Why are Modern road cars set up so stiff

[DaveW]

... you should review or evaluate a car after a couple of hours, no more, otherwise you just get used to it.

Not me, however. I would still be adjusting the seat.

Development drivers have a language of their own, but what is truly astonishing is just how sensitive & self-consistent they are (despite my earlier remarks).

[Greg Locock]

We did a real life experiment stiffening the front end structure of a car vs stiffening the bushes of the suspension. Our evaluator was able to demonstrate that he could tell the difference statistically (it's called a Gage R&R if anybody wants to know how that is done, it is deadly dull).