[CreedonQV]

Coming from an f15 30d with rear air to a go5 m50d on two axle air, I have to say I am hugely disappointed with the suspension on the go5. For me it has very little stability , it’s too floaty in all settings, and in sport mode it just gets bouncy.
It’s lacking damping and makes the car feel heavy and un predictable.I think the best set up is pressing adaptive mode with suspension lowered to sport level,It’s an acceptable ride with decent handling , but still not even close to the f15 in sport mode, which I thought had an amazing balance between ride and handling.
The f15 felt so connected, nimble and planted, lighter than its weight. The go5 feels every bit of its weight.
If you like spirited driving, the m adaptive suspension is a must for this car. Stay well away from air. It’s such a disappointment

[walketed]

Originally Posted by robby818

I love how my X5 rides, but I didn't get nor have I driven the air suspension option. Is it that much better because the standard model is pretty unbelievable and that's coming from a former Lexus owner.

It's notoriously more comfortable. I don't think I can go back.

[jayfeinst]

We bought a CPO X40i about a year ago. I rarely drive it as it's my wife's car. I took it to drop them at the airport and back this morning and I am NOT a fan of the air. It feels floaty and bouncy- to the point where I dropped it off for a loose trim piece and asked them to take a look while they have it. Honestly, it feels a bit like our 22 Yukon did but with better cornering.

PS- I tried all driving modes and it didn't change much, IMHO.

[CreedonQV]

Originally Posted by jayfeinst

We bought a CPO X40i about a year ago. I rarely drive it as it's my wife's car. I took it to drop them at the airport and back this morning and I am NOT a fan of the air. It feels floaty and bouncy- to the point where I dropped it off for a loose trim piece and asked them to take a look while they have it. Honestly, it feels a bit like our 22 Yukon did but with better cornering.

PS- I tried all driving modes and it didn't change much, IMHO.

Exactly my thoughts. Very little difference between the modes..all too soft and lacking damping stability

[driftkido]

I'm coming from mazda cx9, the comfort mode feels a bit floaty on wavy road, but not as much as honda crv. But it's still stable and it doesn't tilt up or down much during acceleration and braking. On daily usage or on bad road surface, i think it's super comfortable. On sports mode, a lot of bumps and rough surface are felt more pronounce. It's firmer than cx9 but it feels more stable and the car doesn't jump around on bad surfaces. For hard driving, i do feel it's a bit to the soft side but overall it's doing fine and stable.

[Aussiejem]

Love our air suspension. In Sport mode it has perfect stifness/comfort/handling IMO

[dhdd]

I think the air suspension is pretty good overall. I set it in sport mode as a default and it is pretty compliant against non smooth / smooth roads. I do wish the sport setting would be alittle firmer but my spouse likes the normal SUV floaty suspension and it's her car.

I had a loaner with regular suspension on the 40i and gosh did I hate that suspension, was even more floaty feeling and less composed. Was glad to have the air on sport suspension setting back.

[matowi]

Impossible to not love this thread

As expected, the two camps will defend their flags vigorously

My advice to the OP and whoever reads the whole thing all the way to here: DO NOT RELY on other people’s views and opinions. They are bound to be heavily influenced by particular opinion givers’ personal preferences

So, do yourself a huge favor, and GO TEST the different options yourself. Otherwise you’re doing yourself a major disservice by trusting the forum on this topic (unless you personally know the people giving an opinion and know their preferences, and can calibrate your own based on that). What does it tell you, if I say I hated the air suspension so much, I’d curse the day I ordered the car if it came with that option? Not much, I guess. It will also not tell you much, when I say for the umpteenth time that I love the M pro suspension on my M60i and can’t imagine how anything else can make it ride well

Nothing will be better than your own reactions and opinion based on the test drives - that should be the only inputs you take into account when selecting the suspension for your car

As regards other options, the forum is a fantastic source of insight regarding their reliability/usability etc

[masmole]

I’ve looked around and I have not been able to find an M60i with air suspension at any dealership that I could test drive. Closest I’ve found was a 50e which has air suspension standard, and of course the dealership said “should feel the same”.

