Long Wheelbase in Cars: Reasons, Pros & More

The distance between the front and rear axles of a car is one of the important factors in a car’s geometry and varies in different car brands. This distance, in automotive parlance, is known as the wheelbase. This brings us to the question: why do some cars have a long wheelbase while other cars have a short wheelbase?

In this guide, we will discuss the pros of a long wheelbase in cars to answer that question.

Advantages of Long Wheelbase in Cars

One of the misconceptions about wheelbase in cars is that only big cars have a long wheelbase. The wheelbase to length ratio is a method used to check if the car has a long wheelbase. To calculate the wheelbase to length ratio, simply divide the car’s wheelbase by the length of the car. Make sure that the units of measurement are the same in both the values.

car wheelbase anatomy — Wheelbase affects the car’s handling, cornering and steering

In this section, we are going to list out the benefits of a long wheelbase in cars.

A long wheelbase in car has following advantages:

Better Ride Quality

Vehicles with longer wheelbases provide a smoother and comfortable ride than those with smaller wheelbases. This is because there is a longer time between the front and rear wheels to strike any bump on the path, thereby reducing vehicle instability. Moreover, the long distance between the front and rear axles of a car also helps to improve the car’s cornering stability

Better Spaciousness

The longer the distance between front and rear axle of the car, the more spacious it would be. There would be more legroom and rear-seat space which means tall drivers or passengers won’t be uncomfortable in traveling in the car.

Better Steering

Steering ratio is the ratio between steering wheel turn and wheel turn. A larger steering ratio means that the steering wheel should be turned more to turn the wheels, but it will be easier to turn. A lower steering ratio indicates that the steering wheel must be rotated less to turn the wheels, but rotating the steering wheel will be more difficult. If the vehicle has a short wheelbase, the driver will end up oversteering to turn the car.

Better Luggage Capacity

Although it is recommended to put less load on your car to enhance fuel consumption, carrying more luggage on a drive can be necessary sometimes. As a long wheelbase makes the car more roomy, it allows you to load more luggage in the car than you can in a car with a short wheelbase.

Popular Cars With Long Wheelbase

Some prominent cars known to have a long wheelbase include Lexus LS (3,125 mm), BMW 7 Series (3,070 mm) and Mercedes-Benz S-Class (3,216 mm). If you are interested in buying a car with a long wheelbase, you can find these cars for sale in the UAE on dubizzle:

In addition, dubizzle also has a large collection of other used cars for sale in the UAE.

This brings us to the end of our guide about the advantages of a long wheelbase in cars in which we discussed why is a longer wheelbase better in cars. It is worth noting that a short wheelbase also enjoys some advantages over long wheelbase such as more agility and better maneuverability.

To learn more about automobiles and the automotive industry, stay tuned to the UAE’s top auto blog.