What is the smoothest riding American car?
The 10 Best American Cars For Cruising
Sometimes one of the greatest driving joys you can experience is driving slow. As Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it”
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I have to give a big shout out to one of my favourite car movies of all time. Before George Lucas got famous with Star Wars, he made a film called American Graffiti. It’s a coming-of-age flick set in 1962 California; the last night of summer vacation. If you’ve never seen it, I won’t spoil the rest. Go watch it now. This article will still be here when you’re done.
No other film better captures the golden age of the American car scene and the birth of our automotive love affair than American Graffiti. It also captures the essence of cruising — not street racing mind you, just the love of rolling through town on a Saturday night in your pride and joy, hanging out with your friends and just having fun.
We spend a lot of time talking about going fast, turning corners, clipping apexes and so forth. Sometimes though, we all need to slow down a bit and just enjoy the ride. For me, that means rolling along in a car that perhaps could go fast, but somehow feels even better going slow. If I could be 18 again for one last care-free night of summer time cruising, I’d do it in one of these rides.
1958 Chevrolet Bel Air Impala Sport Coupe
My first two cars are straight from American Graffiti, starting with the 1958 Impala that Ron Howard’s character drove in the film. The 1957 Chevy Bel Air is more popular, but the 1958 model with the bullet tail lights and flatter fins just had a leaner stance. And of course it had V8 ‘Murican power.
1932 Ford Deuce Coupe
The infamous yellow ’32 Deuce has been a staple at just about every cruise night in America since American Graffiti was released in 1973. I’d be delighted to rock any 1930s era custom hot rod — 1934 Ford, 1933 Chevy, T-Bucket roadsters, you name it. But John Milner’s “fastest in town” 1932 Ford is the one I’d choose.
1977 Ford Thunderbird
The 1955-1957 Thunderbirds are the models everybody wants, but oddly enough I’d rather cruise in the biggest, slowest Thunderbird of them all. They were heavy and their V8 engines were hopelessly emissions-choked, but I always loved the long sweeping style of these late ‘70s T-birds. The rare t-tops made them even better, but even with a solid roof these big two-door Fords are epic for local or long distance cruising.
1959 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible
My folks had a restored 1960 Cadillac convertible when I was in high school. It was just as big as the 1959 with nearly identical styling so I have some idea of what it’s like to cruise one of these. Imagine a two-door convertible that weighs 2.5 tonnes, is 19 feet long, has a big 6.4-litre V8, and sports a back seat large enough to, ah, “stretch out” in. It’s as elegant to drive as it is to behold, and I honestly can’t think of a properly big convertible that’s better for cruising than a 1959 Caddy.
1936 Auburn Boattail Speedster
So many great classic cars from the 1930s are overlooked these days, and the Auburn is one of them. Available with a supercharged 4.5-litre straight-eight engine, it could do 100mph back in the day when most cars struggled to reach 50. I would sell every spare organ in my body to cruise the California coast in a vintage Boattail.
1970 Chevrolet C-10 Pickup Truck
I was always rather fond of this generation of Chevrolet pickup. When they were new, these trucks were just plain, simple work vehicles. Time has been kind to the C-10’s styling, but this era also represents the beginning of the pickup’s evolution from that of a barebones work vehicle to something with substance and style. That’s why more of these are being reborn as custom restomods, and they make great cruising machines.
1970 Dodge Challenger R/T
Muscle cars are certainly great for cruising, but I find myself preferring something a bit softer for a casual cruise. I take exception for the 1970 Challenger R/T convertible; it’s stunning to look at, spacious and comfortable to drive and it makes all the right noises — especially at a lazy roll through town with the V8 burble echoing off the buildings.
1986 Dodge Daytona Turbo Z
Here’s my oddball for the list, primarily because it’s a front-wheel drive four-cylinder Dodge from the 1980s. But I need to confess a serious love for the Daytona and I’m not ashamed to admit it. The turbocharged 2.2-litre four cylinder made 146bhp so it wasn’t a complete bore to drive, and it was actually rather comfortable and well balanced for a front-driver. Besides, just look at it — all sleek and red with t-tops and everything. In 1986 my grade-school self fell hard for these cars, and that love just never went away.
