ROUND 2: COMFORT
Cheap cars are seldom comfortable, at least that was what the old truth said. Well, none of the cars really offers luxury car comfort, that should be said. But even here we found some huge differences, sometimes really surprising ones.
For everything other than very short trips, the Hakumai is a pain to ride in. The engine is loud, and in combination with rudimentary sound insulation and lack of an overdrive it can make the noise almost deafening in the long run. The seats are primitive and lacks padding and the suspension is harsh. In fact, you are allowed to load over a tonne in this compact hatchback, which kind of shows how unnecessarily firm the suspension is set up.
@interior
Generally, large cars are usually more comfortable than small ones, but the Wells i5 is an exception. It is built with primitive technology, using a leaf sprung solid rear axle, the engine is not as loud as in the Hakumai but still quite noisy, paired with a lack of sound insulation. The seats are very simple and nothing that you want to sit in for too long. At least, the suspension setup is not as harsh as in the Hakumai, but an overly low tyre profile hampers the ride very much.
@DuceTheTruth100
Hearing protectors are recommended in the Sunnet ISI. The engine is really incredibly noisy while the sound insulation is almost nonexistent. Suspension wise it is a little bit on the firm side, but nothing that’s not possible to cope with. Seating and interior appointments are of a quite low standard even here.
@Just4
The Python Mini is a small and simple car, and that means small and simple on comfort, that’s a thing that is hard to get around. But for its size and simple appointments, it seems like they have at least tried. The engine is reasonably quiet, somewhat compensating for the lack of sound insulation, but being small and rev happy the gearing can get a bit tiresome at highway speeds. The interior is simple but separate seats in the back gives more comfort than trying to cram in 3 people on a hard bench, when we’re talking about cars of this size.
@Aruna / @Ryan93
The dampening in the Kinden Cub is a bit on the hard side. The engine is kind of noisy but tall gearing and decent sound insulation helps somewhat. The interior is somewhat less spartan compared to some of the other cars and the seats are kind of comfy, with separate buckets even in the rear.
@bilobilo
The Régal has a decent suspension tuning, that delivers the usual french mix of comfort and handling. But it is kind of noisy, due to a loud engine and lack of sound insulation. The seats are simple, however, this is yet another four seater, a little better comfort but a little less practical when it comes to carry rear seat passengers.
@karhgath
The Armor Cricket may not have the quietest engine we have seen, but a better sound insulation compared to some of its competitors and a tall gearing compensates for that. What’s not as good, however, is the suspension that has kind of a hard setup.
@GassTiresandOil
The FM Street has a well appointed interior, at least compared to some other of the superminis, seating is decent despite the rear bench seat, but short gearing means that there is kind of a drone from the noisy engine, despite relatively good sound insulation. Suspension setup is firm, but by no means rock hard, and is possible to live with. The fact that it is a really small car can’t be ignored in this case, though.
@Jaimz
Room for improvement, in the Ibishu Pessima…
The Ibishu Pessima has a suspension set up for comfort, maybe it is a little bit wallowy though and an installation of sway bars would probably only be a benefit. Tall gearing and a quiet engine somewhat compensates for the primitive sound insulation. Seating comfort is decent but nothing special.
@EngineEmu
…as well as in the Shidley Bruv.
We have already mentioned that power steering would have increased the comfort of the Shidley Bruv. Also, the suspension is a bit hard. The engine is on the noisy side (far from the worst in this test though), but gearing is sane and sound insulation quite good. When it came to seating and interior appointments, we found nothing to complain about.
@missionsystem
The Tiffosi Nuova Citta 60 is reasonably quiet even at highway speeds, the seating comfort is fine for the class, and while the suspension is on the firm side, it is still not harsh. For its small size, we would say that it is a pleasant car to ride in.
@fasmukji
Small, but with room for surprises: The Sanfrecce Giardino.
The Sanfrecce Giardino has a well dampened engine but the gearing doesn’t do it any real justice, being a bit rev happy at highway speeds. As in the Tiffosi, the ride is a bit firm but the dampening seems to be better matched to the spring rate here. One very pleasant surprise is the seating comfort, beating some more expensive cars.
@piglet916
The IP Urbana has a reasonably pleasant ride comfort, with what seems to be well thought out dampening and spring rates. The seating comfort gets an OK rating, neither less or more. The engine is a bit on the loud side and it has high revs at highway speeds, making the car a bit noisy.
@Knugcab
The LCE has ride and seating comfort that is about similar to the IP. What should be said, though, is that the LCE is a more quiet car at highway speeds, due to taller gearing and a less noisy engine.
@abg7
The Akira Sparrow features a pleasant ride comfort, and the seating comfort is also quite good, again, a car with a back seat contoured for two, with a nice seating comfort but sacrificing some practicality. The engine is a bit on the noisy side but sane gearing and decent amounts of sound insulation does help.
