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      05-10-2010, 06:00 PM   #6
2045
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Drives: always changing
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Los Angeles, CA

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Quote:
Originally Posted by ronald_adi View Post
did you also consider the 35d? Did you drive it?

Can you explain a bit more the difference between with and without adaptive drive? When you drive quickly over one of the speedbumps or drive on rough road how much does it absorb? can it be termed as a very comfortable ride?
i didn't drive the 35d. i see no point getting the diesel for our use since i can't take the advantage on it. we don't put a lot of miles on the car also we switch cars every 3 years max, so the gas saving won't mean anything to us. the reason why i checked out Q7 TDI is because that's what available at the dealer, but the TDI have a $4,000 premium above the regular 3.6 gas engine & it's rated 17/25 mpg, same as the X5 35i...

i guess it's still not natural for us to consider diesel in USA. i can see diesel every where in Europe, but it still needs time here.

on the ride, i already know the X5 will ride the stiffest in all the cars i mentioned above. the only question is how i can minimize the stiffness. the Adaptive Drive was my only chance. when going over speed bumps, u can definitely tell the rear suspension absorbs the bump better than without Adaptive Drive, thus a softer feel. giving the fact that the car rides on 20'' runflat, the result is very acceptable. during normal driving, i felt the overall body roll & the weight transfer in less noticeable than the car without. also, i feel the suspension absorbs uneven road bumps better than without. i think it's a good option to have for higher car thanks to the Active Roll Stabilization. less body roll is always a plus!

it won't be the most comfortable SUV out there i'm sure. but i think the option helps to make a difference. my cousin had a E53 X5 before. man the ride was harsh. it's jumpy & with the high center of gravity it's scary to push the car. now with the modern suspension technology, i would prefer SUV to have some sort of air suspension feature. the difference is quite significant.
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