1968 Chevrolet Corvette
I could be happy cruising just about any Corvette, but the early third-generation (C3) cars have always been my favourite. You could still get the wicked 427 V8 from the infamous 1967 ‘Vette, but honestly I don’t care what it has under the bonnet. I just want to roll through town, listening to the V8 and staring at its reflection in store windows as I pass by. There are only a few cars in the world I consider sexy, and the early C3 ‘Vette is one of them.
1970 Mercury Cougar XR-7 Convertible
Here’s another pseudo-muscle car choice, and yes, if I’m cruising I’d take the Cougar over any Mustang. I love the bold front grille with the hidden headlights. I love the swooping body lines that dip down to the rear wheels, and the slightly flared fenders offer just a hint of muscle. Like the Challenger, they’re spacious and comfortable inside — moreso than similar-era Mustangs in my opinion. And the XR-7’s V8 soundtrack can be as muffled or as loud as you’d like.
Cadillac vs. Mercedes: A Complete Brand Comparison
Cadillac vs. Mercedes: what are the similarities and differences between these two iconic luxury brands? Cadillac and Mercedes are among the most popular prestigious car brands on the planet. From their contributions to modern technology to their century-plus catalog of well-manufactured cars, both have a considerable stake in the global luxury market, but which manufacturer offers the better deal?
That is what we intend to find out in this post. We’ll be looking at each brand as a whole, weighing their history, ride quality, pricing, and maintenance cost to see which manufacturer delivers the better luxury car experience.
Cadillac vs. Mercedes: Prestige and Background
When comparing Cadillac vs. Mercedes in terms of their prestige and historical clout, you’ll find that they’ve got very different legacies. Both Cadillac and Mercedes have manufactured luxury cars for over 120 years, but both brands could not be any more different.
Since its first car rolled off the production line in 1903, Cadillac has been known for its precision manufacturing and eye for luxury finishes. It garnered thousands of sales on its first car, and it has largely held to the same philosophy for over 120 years.
Named after the French explorer Antoine Laumet de la Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac, founder of Detroit, the company was formed from the remnants of Henry Ford’s company and the Leland & Faulconer Manufacturing company in 1902.
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By 1908, Cadillac had already established itself as one of the premier luxury car manufacturers in America, and when it joined General Motors a year later, it became their Luxury division.
Cadillac is famous for some of the most popular automobile features modern cars use today. It made the first automobile with an electrical system for initiating ignition, engine starting, and lighting. They also introduced several record-shattering engines from the 1920s to the 50s, as well as Tailfins, wraparounds windshields, and a few other trends that mark 50s and 60s car designs.
Cadillacs were also some of the first to feature heater-air conditioners, and their modern engines and car designs are nothing to sneeze at either. Their models set the trend for modern luxury sedans and SUVs.
Mercedes is also just as invested in manufacturing exceptional cars, but they’re a lot larger than Cadillac.
Mercedes-Benz’s origins can be traced back to Karl Benz’s creation of the Benz Motorwagen –which featured the first internal combustion engine – and his partnership with Gottlieb Daimler, Wilhelm Mayback, and Emil Jellinek. They marketed their first automobile, the Mercedes, to the old nobles of Europe and popular titans of industry such as Rockefeller.
Since then, Mercedes-Benz cars have been recognizable for their quality manufacturing, eye-for-detail, as well as technical and luxury innovations.
They manufactured some of the first cars to use bulletproof windshields, airbags, floats carburetors, four-wheel breaks, seven-speed automatic transmissions, and some of the best turbo and petrol engines in the world.
Mercedes is the biggest manufacturer of premium cars in the world today and sold over 2.4 million units of cars in 2020 alone. Mercedes remained on top of the automobile industry for over 100 years thanks to its approach to manufacturing cars. It’s perfectly encapsulated in their slogan “the best or nothing.”
THE 10 MOST RELIABLE AMERICAN CARS
Because the car buying experience is so stressful, it’s helpful to go into the dealership with information ahead of time. Therefore, we’ve curated a list of the 10 most reliable American cars so you can approach the process from a place of empowerment.
Cadillac vs. Mercedes: Ride Quality and Comfort
Mercedes — Benz and Cadillac are famous for the ride quality in their choice of automobiles. Cadillac has been pumping out Devilles, Fleetwoods, and Seville with world-class suspension and ride since the late 50s. Caddie fans swear by the classics and argue that they still ride beautifully to date.
Modern Cadillacs are just as comfortable too. Their CTS models, recently renamed the CT6, use independent suspension that prioritizes ride quality and precision handling.
