Lead Times & Air Suspension
 

Hi everyone, first post so please be kind! We've recently received the good news that our family is to grow by +1 and as a result we are looking to acquire a practical, safe and comfortable genuine 7-seater around August 2017. We make a few long trips to northern Scotland every year to visit family, laden down with Christmas presents etc and only a large 7-seater will suffice. Looking at the UK market there seems to be only 4 cars with the combination of space, comfort & AWD that interest me; The Audi Q7 (beyond our budget), Landrover Discovery (likewise), Volvo XC90 (at top-end of budget) or a Kia Sorento (more comfortably within budget!). So ultimately it will boil down to a choice between a Sorento or the Volvo. My head says spend circa £15k less on the Sorento, which offers excellent value as you get a lot of kit for your money and a 7 year warranty. But my heart says spend an extra £15k on the Volvo, I've fallen in love with the R-Design in Bursting Blue, it really is a stunning car and you only live once. Yes, i've read all the horror stories on here about electrical glitches and road noise, but that hasn't put me off.

Anyway, i've waffled enough. My 2 main questions are, firstly, does anyone know the current approximate lead time on new R-Designs? I need to know how quickly i need to start booking test drives and actually making a decision. Second, to mitigate road noise on the 20" tyres, can people please give me their opinions on whether the extra £2k on air suspension is a worthwhile investment? Has someone driven an R-Design on 20's on both normal & air suspension, and can they offer an objective opinion? I suspect I won't have the opportunity to test drive both and I wouldn't particularly like to rely on a dealers opinion. I have actually E-mailed my nearest dealer with the lead time question and I didn't receive a response, unlikely he'll be receiving my custom! Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks.

I can go some way to answering your question. My own First Edition (with air) has been off the road for a couple of weeks and I've been using an Inscription without air. So I've plenty of opportunity to drive my normal routes in both cars. I'd say that my car has a more comfortable, compliant ride overall but it does have a little suspension noise over rough surfaces at low (30mph) speeds. This Inscription rides well but feels a little stiffer, firmer ride. My car has covered 10K+ miles, the Inscription is still pretty new. And there may have been updates to the air suspension set up since the First Edition models.

I've got an R-Design in bursting blue on order - based on my experience 3-4 months lead time...

With the dealer, might be worth getting hold of the dealer principle and ask them to give you the name of their best salesman .. I had a bad experience of my local dealer and posted about it on Facebook... The dealer principle contacted me to apologise and put me in touch with a different salesman who has been fantastic... So I've learnt to not tar a dealership by the experiences of one person :)

Thanks for that. May I ask, have you opted for the upgraded suspension?

I'd say if anything air suspension made the noise problem a bit worse as it crashes over poor road surfaces. Mine is 20s on air my16 getting replaced with redesigned struts and shocks to match my17 so that may improve things. I have r-design on 22s and no air as a loaner and I much prefer this suspension wheel combo all in. Noise is lower than 20s at speed too - which confirms it's the tyres on the 20s. The extra composure of the air at speed on B roads is only barely perceptible if you are looking for it. Standard feels by no means stiff to me - not even on largest wheels - the wheelbase is huge and it handles it very well. The lowering of the car for loading and entry is the only true benefit but for exit you would normally open the door before it finished lowering and it stops at that point. The different settings when switching drive modes are barely noticeable. The extra comfort over potholes and rough roads at low speeds that standard gives would make it a better choice for me. Add extra headache with air out of warranty too.
Again this is from 9 month experience on my16 - I will report what my17 air feels like when I get mine back.

In your position I would go with standard and negotiate with the dealer a switch of tyres to Michelin with foam inserts on delivery (I posted a link in tyre noise thread) or failing that budget 1300 for it.

Sound, well balanced review, even though you bought air.

Wow, another Bursting blue in the pipe line. :thumbs_up:

Waiting times depends on the fuel version as well.

D5 and T6 are around 3-4 months as someone already mentioned.
If you are looking for a hybrid, the wait could be longer. Almost 6 months

Lastly I don't think Discovery is more expensive than the new XC90.
XC90 is a better choice though :)

The only Discovery I like is the SDV6 which comes in at a similar price to the XC90, but for me lacks the Volvo's curb appeal and is somewhat brutal, 'boxey' looking!

Thanks for sharing the experience on the air v steel suspension, I hadn't even considered the higher post-warranty costs of repairing an air suspension. I might save £2k and splash out on some Bowers & Wilkins instead!

As for foam inserts, I had never even heard of them before. Even a Google search would suggest they're very much still a niche thing as very few UK results come up. £1,300 is a lot of money, i am intending to spend approximately £800 putting winter tyres on whichever car I eventually get but £1,300 is a lot, i'd dread spending that sort of money then getting a puncture!

You probably mean "possible" higher post-warranty cost...Not proven as yet.
I thought the same when I ordered auto-leveling for my XC70 but after 13 years
it still works (nock on wood) as it did the first day. Of course air suspension is not the same.
Continental also has silent technology: http://www.continental-tires.com/car...gy/contisilent
You wouldn't think so after reading all the negative reports, but perhaps it perhaps it isn't the brand
but rather the size and/or the road. Continental even claims they developed the technology!
B&W will certainly enhance the ride :thumbs_up:

Just saw that you are considering b&w. It does sound great in a stationary car with the engine off. When driving I find it underpowered - I don't think the amp is strong enough. Again there is a recall on my16 b&w amp which might improve delivery, but after 3 weeks with my16 on loan I am not blown away. With all the road and engine noise (which is acceptable in my loaner but still there) it's not much better than standard to my ears. For the money you should get the fuel heater, 4zobe aircon with rear seat heat, family pack - which are all much more useful. I really wanted to like it as this is one of the few options I didn't tick in my car but it was not as good in practice. Very nicely looking though - enhances car interior. In r design in brightens the things up.