The sense of speed is missing

[waynne]

Have you noticed how much quieter and refined modern cars are. In fact in a lot of luxury high powered cars you don't get a sense of speed.

You probably notice this more when you get into an older small car. Even 50mph can seem quite fast and exciting.

When a car is so refined and quiet 50mph doesn't even feel like you are moving.

Have you noticed this? Do you think it takes the fun out of driving? Will people be tempted to drive faster because the car doesn't give that same sense of speed?

[Wcnwzrd]

my wifes pontiac has that feeling all the way up to 80. it annoys me because i am always looking down at the dash to make sure im not speeding. in my z or any of my other vehicles i could tell how fast i was going on average just from the feel. stupid new cars.

[Loz]

Your right nothing beats bombing along in a mini thinking your doing mach 1, but you look down at the speedo it says 40mph!

It's a case I think that modern cars are just more capable of cruising at higher speeds without feeling that the car is falling to pieces around you.
Also generally (& I mean very generally) as you get older you buy larger &/or newer cars. When you passed your test you bought a £500 jalopy that was a death trap could just manage 80mph with a tail wind. But as you get older & better paid you progress to slightly larger newer better built cars till you reach the point, where you have a family & now you have a Mondeo that will cruise happily all day at 100mph (120mph when the wife's asleep).

Seating position is a good one too. Take MPV's, they have high van like seating positions that lower the sense of speed on the road, just try taking a Westfield or Caterham out on the motorway & see how that feels! Lorries seem really, really big too

[RobBentley]

Totally agree. 100mph feels somewhat sedate in modern cars.

[HDi fun]

That is sometimes cited as the reason motorway speeds have risen. The dim witted also attribute this directly to accidents.

[prevtec]

speed is unoticable in most big engiened cars,
is this to do with the chassis???

[RobBentley]

I think some of it is you get used to the speed too. Like James May in the Veyron doing 252 - suddenly 60mph felt like he should be able to open the door.