According to a Consumer Report carried out in 2018, the S-class Mercedes sedan delivers one of the best car experiences in the world. It was placed first in a survey of 78 luxury cars.
The S-class sedans are some of the most expensive luxury cars in the world and are packed with all the comfort you’d expect for a car worth over $100,000. The 2021 model uses electronic-assisted multi-link adaptive air suspension. The front and rear suspensions are also gas-pressurized, and they use AS summer performance tires.
Even their non-elite models stack up exceptionally well against some of the best luxury cars in the world. A Redditor carried out a seismometer test that placed the Mercedes C300 Coupe ahead of the Porsche Carrera 911 as the better riding car.
Short of testing either the CTS6 or the S-class, it’s hard to determine which car truly delivers the better ride quality. However, on paper, the Mercedes S-class looks to have a better ride quality and interior. It uses a multi-link suspension system which is not only smoother than the independent transmission on the Cadillac CT6, but is also more expensive.
Cadillac vs. Mercedes: Car Lineup
Mercedes Benz outguns the Cadillac offerings by over 10 car lines. Between Mercedes-Benz, Daimler AG, and Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes has over 12 car lines. They make everything from sports cars and roadsters, hatchbacks, SUVs, luxury Sedans, EVs, supercars, super-exclusive Maybachs, trucks, and even vans.
In comparison, Cadillac has a slimmer offering. They only make three car models– the Escalade, XT, and CT. According to their official site, they are currently working on an EV called LYRIQ. In 2019, they sold about 165,246 cars between their three-car lines.
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Cadillac vs. Mercedes: Pricing
Mercedes-Benz luxury cars are, on average, more expensive than Cadillac vehicles. The Cadillac XT4 starts at $36,500, the CT5 sedans start at $51, 865, and their world-famous Escalades start at $72,000.
By contrast, the Mercedes equivalents start much higher. Their low-end GLB SUV starts at $36,000, and the luxury Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 SUV starts at $160,000. On the sedan front, their top-of-the-line luxury car starts at $184,900.
With improved interiors, engine configurations, and upgrades, the asking price of Mercedes cars can reach ridiculously high. For example, the Mercedes-AMG GT reaches up to $325,000 on the highest specifications, and the 2022 AMG One starts at $2,700,000.
Cadillac vs. Mercedes: Maintenance and Repair
At first glance, Cadillac seemed to provide a better warranty and repair option.
On their standard and lowest-tier Bumper-to-Bumper Limited Warranty, new vehicles are covered for up to four years or 50,000 miles for repairs, parts, and labor for any physical defect.
Unfortunately, the plan does not cover routine maintenance but is transferrable, and so are the Cadillac Optional Extended Limited Warranty and the Powertrain Limited Warranty. Both warranties only cover repairs but last significantly longer.
Cadillac also offers several tiers of warranties, defective GM parts repairs and changes warranties, and a 4-year coverage for maintenance, oil change and filter, tire rotation, and Multi-point Inspection (MPVI).
As if those options were not enough, Cadillac also provides Roadside assistance, courtesy transportation, available customized protection products, and a super-exclusive repair network.
With thousands of automotive technicians on the GM repair network across Canada, China, and the United States, most car owners won’t stress getting access to all these fantastic repair options.
According to Cadillac, car owners should bring their cars in for routine maintenance every 7,500 miles, and YourMechanic.com estimates that it can cost anywhere from $95 to $1594 to repair and maintain a Cadillac.
Mercedes-Benz cars warranty scheme is less robust. Mercedes’s Basic Factory warranty/ Bumper-to-Bumper warranty covers all repairs and working costs for 4-years or 50,000 miles.
They have a standard Powertrain Warranty that covers 4 years and 50,000 miles from the original purchase date, and they sell extensions that can get you an additional 50,000 miles of coverage. Their Extended warranty covers:
- The Engine
- Transmission
- Supercharger
- Turbocharger
- Passenger Car 4Matic
- Cooling system
- Electrical system
- Speakers
- Climate control, etc.
For routine maintenance, Mercedes has a prepaid maintenance plan that should reduce the cost of repair up to 30% and is transferable. Without the prepaid maintenance, Mercedes Benz of Henderson estimates that car owners might spend up to $1000 on maintenance alone. Between the Series A and B maintenance, tire rotations, and oil changes, the cost adds up. YourMechanic estimates that it can cost Mercedes-Benz owners anywhere from $95 to $7825 to repair their car.