@Serperior98
The Impulso BT has a soft suspension setup, maybe even a bit on the soft side since it seems to bottom out sometimes. The engine is not the quietest we have experienced but still reasonably dampened, and the tall gearing makes for low revs at highway speeds. Simple seating and sparse sound insulation somewhat hampers the comfort though.
@chichicoofisial
The Decarlis D20 has a well chosen spring and dampening rate, and we found the seats a little more supportive and comfortable than usual in this class. Tall gearing combined with a quiet engine and high quality sound insulation further enhances comfort.
@Arn38fr
The Mara Zvezda is built with bad roads in mind and that have resulted in a long suspension travel, even if being a little bit stiff, that will swallow even the worst bumps. Seating comfort is decent, and a quiet engine, reasonable sound insulation and tall gearing makes the sound comfort decent even at highway speeds.
@AndiD
The Akane Aurora has a soft suspension tuning. Also soft, a little bit too soft, are the seats, which can feel cozy on short trips but in the long run we would have appreciated a more supportive padding. With the gearing being a little bit short, the sound insulation a bit weak and the engine loud, it is a kind of noisy car too.
@OME
A car with a long wheelbase such as the Baltic Motors Liesma GS are usually less bouncy to ride in than a shorter car. Ride comfort is decent despite the dated construction and we liked the very comfortable seats. Sound insulation is good, the engine a little bit harsh but it goes with low revs at highway speeds. The Baltic is far from as dated as it first looks like, at least comfort wise.
@TheYugo45GV
The smaller Proletariat Piersic is of course a little bit bouncier but on the other hand has an advantage in not having a heavy solid axle with leaf springs in the back. There is decent seating comfort, but the engine has a drone that gets tiresome in the long run. Luckily, tall gearing and adequate sound insulation helps a bit there.
@HighOctaneLove
Hyensu Harmony has a good seating comfort, a smooth and pleasant ride even on bumpy roads, and the good sound insulation and comfortable gearing somewhat evens out the engine that is a little bit too buzzy for our taste.
@Maverick74
The relatively long wheelbase of the Hart Jupiter makes for a decent ride, but maybe the rear suspension is a little bit stiffer than we would have liked. Seating comfort is OK, the engine is not overly noisy and both sound insulation and gearing are at a sane level.
@Fletchyboy100
The ride in the GSI Egesta is soft, smooth and pleasant, the seating comfort is what you can expect from a car in this class today. The engine may be a bit loud but the sound insulation is adequate and the gearing not overly short, making it acceptable when it comes to sound comfort even at highway speeds.
@oppositelock
For its small size and low sticker price, we would say that the level of comfort in the Dafeng is a surprise. It rides over the bumps in a way that would have made some much larger cars jealous, the seating comfort is good, especially in the back with a seat contoured for two passengers, but of course at the expense of practicality. It also rides very quiet with a well dampened engine that runs at relatively low revs, and a fair amount of sound insulation.
@mart1n2005
The Barusu has very supportive and comfortable seats, with a back seat contoured for two passengers (three is usually too much in a small convertible anyway). The ride is soft and pleasant, but unfortunately the loud tractor-like burble from the flat 4 is a bit too much. That is, however, helped up by the fact that the sound insulation is good for being a convertible and a sane gearing for highway speeds.
@ImKaeR
Gujarat Master might look like a relic, but a pleasant surprise is how it is beating most of its modern competitors when it comes to comfort. The for its time advanced suspension system is still highly competitive, after all, and the spring and dampening rates well chosen. Seating comfort is at least as good as in most modern cars, and the new engine that came for the 1990 model year is very well muffled. It does not rev too much at highway speeds either, and thankfully the sound insulation is better now than it was in the 50s. Apparently, some manufacturers need to take a look at one of the oldest cars still on the market, to learn a lesson or two.
@BannedByAndroid
Not really as old, but still a “veteran” on the market is the Legion Wimbrel. But with a relatively long wheelbase, sane suspension tuning (but maybe a little bit stiff in the back), good seating comfort, high quality sound insulation and a wisely chosen final gear it is still highly competitive. If we are allowed to complain, the engine is a bit noisy.
@donutsnail
Is the Orion Sentinel kind of a small limousine at a budget price? Well, not too far off actually. Thanks to a soft suspension tuning (but maybe with a bit too restricted travel), 4 wheel independent suspension, a very high gearing that makes the strong V6 rev almost nothing at highway speeds, some luxury appointments like an automatic transmission, and much more, it gives you much for the money at least when it comes to comfort.
@Hshan
Another top performer is the Hirochi Exatima, one of the secrets are that the tyres are engineered for comfort, another one the well chosen dampening and spring rates. Sound levels and seating comfort are decent too. In fact, if Hirochi just could add power steering, it would be the top performer here by great margins. Now, it has some competition at the top.
@nicholasrams774
Generally, it could be said that many of the cars are equal here. a few of them very bad, none of them excellent but some of them still being highly competitive. It is mostly a question about which sacrifices you can make. But Orion and Hirochi are probably the closest you can come to comfort levels found in more expensive cars.
