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Toyota is the most solid. In fact, if you look on the news, in war zones in the Middle East, they are always driving a Toyota truck with a machine gun in the back.
Toyota is the most solid. In fact, if you look on the news, in war zones in the Middle East, they are always driving a Toyota truck with a machine gun in the back.
After driving cars for a long time, and currently owning classic ones, I find that IMO over the years that American (GM,Ford,Dodge/Chrysler) products bodies including older BMW’s and Benzes have a much more sturdy feel and solidarity to their vehicles vs say a Toyota or Honda product.
Do many of you find this to be the case, or no? I just feel like the doors, trunks and hoods feel more solid on a Ford or GM product than a Toyota. Why is this? In Japan their roads are perfect and smooth as glass with no potholes to speak of so the importance of road noise and vibrations from bad asphalt doesn’t matter to them very much because I remember most older Honda’s have a ton of road noise and ride like crap with overly stiff suspension dynamics while a Toyo Camry is slightly quieter, but doesn’t feel all that solid and sturdy compared to say a Ford Fusion and a Chevy Malibu.
What are the reasons behind this? Most old Mercedes feel very solid and bank vault like, but the new ones don’t.
I have not driven anything other than US vehicles, but the two I did drive have me wishing for them. 1966 Chev 1/2 ton and a 1995 Ford Escort L wagon. Both almost bulletproof engines Felt VERY safe in either. Loved that Ford quite a bit and almost yelled at Mom for not having the engine replaced and continued using it... Oh and I have owned
1978 Chevy Van G20
1984 Ford E350
1966 Chevy 1/2 Ton
1998 Dodge B1500 Van
1965 Dodge Dart (Push Button Transmission)
2005 Chevy Van 3500 (Current Driver) It feels ok, but not "Solid"
But the BEST car ever built for structural rigidity in the USA is one that’s currently being built and very new ... it’s the GM omega platform currently used on the Cadillac CT6 (best car ever built in the USA).
And the CT6 does it with at a significantly lower curb weight than the competition.
Cadillac CT6 -3,708 to 4,426 lbs
Mercedes S-Class - 4,553 to 5,296 lbs
Audi A8 - 4,751 lbs
BMW 7-Series - 4,195 to 4,740 lbs
Genesis G90 - 4,630 to 4,905 lbs
Lexus LS500 - 4,707 to 4,905 lbs
Amazing job on Omega, Cadillac. The CT6-V with the Blackwing TTV8 and SuperCruise is gonna be some car.
They really need a luxury CUV that uses this platform.
The other porkers need to go buy themselves some Slim Fast or something.
I have driven many cars and for “solid feeling” this is my ranking:
#1 German
#2 American
#3 Swedish
#4 Japanese
#5 Korean
Nothing beats a Benz for a solid feel. American cars are a close second. Volvo’s don’t seem as solid to me but they have good reputations for safety. Asian cars have the poorest body integrity over time because they are flimsy, but they are as safe as any other because they use better technology and that helps the fuel efficiency vs other makes. You can witness that in major accidents where a Toyota or Honda’s body panels are obliterated but the structure still holds up well.
Last edited by detachable arm; 02-09-2019 at 01:57 PM..
And the CT6 does it with at a significantly lower curb weight than the competition.
Cadillac CT6 -3,708 to 4,426 lbs
Mercedes S-Class - 4,553 to 5,296 lbs
Audi A8 - 4,751 lbs
BMW 7-Series - 4,195 to 4,740 lbs
Genesis G90 - 4,630 to 4,905 lbs
Lexus LS500 - 4,707 to 4,905 lbs
Amazing job on Omega, Cadillac. The CT6-V with the Blackwing TTV8 and SuperCruise is gonna be some car.
They really need a luxury CUV that uses this platform.
The other porkers need to go buy themselves some Slim Fast or something.
That is a pretty amazing job by Cadillac using mostly lightweight materials in the CT6, but yet again, the other makes depending on the trim levels, are going to weigh more than the Caddy because they simple have a lot more tech and safety built into their vehicles.
Full on air suspension can add extra weight, and modules that control this and that also add to the porky pounds. The 20 way or however way power seats add additional weight from all those little motors.
The reason why consumers spend so much money on those cars is because they WANT to feel that solidarity and heaviness upon entering and exiting the cars. The heavy curb weight is a sign of quality and durability.
A heavy car usually rides better than a lighter one, you can’t deny physics and long wheelbases when it comes to ride smoothness. Of course suspension tuning and tire design matters a great deal as well. But on the whole, a sedan weighing 4500lbs or more, is most likely going to feel and ride superior to a lighter one because the weight of the vehicle can easily absorb road vibrations and dampen the little road imperfections from entering the cabin than say a car that weighs 3500lbs.
That is a pretty amazing job by Cadillac using mostly lightweight materials in the CT6, but yet again, the other makes depending on the trim levels, are going to weigh more than the Caddy because they simple have a lot more tech and safety built into their vehicles.
I just sat in in a CT6 Platinum at a car show yesterday and there wasn't much, if anything, that it was lacking.
I didn't see anything like SuperCruise on any of the German cars. The Cadillac had it.
Platinums have Magnetic Ride Control standard. It'll take that any day over an old fashioned and trouble prone air suspension.
MRC is probably the best suspension tech going... it's so good that Ferrari and Audi uses it.
The Hilux is used for that purpose because 1) they are cheap to buy or easy to steal 2) they are simple in construction and easy to repair 3) they are plentiful -- if one can't be fixed then the parts can be stripped off and used in other vehicles.
I just sat in in a CT6 Platinum at a car show yesterday and there wasn't much, if anything, that it was lacking.
I didn't see anything like SuperCruise on any of the German cars. The Cadillac had it.
Platinums have Magnetic Ride Control standard. It'll take that any day over an old fashioned and trouble prone air suspension.
MRC is probably the best suspension tech going... it's so good that Ferrari and Audi uses it.
It was assumed because the other vehicles built at Hamtramck got cancelled.
They just haven't announced where it's going to be built yet.
All they have to do is build enough ahead to cover sales until they move the lines.
They should've offered up more V's. They put 275 up for sale and they sold out in hours.
Last edited by eaton53; 02-09-2019 at 02:51 PM..
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