[stein_325i]

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[schaeffs888]

Originally Posted by stein_325i

Brilliant - thanks for that - first proper stoush between the rivals - just missing the Cayenne T...

[Alan l.]

I was just about to post this lol

These guys have come a long way. Really enjoying their content recently even more so than Straight Pipes.

That said I am sort of glad that most recent reviews are confirming with what I said about the F95 in that it rides very firm. More so than the previous gen by a good amount. People made it seem like i was out of my mind for thinking it but seems like that is now the general consensus with reviewers and those that has put some miles on the cars.

With that said i still love my car. there are just some local roads I know i should not take or have to take going a lot slower because the bumps literally rattles the interior. I am hoping that once I have the MSS suspension installed it will soften the ride up just enough to be perfect for daily use.

Alan

[stein_325i]

Originally Posted by Alan l.

These guys have come a long way. Really enjoying their content recently even more so than Straight Pipes.

I agree, their channel is quite good. Nice mix of facts, opinions, and entertainment, and great chemistry and personalities from the hosts. Their intros in particular are always a good laugh. I find they are very similar to The Grand Tour/Top Gear and MotorTrend's old Head to Head series in the best ways, and I love that they start with the drive and then go into style and tech later in the video.

The Straight Pipes while fine, I find do not focus enough on the drive like Throttle House does, and I personally think depending on the video, Yuri can be very annoying, and way too focused on technology and going off on random and unimportant tangents.

[GOLFFRR]

nice! those guys are good

[schaeffs888]

Originally Posted by Alan l.

I was just about to post this lol

These guys have come a long way. Really enjoying their content recently even more so than Straight Pipes.

That said I am sort of glad that most recent reviews are confirming with what I said about the F95 in that it rides very firm. More so than the previous gen by a good amount. People made it seem like i was out of my mind for thinking it but seems like that is now the general consensus with reviewers and those that has put some miles on the cars.

With that said i still love my car. there are just some local roads I know i should not take or have to take going a lot slower because the bumps literally rattles the interior. I am hoping that once I have the MSS suspension installed it will soften the ride up just enough to be perfect for daily use.

Alan

Have to say I was also worried about the ride - it was my main concern. Now that I've driven 1k miles I am not at all concerned. Yes it does ride firmer than my M50d but it certainly doesn't ride better.

What I mean by that is that it has real body control. The F15 M50d I had previously had more comfort but worse control.

So the X5MC is actually better in some situations like longer undulations, as the control of the dampers really nullifies the secondary movement of the car, but "worse" when the bump frequency is short. It actually rides a little like my GT4 although the weight of the GT4 allows it to handle the short frequency bumps a little better.

I have also just put the winter wheels and tyres on the car and this does help on the shorter frequency bumps - the "rattle" as you call it is definitely less. I have Michelin PS Alpin 5s and I think the tyre walls are quite a bit softer and this gives the help over the Pirellie P-Zero's ( I didn't win the tyre lottery but will wear the Zero's out and head to Michelin to see if this improves things a bit in the summer).

Overall though - the car is mega. It's up on its toes and really wants to turn in and its an event every time you drive it. Totally sold.

[Alan l.]

Originally Posted by schaeffs888

Have to say I was also worried about the ride - it was my main concern. Now that I've driven 1k miles I am not at all concerned. Yes it does ride firmer than my M50d but it certainly doesn't ride better.

What I mean by that is that it has real body control. The F15 M50d I had previously had more comfort but worse control.

So the X5MC is actually better in some situations like longer undulations, as the control of the dampers really nullifies the secondary movement of the car, but "worse" when the bump frequency is short. It actually rides a little like my GT4 although the weight of the GT4 allows it to handle the short frequency bumps a little better.

I have also just put the winter wheels and tyres on the car and this does help on the shorter frequency bumps - the "rattle" as you call it is definitely less. I have Michelin PS Alpin 5s and I think the tyre walls are quite a bit softer and this gives the help over the Pirellie P-Zero's ( I didn't win the tyre lottery but will wear the Zero's out and head to Michelin to see if this improves things a bit in the summer).

