Oh! My Aching Back: What Vehicle Has the Plushest Ride?

If you’re a car enthusiast, you likely get asked by your friends and acquaintances for advice on their automotive purchases. If you write about cars, that probability becomes a certainty. When they ask something really general like “what’s the best car?” it’s a bit annoying because what fits your needs best may not be the best choice for your neighbor. However, sometimes you’re presented with a genuine need and you want to give sound advice.

There’s a cute older couple that I’ve gotten to know from going to hear live blues music around Detroit. They’re both gallery displayed artists. He’s a college art instructor and she’s had similar jobs, including starting the art department at a nearby university. Unfortunately, Linda has some health issues, including a bad back. One of their cars needs replacing and Don’s rented a series of different branded sedans to try to find one that his wife’s painful spine can tolerate.

Range Rover air suspension

When he found out that I write about cars, Don told me about Linda’s back and asked me what car had the best ride. The truth is that in a good year I might get to drive a half dozen press cars or trucks, so I really don’t have a broad perspective on everything that’s available. Based on what experience I do have (I include a ride quality loop on some of the Detroit area’s worst roads when I do get review vehicles), I told him that I have a bad back myself and thought that the Land Rover LR4’s air suspension was very impressive. Climbing up into an SUV, though, can be as much of a challenge for someone with a bad back as riding in a 15-year-old Plymouth with bad shocks. I did point out that SUVs with air suspension, like the Land Rovers or Grand Cherokee’s with Jeep’s Quadra Lift suspension, usually have a feature that lowers the vehicle for ingress and egress.

I ended up telling him to check out cars and crossovers that either have air suspension or the General Motors developed MagneRide adjustable shock absorbers, but I thought it might be productive to get a wider range of opinions. So, I’m opening the question up to the Best and the Brightest. Maybe one of you can even suggest a vehicle that has both air suspension and MagneRide dampers as in the illustration below.

I realize that car enthusiasts in our readership tend towards preferring firm suspensions and good handling, but those are not at the top of every car buyer’s checklist. Some people prefer, or actually need, a car with a soft suspension. What vehicle would you suggest to someone with a bad back?

Ronnie Schreiber edits Cars In Depth, a realistic perspective on cars & car culture and the original 3D car site. If you found this post worthwhile, you can get a parallax view at Cars In Depth. If the 3D thing freaks you out, don’t worry, all the photo and video players in use at the site have mono options. Thanks for reading – RJS