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m3bs wroteEdited for bad info.Is 20 mm the total range of height adjustment? I’m wondering how much it can be lowered for entry and exit. Some of us who aren’t 18 any more would appreciate not having to climb up into the car. And since we can’t get wagons in the US any more….
Timmer-Bimmer wroteThe range is 80mm. You can lower it a total of 40mm which is 1.5 inches.4 inches is the range of height adjustment. But the base driving height is in the middle, so you can go two inches lower for ease of entry, and two inches higher for bumpy terrain. Also, sport mode puts it 1 inch lower.
Note: 4 inches = 101.6mm, so you can go down 50mm and up 50mm. And down 25mm for sport mode.
And, no, there's no way to force the thing to the lowest level automatically when you shut it off. You have to do it manually each time, and then, if you open a door prior to it reaching that low point, it stops.
jad03060 wroteI'm a new X5 owner with air suspension and am just starting to figure out how everything works. I have noticed that mine does lower itself when I power it off. Is there a setting that does this?Luckily, the normal height is about ideal for me, but I do lower it when I've got a load to add or remove from the rear...that just makes the lifting a little easier.
And, no, there's no way to force the thing to the lowest level automatically when you shut it off. You have to do it manually each time, and then, if you open a door prior to it reaching that low point, it stops.
SteveGiant wroteAs far as I can tell the user has no control over the suspension when off.I'm a new X5 owner with air suspension and am just starting to figure out how everything works. I have noticed that mine does lower itself when I power it off. Is there a setting that does this?
I'd *love* a "kneel" mode when in park, or for the car to remember it is in Sport suspension setting. There's no reason BMW can't provide this like other manufacturers do.
As to the original question, the air suspension is pretty good but biased toward comfort. The regular steel spring suspension is also pretty darn good.
Great ride and also happy with the handling dynamics.
Definitely can recommend
SteveGiant wroteNot that I'm aware of, but I suppose for 2026, they may have changed things. Note that if the vehicle was heavily loaded, and everyone gets out, it would rise, just like any spring...but, the air spring control logic would then return the vehicle to its 'normal' height. As being a normally single occupant, the weight change isn't enough for me to notice, but if it was fully loaded, I suppose you would or at least could.I'm a new X5 owner with air suspension and am just starting to figure out how everything works. I have noticed that mine does lower itself when I power it off. Is there a setting that does this?
SteveGiant wroteI'm a new X5 owner with air suspension and am just starting to figure out how everything works. I have noticed that mine does lower itself when I power it off. Is there a setting that does this?
omasou wroteGood stuff, thanks for sharing. I guess I should RTFM, my bad. LOL
sttico wroteI put mine in sport mode with the air suspension and it buckles down! AwesomeI had 2016 750i with air suspension and it floated around curves, so I didn't order air on my 2021 X5 40i...not floaty but I missed the nice ride so I got air on my 2025 X5 40i. Vastly improved from 2016 and no longer floaty. Happy!
m3bs wroteOH YES YOU CAN!!!And since we can’t get wagons in the US any more….
Break open that piggybank...https://www.bmwusa.com/vehicles/m-series/m5-series/bmw-m5-touring.html
Not to mention that we love the ability to lower it to load up the baby and with my wife being on the shorter side. Not necesaity but a nice thing to have.
Love being able to do this from the App as well.
No regrets. At least not until something breaks on the air system down the line...
avi8tir wroteFinally the post I've searched for many times. Had I only searched on roads suck instead of rough roads. I too live in an area where the roads suck. I have ordered an X5 to be built because I could not find one with 20" wheels and everything else I wanted. I had 21" wheels on a Explorer ST. They were fine in Phoenix but rural Tennessee is another story. Sidewall matters. As part of our mid 70's crisis we traded the ST for a Bronco with 17" wheels and 35" tires. It rides much better on these crappy roads than the ST did. I have owned German, Italian, Swedish, Japanese, English and American vehicles. The last German vehicle was a 2018 K1600 GTL. Put 18K miles in 20 months. I know that probably won't get me into the bimmer club but I 'll say thanks to all Y'all anyway for posting on this informative thread. I added the 2-axle air suspension to my order. Production scheduled for the 18th week. Oh, and we're keeping the Bronco.Don't knock it before you try it. The air suspension is awesome. Even in comfort, the ride is solid, and sporty.
I live in an area where the roads suck and absolutely love the air suspension. I had an F90 M5 Comp before this and I hated driving it around because of the roads. And, the air suspension can get firm at the push of a button. I do almost zero highway driving and would choose the air suspension again considering the area I live in.
thejoker-M3 wroteI have a 2025 40i sport with 22" summer tires without air. I also have a 2026 exact same spec with air. Initially when I tested out both models (one with air and one without) on the 2025 I didn't notice any difference. I'm sure it could be because my test drives weren't that long and I was distracted by a lot going on during the test drives. Now that I've spent a lot of time in each, one with air and one without, I can say that the difference is very noticeable. A much softer cushier ride with air. I don't feel any of the "floaty" that others report. I like the softer ride and if I had to do it over again I'd get the air on the 2025. But if you're feeling that floaty vertigo feeling I would not get air. I'm very happy and content with the 2025 without air as it drives really nice even with 22' low profile tires, but again, our X5 with the air suspension is noticeably a softer ride. We have an area where we live where there's a really rough patch of road that is my tester because there's no dodging it and our X5 with air glides over it while the 2025 without air I feel a little jarring under me.Okay still deciding on springs and air. But reliability aside and focusing on comfort, will the air suspension cause headaches adjusting to it because I did drive one it felt a little floaty and felt a little different getting out of the car
Any thoughts ? Will I get used to it?
Bimmercc1972 wroteI have an M60i on order and have added both 22” wheels and air suspension to my options list.About to pull the trigger on a new M60, would going with the 22" rims with the summers change anyone's perspective on going with the air suspension?
I didn’t want 22” wheels, but my wife and I both felt that black alloys look best with the Manhattan exterior colour that we chose and the only black alloys available were 22”.
In truth, I added the air suspension primarily because of the ability to lower the car, so that when getting in and out I can avoid rubbing the back of my leg against the protruding side sills (which IMO is a design flaw on the X5). The M60i that I had on test for 3 days had the standard suspension and I didn’t feel that the ride felt much different to the 50e version that I’d had for 2 days with air suspension. Both cars had 22” alloys. So, if it was purely about ride quality, I’d be sticking with the standard suspension. I didn’t get any sense of the ‘magic carpet ride’ that some mention when talking about air suspension.
I was also partly influenced by a review of the M60i on the Driven+ YouTube channel (a U.K. site, which is where I’m from) as he raves about the combination of performance and ride quality with an M60i with air suspension.
azmiller1976 wroteNo appreciable effect on the air suspension, it is designed for the use. The 45e gets the upgraded, bigger brakes so you are covered there. I would imagine there would be some additional wear on the tires but meaningless in the long run.Hi, quick question on your response about the air suspension but want to add the caveat of addressing that option coupled with 45e X5's. Currently, a person can get a better deal overall when looking at used X5's when it is a 45e vs 40i. My concern I am wrestling with, is whether to go this route due to the air suspension and weight of the battery for the plug in hybrid. Is having air suspension being additionally stressed when being utilized in a hybrid due to the "weight" factor which is increased by 800 lbs, thus causing more wear and tear on the boot, as it also does on the tires, brakes? Just curious at a high level on any thoughts you might be able to convey. Thank you for your time and any insight you can provide.