Overall though - the car is mega. It's up on its toes and really wants to turn in and its an event every time you drive it. Totally sold.

Yeah i suspect it is dependent on how your local roads are. Here in NYC we have roads that looks more like the surface of Mars so you really feel them in the X5M. When I am on vacation and visiting other states with nicer roads the ride in the car is totally fine.

I too recently switched over to winter tires (pzero winter in 21/22 oem size) and the ride is much better compared to the PS4S. Takes just enough of the sharp edge out of the initial impact to make it more pleasant.

[Tenac]

Originally Posted by Alan l.

Yeah i suspect it is dependent on how your local roads are. Here in NYC we have roads that looks more like the surface of Mars so you really feel them in the X5M. When I am on vacation and visiting other states with nicer roads the ride in the car is totally fine.

I too recently switched over to winter tires (pzero winter in 21/22 oem size) and the ride is much better compared to the PS4S. Takes just enough of the sharp edge out of the initial impact to make it more pleasant.

From my understanding the MSS will resolve this for you, or at least help out... lol

[LSM]

Originally Posted by Alan l.

I was just about to post this lol

These guys have come a long way. Really enjoying their content recently even more so than Straight Pipes.

That said I am sort of glad that most recent reviews are confirming with what I said about the F95 in that it rides very firm. More so than the previous gen by a good amount. People made it seem like i was out of my mind for thinking it but seems like that is now the general consensus with reviewers and those that has put some miles on the cars.

With that said i still love my car. there are just some local roads I know i should not take or have to take going a lot slower because the bumps literally rattles the interior. I am hoping that once I have the MSS suspension installed it will soften the ride up just enough to be perfect for daily use.

Alan

It's kind of the case with all recent BMW M cars. Stiff ride but unsorted suspension. Heavy steering but not communicative

That's my main gripe with all the new M cars

[stein_325i]

Originally Posted by LSM

It's kind of the case with all recent BMW M cars. Stiff ride but unsorted suspension. Heavy steering but not communicative

That's my main gripe with all the new M cars

It does seem that BMW (not just M) has had a bit of trouble nailing the ride and handling balance lately. Whether its a review for an X5 M, or even a plain old 235i GC (I refuse to put an M anywhere near that car) there always seems to be a complaint for the ride. Of course at the end of the day its up to the buyer whether they can handle the suspension or not.

[puckhead85]

My X5M comp. is my first BMW. I came from a Lexus and my family was a Lexus family.(but that's another story) My parents drive an LS, my brother had an RX I have a GS 350 (non f sport) and I don't find the ride quality bad at all. yes you do feel the bumps on the crappy Long Island Expressway and Northern State but it's not bad in comfort mode where I want to get rid of the car.

[BobsM3Coupe]

I've only had my X5M a week with only 200 miles on it, but so far, I don't think the ride is to bad. Though since I sold my E92 M3 Coupe, I forgot how the botts dots at lower speeds do resonant throughout the vehicle. But I've noticed M-B AMG products do the same thing. Even there AMG lite vehicles.

[nick3753]

Anecdotally it seems that each new generation gets bigger wheels (probably heavier too) with less tire profile. This can't be helping the ride stiffness.

[stein_325i]

Originally Posted by nick3753

Anecdotally it seems that each new generation gets bigger wheels (probably heavier too) with less tire profile. This can't be helping the ride stiffness.

Agree, hell the Audi even has 23' rims available as an option!

[frankchn]

Originally Posted by stein_325i

Agree, hell the Audi even has 23' rims available as an option!

I have the 23s on my RSQ8. The actual side-wall width isn't too bad. The tires are 295/35s all round, so you end up with 295*0.35 = 103mm of sidewall.

The X5MC has the same size tires up front and 315/30 tires in the rear, so slightly less sidewall in the rear.

[ShockArrival]

Originally Posted by frankchn

I have the 23s on my RSQ8. The actual side-wall width isn't too bad. The tires are 295/35s all round, so you end up with 295*0.35 = 103mm of sidewall.

The X5MC has the same size tires up front and 315/30 tires in the rear, so slightly less sidewall in the rear.

