Quote:
Originally Posted by upsidedownfunnel
I'm being pedantic here but the BMW F30 and G20 do not have active suspensions. They are classified as adaptive suspensions.
Something like Magnetic Ride like on Camaros and Corvettes is a semi-active suspension. It can actually respond to road conditions quickly enough to make a difference and actually respond to changing road conditions. It can stiffen its fluid so much so quickly that it can legitimately completely lock the wheel position and emulate an adjustable sway bar. So it has a some limited control of individual wheel height.
Mercedes ABC suspension is a real active suspension with real full control of all four corners. So is Audi's new active suspension on the 2018 A8. Those systems are really only useful for large heavy luxury cars.
The simple valved dampers on the F30 and G20 are the most basic type of electronic dampers and are largely just comfort/sport switches. When all you're doing is changing damping with a slow response time (keeping spring rate and sway bar rigidity the same), you can't do much else. They're good for people who live in places with bad roads.
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That is my take on it as well. I haven’t found any technical write ups on the adaptive in the g20 yet. The passive sounds excellent. It sounds like it learns and reacts to your driving inputs, which I dislike. I don’t trust it to always know what I am wanting before I want it so I imagine it could create some inconsistent suspension actions. That will bring confidence down.
If I wasn’t going to lease, passive would be a no brainer. Just upgrade the suspension if I didn’t like the setup. Doesn’t make sense on a lease. Suspension tune for $299 to clear up any issues makes a lot more sense on a lease.