But does it feel the same? The M60i is lighter, but only by about 100 lbs or so. Does anybody here with first-hand experience with driving both an M60i with air suspension and a 50e, offer some insight to how the ride/handling compares between both models with air suspension?

I’m coming from the perspective of having a couple of sporty cars in my current stable (Taycan GTS and 992 T) and have had my share of Audi RS, Benz AMG, and BMW M cars in the past, and during my test-drive of the X5 50e with air suspension standard, I really liked its ride and handling (for an SUV) in sport mode. So if the M60i with air suspension is comparable to a 50e in this regard, I’ll take it!

[Ludo2024]

I ordered an M60i with air suspensions and comfort seats. I have an X5 M50D with Msport suspensions and sport seats and it’s not comfortable. I mostly do motorway, to me an SUV should be comfortable, practical and a good engine for the german autobahns. I haven’t been able to test drive the M60i with air suspensions so i’m also going blind.

[matowi]

Originally Posted by masmole

I’ve looked around and I have not been able to find an M60i with air suspension at any dealership that I could test drive. Closest I’ve found was a 50e which has air suspension standard, and of course the dealership said “should feel the same”.

[...]

It should be pretty similar. That said, I've driven neither. My encounter with air suspension was in a 40i and 40d - both were too soft for my liking

If there's no M60i on the lot, maybe a used M50i (the pre-LCI) will be available in your area? That would be my safest bet to check

On the other hand, if you liked how 50e behaved, I would say you won't mind the M60i characteristics. Having other, more sporty cars, the SUV may not need to be in a permanent attack mode

[CreedonQV]

Originally Posted by Aussiejem

Love our air suspension. In Sport mode it has perfect stifness/comfort/handling IMO

What size wheels and tires and what type of tires?

[blockhead25]

I did not get air suspension and was wondering if I should…but I am personally quite happy how the standard suspension drives.

Don’t know what I’m missing though. Just was uncomfortable with potential of long term repair costs for air suspension.

[Aimster82]

I like my air suspension, but it's too floaty for me in comfort mode. Sport plus is good for me.

Also ... I have rented a lot of cars in the past year and I found a lot of them comfy too. So it's not like OMG huge difference.

[sygazelle]

As others have said, it's such a personal preference. It would be nice to test drive exactly what you are looking to buy but that's not always possible.

I'm sort of surprised that the topic of rim size and tire make/model have not been much of a discussion. In my non-air X5 40i, I can say that a change in tires to go flat Pirelli Scorpion All Season Plus 3 have made a huge improvement in ride. So maybe those who are finding air suspension too "floaty" could change tires and get a more satisfying ride.

[jayfeinst]

Originally Posted by sygazelle

I'm sort of surprised that the topic of rim size and tire make/model have not been much of a discussion. In my non-air X5 40i, I can say that a change in tires to go flat Pirelli Scorpion All Season Plus 3 have made a huge improvement in ride. So maybe those who are finding air suspension too "floaty" could change tires and get a more satisfying ride.

Valid point- I was in camp negative on air suspension. I also put Pirelli Scorpions on- tough to articulate the difference so here's my attempt- they made the ride smoother but didn't impact the "float factor." If anything, they almost make the float worse as they dampen harsh road conditions. I realize that sounds like a positive but, in my reality, it's a compromise- smoother/better for in town but floatier/less fun on highways.

[CreedonQV]

Originally Posted by sygazelle

As others have said, it's such a personal preference. It would be nice to test drive exactly what you are looking to buy but that's not always possible.

I'm sort of surprised that the topic of rim size and tire make/model have not been much of a discussion. In my non-air X5 40i, I can say that a change in tires to go flat Pirelli Scorpion All Season Plus 3 have made a huge improvement in ride. So maybe those who are finding air suspension too "floaty" could change tires and get a more satisfying ride.

On another thread, the watcher changed his air suspension 40d from continentals to Pirelli’s p zeros (22 inches wheels) and he said it transformed the car. Way better and more direct and far more stable. I have continents on mine so once they are worn out I will be changing to the Pirelli’s. Much stiffer side wall compared to the contis..so less tire rollover and overall waveyness on the road giving a more direct and agile feel