Adaptive Dynamics - worth it when it works?

[Mig]

Thanks JLR#5
I hope I’ll enjoy this one.
Then I’ll check the Velar if I have enough money.

[snowman123]

Hi Mig,
really interesting to read your experience and also read Arianne's... very different take on AD, which makes me wonder if there is also a QC issue at JLR with some cars coming our more faulty than others.
Mig, did you test-drive also other F-Pace cars with AD, or did you only have the bad experience with your previous one? It was really anguish to read trough your frustrating journey and I'm happy to read your initial thoughts are better on the new car.

Could you shed some more light on what you mean by "comfort" ride? What I read from people who've had good experience is that AD dynamic mode was very responsive and normal mode very "comfortable" but not as sporty. So I'd be keen to know how you would compare ride comfort / experience in more detail?
Much appreciated!

[Mig]

Hi Snowman

Happy to share my thoughts.

I've tried another 20d R-Sport with AD (coming from the same dealer so most probably with the same piece of software) and it was behaving the same way as mine.

So to summarize:
AD in normal mode: ride is good on good roads. Every time I drove on a hole or a speed bump, the suspension hardened immediately and was harsh and then the car wallowed a lot too much. It's clearly unbearable for me. My head was hitting the door. I'm still not sure the suspension was behaving properly as it felt as if instead of stiffening it was being soft and the contrary: you hit a hole and the suspension gets hard and then becomes too soft making it wobbly. I also felt that the car was twisting when the holes were only on one side of the road.

AD in dynamic mode: suspension is subtly harder (really hard to feel a difference) than in normal mode but then the car is much less wobbly and is rolling much less in corners. I ended up driving only in this mode.

No AD: suspension is smoother and you don't feel holes and bumps as much as with the AD. There is not this "boom" when you drive on those irregularities.
It's rolling a bit more than with AD and there is a bit more rebound but I'm enjoying it a lot more.

I would have expected the AD in normal mode to be more comfortable than the suspension without AD and don't feel that much twist in dynamic mode. This is what you have with Porsche PASM and too me the AD software is just badly coded.

[corriescar66]

Hi Snowman

Happy to share my thoughts.

I've tried another 20d R-Sport with AD (coming from the same dealer so most probably with the same piece of software) and it was behaving the same way as mine.

So to summarize:
AD in normal mode: ride is good on good roads. Every time I drove on a hole or a speed bump, the suspension hardened immediately and was harsh and then the car wallowed a lot too much. It's clearly unbearable for me. My head was hitting the door. I'm still not sure the suspension was behaving properly as it felt as if instead of stiffening it was being soft and the contrary: you hit a hole and the suspension gets hard and then becomes too soft making it wobbly. I also felt that the car was twisting when the holes were only on one side of the road.

AD in dynamic mode: suspension is subtly harder (really hard to feel a difference) than in normal mode but then the car is much less wobbly and is rolling much less in corners. I ended up driving only in this mode.

No AD: suspension is smoother and you don't feel holes and bumps as much as with the AD. There is not this "boom" when you drive on those irregularities.
It's rolling a bit more than with AD and there is a bit more rebound but I'm enjoying it a lot more.

I would have expected the AD in normal mode to be more comfortable than the suspension without AD and don't feel that much twist in dynamic mode. This is what you have with Porsche PASM and too me the AD software is just badly coded.

Hi Mig, you perfectly describe the difference between my car with AD & CD and the R Sport I have been driving for the last 3 weeks without AD.

It's a lot more comfortable than mine but perhaps a bit too bouncy at times...

Good luck with the new car, hope you can just get on with enjoying it!

[JLRnumber5]

Hi snowman. Mig perfectly describes my experience too. I'm sure that AD is a great feature if you don't regularly drive on rough surfaces or urban/town driving. AD in Dynamic mode is truly brilliant for an SUV. However the compromise is that Normal mode is a weird mix of harsh and bouncy that will have your head banging on a window over a speed bump if you're not careful. For me it was the weakest link in the FP package (along with the stupid gearbox setup).

I would often drive 500+ miles in a week on intercity runs across the county and marvel at how brilliant the suspension set up was. Then I would return to south london and curse how bloody uncomfortable it was. It really does depend on where and how you drive.

[Mig]

Thanks corriescar66.
I hope that I will enjoy it too otherwise I might sell it very quickly and buy a Macan until I find a good plug in hybrid SUV with a big trunk (I live in the Alps, have a 3 year old girl and a second one on the way, i ski a lot, play golf and do mountain bike).
I would love a Velar but the price is really high. I’m not sure I want to put all my money in a car.
I have to extend my house and it’s a bigger priority.