was good, but the controls were not so well positioned. The 800 too was so-so. It is too light to be comfortable, any way. And the Petra is smooth as silk.
Added to that is the engine noise, that always relaxes me. The Petra 1.6 engine sounds so great and involved in the action, that I wouldn't settle for a quiet cabin. In fact, I have been driven in an Optra for over 150 km, and the quiet really got to me. I would often tap my ears and shake my head to remove the ringing from my ears. I prefer a noisy engine to help me relax.

[IMP]

Whoa, I am almost seeing the names of nearly every car manufactured here, and then some. Since the thread is regarding most comfortable car to drive long distances. I think over long distances the things that matter the most are
1) Seating Position.
2) All round Visibility/High Seating Position.
3) Silent Cabin.
4) Torque rather than Power.
5) Ride Quality.

My picks of the lot are the Safari and the Innova.
The Safari scores high on every aspect above mentioned except that the high cabin noise which is a downside. I have done a Pune-Bangalore-Tirupati-Banglore-Pune trip in 5 days in my safari, and i was really impressed how fresh i felt throughout the entire trip in spite of the driving. i just love the (someone said here in this thread, and I loved it) "balcony seats" the safari has.

[Optimus Prime]

Lancer - Chennai - Bangalore nonstop (with one near death experience enroute) smooth, great ride, only wish i had ABS otherwise i wouldnt have almost been plastered to the back of a truck...

[kpbhatt]

the longest distance I have driven is not in India but in US -- that too

once in a 99 Plymouth Grand voyager minivan - the best in terms of driver comfort and seating comfort also all round visibility is at its best with the huge greenhouse area.

the second instance was in a Ford Expedition but i liked it more for its huge stance and road presence rather than the driving comfort.

[comfortfreak]

Not much support for Honda CR-V ? I'd think it would come out on top perhaps just below Camry for long drives.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by Torque-ative

1. City 7 speed CVT
2. CRV Auto
3. Accords v6 Auto
4. Corolla Auto

Reason ? Two words "SEAMLESS ACCELERATION"

OT - but when did the city get a 7 speed cvt??

for me from the passengers point of view-
1. innova
2. baleno

[speedmiester]

I have driven my zen from 6 pm to 8 am from bangalore to goa. It was comfortable.
But Baleno, Accent, Innova, Corolla etc all are good long distance vehicles.
Swift on the other hand was not that comfortable even when compared with my zen.

[speedy]

i've do the delhi jaipur circuit very often and i feel the merc 270, the prado and the honda accord give the best rides. very comfortable and good power. i just fly low to jaipur in these rides

[sbala]

Its Ford Fiesta TDCi - It rocks in highway. You wont feel any tiredness even after driving for 6 hrs continuosly.