Lead Times & Air Suspension

[XC60Owner]

Originally Posted by neon

Got it. Duh

I don't get it?

I've got a T8 on order and we test drive one on springs and air (not knowing which was which) and we preferred the springs.

[Deman77]

Originally Posted by XC60Owner

I don't get it?

I've got a T8 on order and we test drive one on springs and air (not knowing which was which) and we preferred the springs.

In my16 I prefer springs on 22s over air on 20s both for noise and poor road surface handling. It could be that on 20s springs are worse because of noisy tyres. Otherwise, from what PA is describing its either overinflated tyres or knackered suspension in his loaner.
I am waiting on my air 20s to come back with my17 struts and shocks and hopefully that will be better. if it is I will be very happy as steel sprung car feels very good already and it really highlighted how bad my16 air was.

[XC60Owner]

Originally Posted by Deman77

In my16 I prefer springs on 22s over air on 20s both for noise and poor road surface handling. It could be that on 20s springs are worse because of noisy tyres. Otherwise, from what PA is describing its either overinflated tyres or knackered suspension in his loaner.
I am waiting on my air 20s to come back with my17 struts and shocks and hopefully that will be better. if it is I will be very happy as steel sprung car feels very good already and it really highlighted how bad my16 air was.

So I called my dealer and he says he's not aware of any changes in the UK to air suspension in my17. Where has this information come from?

Are there comfort and dynamic drive modes on springs or are they an air only thing?

[Deman77]

Originally Posted by XC60Owner

So I called my dealer and he says he's not aware of any changes in the UK to air suspension in my17. Where has this information come from?

Are there comfort and dynamic drive modes on springs or are they an air only thing?

No adjustments on standard suspension. This is the one true advantage of air is auto levelling for heavy loads, auto lowering for entry exit and loading, extra height for off-road, lower height for sport. Ride comfort was't one of them to me. My17 has new struts design and new shock absorbers. If you are talking to sales guy he might not know, service guy would. Lurk on swedespeed for more info. Some people say it comes close to q7 in ride department on new air. There is also air suspension improvement in May software update which all my17 would have had. My16 get retrofit if you get clanky ride at low speed which I did but at high speed it was very good. i will report when my car comes back. I had conventional sprung car for over a month now and it is by no means bad - it chews through bad bumps very competently on 22s and is very composed at speed too. My wife who is the main user has not complained and shockingly at 5foot she did not say she missed the auto entry exit lowering which was my main reason to get it - it's 2in she still has to step into door seal to get kids buckled in so no advantage from air. I don't think people should shy away from it if the budget is tight or they are worried about future repair costs. Sorry to keep repeating 22s - it is possible that something in 20s that makes everything go wrong so I leave a possibility that it is horrid on those wheels.

[tem]

The standard features for the V90 Momentum state that it comes with drive mode settings. Comfort, Eco and Dynamic.

In Comfort mode, it states that shock absorption is soft and body movement is smooth.
Does the XC90 not also have this, without air suspension?

tem.

[nu11eaf]

Originally Posted by Simdru

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.

Save your money, I have air suspension and have driven the standard suspension xc90 and prefer the standard over mine, it is not worth paying £2,100 for. I added it thinking it would be a softer comfortable ride and I would regret it if I did not have it but after driving the standard suspension car I do wish I had saved my £2,100, the air suspension does very little if anything to improve comfort or ride quality, but does work with drive modes to adjust car height and lowers car for access. I would not miss it if I did not have it.

[neon]

Originally Posted by tem

The standard features for the V90 Momentum state that it comes with drive mode settings. Comfort, Eco and Dynamic.

In Comfort mode, it states that shock absorption is soft and body movement is smooth.
Does the XC90 not also have this, without air suspension?

tem.

Very good question, as I thought the drive mode settings also had an impact on the standard suspension. Will have to investigate further.

[neon]

Originally Posted by nu11eaf

Save your money, I have air suspension and have driven the standard suspension xc90 and prefer the standard over mine, it is not worth paying £2,100 for. I added it thinking it would be a softer comfortable ride and I would regret it if I did not have it but after driving the standard suspension car I do wish I had saved my £2,100, the air suspension does very little if anything to improve comfort or ride quality, but does work with drive modes to adjust car height and lowers car for access. I would not miss it if I did not have it.

Thanks for your honest opinion as almost everyone who has paid for air suspension says it is so much better than the standard setup. Gives me more confidence with the standard setup I have chosen cannot be all that bad.

[gaby]

Originally Posted by neon

Thanks for your honest opinion as almost everyone who has paid for air suspension says it is so much better than the standard setup. Gives me more confidence with the standard setup I have chosen cannot be all that bad.

Do you plan to fully load the cargo area or tow a (heavy) trailer?

[neon]

Originally Posted by gaby

Do you plan to fully load the cargo area or tow a (heavy) trailer?

Will not be towing and only occasionally fully loaded.