The Most Comfortable Cars To Drive

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is a leading car in the luxury saloon department. It’s also a class leader when it comes to comfort. In fact, it’s near impossible to find a vehicle that competes without turning to the really exclusive marques like Rolls-Royce and Bentley, and even then the S-Class stands its ground (at a lower price too). Inside, soft leather seats are accompanied by generous levels of leg and headroom in both the front and in the back. It’s as much a car to be driven in as it is to drive, especially with optional extras like a rear seat entertainment system, to really ramp up the home comforts. But that’s not all. The S-Class has a very smooth and quiet ride, which can be made even smoother with Mercedes’ Magic Body Control, a very clever system that uses cameras to monitor the road ahead in conjunction with smart suspension that adjusts accordingly to compensate for the conditions of the tarmac. As you can imagine, a ride experience doesn’t get any more comfortable.

In the SUV class, Land Rover’s Range Rover easily offers the smoothest ride. It’s also supremely quiet inside the cabin and incredibly comfortable, with lots of space and high levels of practicality. It should come as no surprise then, that the Range Rover is a favourite amongst the British royal family. And no doubt that’s because of its high levels of comfort and its outstanding 4×4 performance on and off the road. Again, it’s another class leader in this category. Like the S-Class, it’s also a car well-suited for drivers and being driven in alike, reinforced by optional extras like executive seating with even wider and deeper cushioning (on top of the already comfortable seats) and two LCD screens in the rear for entertainment.

One of very few cars that can be considered as an alternative to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the Audi A8 is also massively comfortable. It’s aided by innovative technology like Audi Drive Select, which allows you to vary the performance and handling characteristics of the car to suit your mood and the road, whether for a smoother journey or a trip with a sporting edge. As you’d expect from Audi, the build quality is superb and the cabin is of a high quality, offering wood, aluminium, and Valcona leather inlays for added luxury. You can also increase the comfort with options like temperature controlled seats. Furthermore, the Audi A8 enjoys air suspension which dampens uneven road conditions for a more refined journey.

Focusing on the driver’s experience and interior refinement in equal measures, the BMW 7 Series is enjoyable to drive with a fabulous cabin that is lined with soft Nappa leather (or optional Merino). Highly comfortable, the 7 Series is especially impressive when it comes to the rear cabin space, where it’s easily a class leader, offering a very generous amount of leg and head room. It also comes with lots of equipment as standard too, and a wealth of options to increase the comfort and luxury. As a passenger, you couldn’t ask for more, with a choice of rear massage seats and full HD touchscreens for entertainment – perfect for those who like to be chauffeured in style.

Another car with a huge amount of interior space, the Skoda Superb is a large family vehicle that offers more in most departments. It’s very practical and, being so spacious, it’s very comfortable too, particularly with soft, supportive seats and a smooth, quiet ride experience. It’s pleasurable to drive, cheap to run, and it enjoys an affordable starting price and still offers a good level of luxury in its design, styling, and cabin. It is, quite simply, outstanding value for money and it lives up to its namesake in every way, proving superb in most domains, especially considering its bargain price tag. Whilst there are undoubtedly more premium cars available, the Skoda Superb still holds its own against them and at a much reduced cost at that.

The Citroen C3 may seem a bit of on odd one out on this list at first, but it’s actually a class leader in comfort in the supermini domain. Where most cars of its class opt for a more sporty approach in exterior and interior styling, largely to appeal to a younger demographic, the Citroen C3 takes a different stance focusing on space, practicality, and comfort. And it delivers on all three counts, enjoying a spacious cabin with lots of headroom, thanks to a taller build, as well as offering a large squared off boot, with useful cubbies and storage spaces, and a softer setup for a refined and smooth driving experience. It also comes well-equipped as standard too.

An alternative to the bench setting Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the Jaguar XJ is another luxury saloon that delivers superior levels of quality, inside and out. It doesn’t quite match the S-Class in terms of cabin quality, but that’s more praise to the S-Class than criticism of the XJ, which is very plush and adorned in soft leather and wood. As you’d expect from a car to make this list, it’s spacious inside and very comfy, providing a refined and smooth ride experience. Where the Jaguar XJ really comes into its own, however, is in the driving. It’s one of the best in its class in that area, offering superb handling, effortless performance, and a whole lot of fun.

Rather agile considering its size, the Audi Q7 is a stylish seven-seater SUV, and whilst the third row is best reserved for children, as is the case with many seven-seaters, it is nonetheless a very comfortable car – especially so with the adaptive air suspension, which smooths out any bumps in the road for a more refined journey.  Inside, the cabin carries the hallmarks you’d expect from Audi and then a little more, with lots of plush materials and high-quality leather. Top models increase the cosiness further with luxury Alcantara, for a smoother and more elegant look and feel. The premium car is at the front in the large SUV class and is easily one of the best available, particularly in its refinement and overall levels of comfort.

Of course, when it comes to the most luxurious and comfortable sports utility vehicle, then the Bentley Bentayga is in a league of its own. The super-SUV is sensational with an incredibly lavish cabin lined in the finest of materials and packed to the brim with state-of-the-art technology. Driving along the road, adaptive air suspension glides over the tarmac for a smooth, relaxing, and very refined ride experience. Paired with double glazed windows it’s supremely quiet too. Furthermore, Bentley provides an extensive list of options for you to personalise the interior to match your tastes and to increase the impeccably high levels of comfort, with a range of leathers and veneers. It’s also available as a four, five, or seven-seater, and for added luxury, with massage seats that enjoy six different modes.

Tenth place is a joint affair with two luxury behemoths by Rolls-Royce: the Phantom and the Ghost. Both are undeniably two of the most comfortable cars on the market to drive (or be driven in). However, with the exclusive asking price they carry, we’ve placed them at the end, because at those prices you could enjoy a number of cars off our list and a rather comfortable all-inclusive holiday too. But if you can afford one of these lavish vehicles, then go ahead you can put them at the top of our comfortable category. Both cars offer an ultra-smooth and quiet ride like nothing else, with a cabin that is the very definition of luxury and opulence. Quite simply, no other car comes close to the levels of comfort provided by the Rolls-Royce Phantom or the Ghost. Of the two cars, the Phantom is the top of the Rolls-Royce range, but the Ghost is no slouch, proving the only real competitor to the Phantom’s impressively high levels of refinement.