Rough suspension and noisy.

[Erin]

I have a 1999 cougar that is presently “sitting” in the garage. Automatic transmission lost 2nd and 4th gears.
When it was running though – You barely touch the brakes and the thing stops dead in it’s tracks. Steering was tight and barely move it and the thing turns tight. The suspension was good, it felt glued to the road at any speed or road roughness. Every bump was felt. Yet, nothing ever rattled. I loved driving that car. It was “home” speeding around tight curves.

My 1997 Acura CL is a different story. Daily driver. Brakes feel so-so. When driving down the highway, it almost feels like it is floating, detached from the road somehow. Yet the suspension is good. Steering feels like it is floating, though it is also good. I would compare the ride to a 1999 LeSabre (which I owned years ago).

When in the cougar, I felt safe. Though it was pretty slow, it grabbed the roads and corners like no car I have ever driven. And I miss it. I just do not care for the overall feel of “luxury” cars.

My step-sister once owned a 99 Cougar, when they were brand new. One night she got drunk to hell and drove somewhere and hit and BROKE phone pole. The car did not survive but she did. Was hurt but not badly. How the hell that is possible, i don’t know. The Cougar saved her ass.

Anyways, am I alone in preferring a tight feeling ride as opposed to the sloppy feel of luxury?

Topic

[Andrew Button]

Here is my comparision. Two 1972 Chrysler products. Both with torsions in the front, and leaf springs in the back. Older, pickier Imperial buyer wanted numb, slow, non road feel steering, softer rate springs in back, torsions of a different rate in the front, lots of sound insulation, bigger mufflers, cushion seats, 1972 dodge dart, no regard to either luxury or handling just cheapness. More road feel due to less engineering/insulation in the suspension, liitte or no sound deading, possibly the car had manual steering which the first couldn’t have (more road feel, quicker steering ratio), less foam in the seats, less body mass, more wind noise due to thinner body shell stampings, ect. , more road noise due to smaller tires rotating faster, or things like that., same year, same company, different target audience and drivers. Both machines same basic design on paper, two different articulations. Neither buyer would have liked the other car. You are in one camp, somebody else is another.

[Author]

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