Cadillac vs. Mercedes: The Bottom Line
When comparing Cadillac vs. Mercedes overall, we find that Mercedes cars are, without a doubt, the better luxury brand. Between their plusher interior, ride quality, and prestige, they have the clear advantage over Cadillac in all but one category—maintenance and repairs. While Mercedes warranties and repair costs are significantly more, they deliver on quality, comfort, and performance.
With that said, we think you should choose whichever brand you like the best. Both Cadillac and Mercedes have built up their reputation, prestige, and trust over several generations of service, and neither brand seem eager to betray that trust. You are likely to enjoy whatever luxury car you purchase from them, whether they are a few days or years old.
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What Is the Smoothest Riding 2022 SUV?
For 2022 the year has started off with some great SUVs with lots of features and configurations. The quantifiable specs like power, towing, and pricing is easy to find. But what about the literal seat-of-the-pants stuff like smooth or harsh rides? We’ve got that covered right here.
2022 SUVs ride smoother, better than ever
Over the years the automakers have refined suspensions, shocks, and seat construction to give SUV owners the best of many worlds. Insulation has also improved, giving a quieter ride. The level of noise can distract from how the SUV rides, so that’s important too.
Sometimes, the differences are hard to determine, but in other cases, the difference is obvious. These SUVs display a harsher or stiffer ride, or conversely, a mushy ride. That is sometimes worse than the opposite. You want a smooth ride, but also one that doesn’t make you feel like it is leaning too hard in turns. Or one that is so washed out you feel like the tires are dancing around, never solidly planted.
With so many sizes of SUVs out there, well keep this look to three-row mid- and large-SUVs. Most of the smaller SUVs and Crossovers are car-based and in most cases, these three-row SUVs are their own animal. Some even use half-ton truck frames and suspensions that are tweaked. We’ll also stay away from premium brands, sticking with the mainstream manufacturers. Sorry, Mercedes and Porsche.
So which 2022 SUV rides the smoothest?
Based on consumer advice groups and our own driving experiences, these are the top three-row SUVs for a smooth ride. Topping the list is the 2022 Kia Telluride. It checks off lots of boxes, but the ride is just superior to the others. Surprisingly, it is also the least expensive of the bunch, confounding the adage that money will buy you better. Also belying that is the cabin looks upscale, not cheap and plastic-y.
Next up is another Korean manufacturer’s three-row, the 2022 Hyundai Palisade. Slightly more expensive than the Telluride, you can get one loaded for under $50,000. The cabin is quiet, with only a slightly stiffer suspension compared to the Kia, but only slightly. It is a capable SUV throughout from the base model to the top-of-the-line. Your family will love it.
Third on our list is the 2022 Honda Pilot. It is the largest SUV Honda makes, and it displays that Honda quality and style. The cabin is comfortable and quiet, with only a slight harshness noticed over bumps and train tracks. Packaging is well done, and the most expensive trim will set you back a little over $50,000.
These SUVs are truck-based
The next three are hampered in this category due to their size and truck underpinnings. But these are mostly considered better SUVs by many for those reasons. This shows that ride alone is not the only metric in choosing a new vehicle. But in some cases, the ride is smoother than even Meercedes can build. And the advantage over the first three is that passenger and cargo specs are better because they are larger.
So just below the Honda is the Chevy Suburban, which some consider the penultimate SUV. The ride is definitely stiffer than the above models, but it is also an extremely comfortable ride with the added bonus of space. There is definitely plenty of room inside. You don’t feel closed in on. Though Suburbans can get close to $80,000 fully loaded, you can get into a base model, which is well-appointed, for $55,000.
Are the Yukon and Tahoe the same?
At about the same place as the Suburbans, is the GMC Yukon. It is just a slightly shorter version of the Suburban, which some prefer when it comes to parking and maneuverability. Chevy builds a virtually identical model with its Tahoe. The difference between the Suburban and Yukon is due mostly to the shorter wheelbase, which adds a slight more chop to the ride. But the base model is just over $50,000, so you’ll walk away with a bit more in your wallet.
The last of our six is the 2022 Ford Expedition. It has had its ups and downs over the decades, but the latest Expedition is class-leading in many respects. It is a larger version of the Explorer and is underpinned by the T3 Platform F-150 frame and suspension. As with the others, the cabin can be spec’d with a myriad of luxury features, with the top model hitting just above $80,000.