The vehicles have gotten so large that even 20" wheels look kind of silly these days!

Great video and run down by these guys!

[Germanauto]

I'm a fan of these guys but they missed the mark on this comparison test. The reason being that they barely talked about each car's handling, steering, and overall driving experience. Instead it feels like 80% of the video focused on ride quality, that too in an unscientific way.

[frankchn]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

I'm a fan of these guys but they missed the mark on this comparison test. The reason being that they barely talked about each car's handling, steering, and overall driving experience. Instead it feels like 80% of the video focused on ride quality, that too in an unscientific way.

The driving experience of all three is good enough for what I want the car to do.

I test drove the X5M before deciding on the RSQ8, and sure the X5M is definitely more responsive and has sharper handling (akin to my F90 M5 on stilts).

However, I am not looking to take these cars to a canyon road for a weekend drive or on the track, so the differences in handling behavior is not very relevant to me.

I wanted an SUV to have good enough enough handling but also be comfortable for long road trips (for not just me but other folks) and not annoying to drive long distances. The RSQ8 fits the bill the best.

[stein_325i]

Originally Posted by frankchn

The driving experience of all three is good enough for what I want the car to do.

I test drove the X5M before deciding on the RSQ8, and sure the X5M is definitely more responsive and has sharper handling (akin to my F90 M5 on stilts).

However, I am not looking to take these cars to a canyon road for a weekend drive or on the track, so the differences in handling behavior is not very relevant to me.

I wanted an SUV to have good enough enough handling but also be comfortable for long road trips (for not just me but other folks) and not annoying to drive long distances. The RSQ8 fits the bill the best.

I have to say, the RSQ8 is a very good looking vehicle, and has great road presence which is not typical of Audi. I'm not an Audi fanboy in the slightest but there is something that draws me to the Q8 the most of the SUV's, maybe its the angular styling. I think its the best in terms of splitting the bill between the compromised hatchback-esque SUV's (X6, GLE Coupe, Cayenne Coupe) and the regular style SUV's, still offering enough practicality with a bit of style.

[DAL33S]

After watching this video I can agree with certain aspects of it.

I came from a G05 X5 M50d with optional air suspension and I enjoyed the car but lacked the engine noise and performance I desired.

When I got my X5M Competition, I did miss the smooth ride of the M50d's air suspension.

As the miles went on I warmed to the vehicle and got used to it ride wise.

Since then, Autoworks Services (in the UK) have worked with MSS to develop and create a suspension spring solution to this. My car is the actual launch demo for this kit.

We ran the development kit for 500 plus miles and to us this is how the X5M Competition should have been.

The last thing to address is the lack of exhaust note, especially in the UK where we have to deal with OPF filters unlike the US market.

I've attached a picture of the MSS kit fitted to my X5M Competition

[BobsM3Coupe]

Originally Posted by DAL33S

The last thing to address is the lack of exhaust note, especially in the UK where we have to deal with OPF filters unlike the US market.

I haven't actually seen the exhaust system part #'s to verify it, but I suspect the same X5M's exhaust system is used on all X5M's, no matter what country they are destined for.
The US X5M's are kind of embarrassing in that the X5 M50i has crackles and pops, yet US X5M's have basically nothing.
That is just wrong.

[DgjoX6M2016]

Originally Posted by Alan l.

I was just about to post this lol

These guys have come a long way. Really enjoying their content recently even more so than Straight Pipes.

That said I am sort of glad that most recent reviews are confirming with what I said about the F95 in that it rides very firm. More so than the previous gen by a good amount. People made it seem like i was out of my mind for thinking it but seems like that is now the general consensus with reviewers and those that has put some miles on the cars.

With that said i still love my car. there are just some local roads I know i should not take or have to take going a lot slower because the bumps literally rattles the interior. I am hoping that once I have the MSS suspension installed it will soften the ride up just enough to be perfect for daily use.

Alan

Curious if you considered a non-competition model for different ride?

Don't think the 17hp makes a difference, especially once companies like Dinan roll out a stage 1.

I am thinking of trading in my f86 but the ride of the new gen COMP concerns me.