Best cars with adaptive suspension
Are you after a car that can be set up for comfort or sportiness at the touch of a button? Here are some cars with adaptive suspension
There are a variety of different road types and surfaces across the UK – some routes are very smooth and flowing, whereas others can be quite bumpy or are strewn with blemishes such as potholes. As a result, there are benefits in having a car that lets you adjust how firm or soft the suspension setting is to suit the conditions of the road you’re driving on.
Helpfully, a sizeable chunk of cars on sale today are available with adaptive suspension systems, which let you tweak the stiffness of a car’s ride at the press of a button. Depending on the available settings, you may be able to soften up the suspension for when you’re driving over rough ground or are doing a bit of light off-roading. Likewise, many adaptive suspension systems come with a stiffer sporty mode – the ride on this setting tends to be a bit firmer and harsher, though the trade-off is better body control and improved handling when going around corners.
The sorts of adaptive suspension systems available on new cars today can also be capable of more than letting you pick from a selection of suspension stiffness settings. For example, some let you adjust the car’s ride height, which can be useful if you need to drive down a flooded road, whereas others can use cameras and sensors to monitor the road surface and adjust the suspension automatically to suit the conditions.
Because of their ability to adjust a car’s ride quality and handling characteristics, adaptive suspension systems are typically found on sports cars and high-end luxury models. However, the technology is also available on a selection of mainstream cars such as superminis and family hatchbacks, and you can check out below some examples of cars that are available with adaptive suspension.
1. BMW 5 Series
Our pick BMW 530d M Sport xDrive
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If you’re after a big executive car that’s also fun to drive, you may want to put the BMW 5 Series on your wish list. On top of being a large and luxurious car that works well as a comfortable motorway cruiser, the 5 Series is also surprisingly agile and responsive for such a big machine.
It’s possible to broaden the BMW 5 Series’ dynamic repertoire even further with the optional adaptive suspension kit. This isn’t available on all 5 Series models (the 520d diesel and 520i petrol models only get the standard passive setup), though when equipped it allows you to choose from a more comfort-oriented setup for when you’re on rough roads, or pick a firmer sport setting if you wish to have a slightly stiffer ride in exchange for more precise handling.
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2. Ford Focus
Our pick Ford Focus 1.0 EcoBoost ST-Line X
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For a very long time, the Ford Focus was only available with a passive suspension setup, so the only setting you got was whatever the suspension was tuned to when the car rolled off the production line. However, the fourth-generation Focus from 2018 changed things with its optional adaptive damping system, which allowed the driver to firm up or soften up the Focus’ ride depending on the setting they picked.
The Ford Focus’ adaptive dampers do more than allow you to adjust the ride quality, though. By using an array of sensors, the system on the Ford Focus can alter the damper firmness depending on the steering and braking inputs. If an upcoming pothole is detected, the suspension can also be adjusted to mitigate the effects of driving over the pothole.
3. Genesis GV80
Our pick Genesis GV80 2.5T Luxury
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Another car with pothole-detecting suspension is the Genesis GV80 luxury SUV. Thanks to a forward-facing camera just above the car’s windscreen, the Genesis is able to see upcoming potholes in the road ahead, and adjusts the suspension accordingly to preserve as much ride comfort and controllability as possible.
It’s not just potholes that the Genesis GV80’s adaptive suspension can help mitigate the effects of. Genesis claims the system is also capable of detecting other road features such as speed bumps, which bodes well if you plan on driving the GV80 in towns and cities or on roads with lots of traffic calming measures.
4. Land Rover Defender
Our pick Land Rover Defender 110 D300 HSE
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For the most part, adaptive suspensions are used to affect the way a car drives. You may want to choose a softer comfort-oriented setting if you’ll be driving over rough roads, for instance. However, this isn’t all they can be used for, as there are some cars out there using adaptive suspension tech for more than just affecting the ride quality.
Take the Land Rover Defender as an example. When it’s equipped with the optional air suspension system, the car is able to adjust not only the stiffness of the suspension, but also the car’s ride height. When set to its “Elegant Arrival” mode, air suspension-equipped Land Rover Defenders can be lowered by 40mm to make it easier for passengers to get in and out. Conversely, if you need a lot of ground clearance to drive over rutted terrain or through a flooded section of road, the ride height on the Land Rover Defender can be raised by 145mm – allowing an impressive maximum wading depth of up to 900mm.
5. Mercedes S-Class
Our pick Mercedes S350d AMG Line
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Being the flagship for the Mercedes range, it perhaps isn’t a surprise that the S-Class luxury limo gets adaptive air suspension as standard. Befitting the car’s opulent status, the adaptive suspension on the S-Class has been engineered to provide a very comfortable ride. At higher speeds, the Mercedes can also automatically reduce the ride height to improve the car’s aerodynamic efficiency – resulting in a more stable drive and slightly better fuel economy.
On the ultra-plush Maybach version of the S-Class, the air suspension system is complemented by what Mercedes calls active body control technology. One highlight of this system is its ability to automatically raise the car’s ride height by up to 8cm if an imminent side impact is detected. This in turn helps reduce the risk of injury, since it means the oncoming vehicle is more likely to hit stronger parts of the car such as its chassis and roof pillars, rather than less rigid parts like the doors.
6. Porsche 911
Our pick Porsche 911 3.0 GTS
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Adaptive suspension is a handy tool for a sports car to have in its armoury. By adjusting the firmness of the dampers, the car’s handling and steering responses can be sharpened up, making it even more enjoyable to drive. It’s perhaps no surprise, then, that Porsche has used adaptive suspension tech on the 911 for a number of years now: the tech has been available on the car in one form or another since 2007, and is now standard equipment on all new Porsche 911 models.
Like many other adaptive suspension systems, the one used on the Porsche 911 allows you to choose from a normal setting or a firmer sporty mode. This suspension setup is also able to adjust itself on the fly: by using sensors to monitor the road surface and the driver’s driving style, the compliance of the car’s suspension can be adjusted in real time to suit the current conditions.
7. Tesla Model S
Our pick Tesla Model S Long Range
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The Tesla Model S brings to the table a suite of interesting technologies, ranging from its fully electric powertrain to the huge touchscreen that dominates the car’s centre console. One intriguing aspect of the Model S that may be overlooked by some is its air suspension system, since it allows the Tesla to have a few handy tricks up its sleeve.
For example, the Tesla Model S’s air suspension can be adjusted to a selection of ride heights, and there are also driving modes which can alter the firmness of the suspension depending on whether you want a comfy or sporty drive. The Model S also records when the higher ride height settings are enabled, so when the Tesla returns to the same stretch of road, it will automatically raise the suspension for you.
8. Volkswagen Polo
Our pick Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI R-Line DSG
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Adaptive suspension systems are mostly associated with sporty and more luxurious cars, so you don’t usually find them fitted to smaller, more affordable models. However, more compact cars are now being offered with adaptive suspension tech, with one example from the supermini side of things being the facelifted Volkswagen Polo.
As standard, the Polo gets a passive suspension setup, though on cars equipped with the optional Sport Select suspension replaces this with an adjustable damping system. Depending on the driving mode you pick, the damping can be left in its default setting for everyday driving, or switched to a ‘Sport’ mode if you’d prefer slightly sharper handling.
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