[Smithy2014]

My order for a Space Grey / Ivory leather Msport is going in on Monday morning and after having a final check of the brochure have noticed an option for deletion of sport suspension. Is this worth doing for UK roads? I dont want an overly firm ride and prefer comfort so what is the best option?

[ianfp]

I think you would need to drive one without the sport suspension before making your decision. If I was ordering a new one now, I would want the adaptive suspension, because the roads where I live are dreadful. Have you chosen 19" wheels?

[halfalife]

I chose the VSD option as I wasn't sure myself. So glad I did, love having the choice o how firm I want the ride.

[Smithy2014]

sticking with 18" wheels, ianfp does yours have sports suspension and if so how do you find it

[troggy1969]

I have normal suspension and it is ok 90% of the time but if you want to play it gets soft at the back. If I ordered again I would got for VSD so you have the best of boths worlds. Drove a 330D XDrive with 19" wheels and it road fine with VSD and the dealer said he waould always advise to get it

[clivem2]

For me on 18's sport is better than standard, it's better controlled and not over firm but I prefer a slightly firm ride. Having said that I'll get VSD on my next one.

[MattUK]

I went for the variable suspension and deleted the M suspension, and I'm glad I did.

Driving in sports plus mode with the suspension settings on sport is like the M suspension from my test drive, and I would hate to be driving on the country roads I do and not have the ability to turn it off.. I think its a personal thing, depends on the quality of roads you have in your area, but being the UK theyre probably crap everywhere..

I think if I had gone down that road, I'd have changed out of it by now

[ianfp]

Originally Posted by Smithy2014

sticking with 18" wheels, ianfp does yours have sports suspension and if so how do you find it

Hi, I have the 19" wheels and sport suspension and with 3 passengers out on dual carriageways and motorways, the setup is perfect. However, around smaller B roads and around town, it is bumpy and on the harsh side.
I think you may find the 18" wheels with bigger (I think that is true) sidewalls, the setup may be more forgiving on poor roads.
There is no doubt that the handling is very good with the sports suspension as there is little body roll when pushing it around tight bends. I don't know how well the standard suspension would cope. Also I think the ride height is slightly higher with standard springs?
I am currently trying to find some softer compound run flat tyres as that may help? I have Pirelli P Zeros and they are rock hard!

[ianfp]

Originally Posted by MattUK

I went for the variable suspension and deleted the M suspension, and I'm glad I did.

Driving in sports plus mode with the suspension settings on sport is like the M suspension from my test drive, and I would hate to be driving on the country roads I do and not have the ability to turn it off.. I think its a personal thing, depends on the quality of roads you have in your area, but being the UK theyre probably crap everywhere..

I think if I had gone down that road, I'd have changed out of it by now

Hi Matt,
I thought that when you select variable suspension, the sport springs are added as standard? I may have misunderstood the brochure?

[MattUK]

Hi Ian,

When you select VDC you can delete the M Sports suspension. I may be totally wrong in my perception and I don't know the tech specs of what VDC gives you v M Sports suspension, but I know that in normal driving its fairly comfortable and when you select the sports suspension it hardens up quite a bit to what I would class as suitable sports mode for the type of vehicle (and our roads).

I often share a ride to work with a colleague who has a 330M Sport, and while that is a totally different setup, I have no idea how I drove an M3 to work every day, its so hard and I find the journey in that vehicle dreadful (I accept that a passenger is going to feel a different ride to a driver who can read the road more).

I also know that if I drive to work with the sports mode suspension on all the time, there are times and parts of the journey (off A road (even on A road sometimes)) then the ride is horrible and I would have started to hate the X3, but as it is, I love the X3 more than I have loved any BMW from an overall daily driver (and in the snow, which no other BMW I've owned has coped with with the normal tyres, which I've never changed type in the X3).

I wonder if anyone knows the exact specifications of what the settings are compared to the M suspension? Either way, I can only base it on my personal experience.

[pokerface]

I'm not sure if the "sport suspension" is a Rest of World item but on this side, there is just the standard suspension, and then variable dampeners which can be ordered independent of the M Sport package

[clivem2]

Originally Posted by pokerface

I'm not sure if the "sport suspension" is a Rest of World item but on this side, there is just the standard suspension, and then variable dampeners which can be ordered independent of the M Sport package

I believe there being no sport suspension option is just a North America thing.

[clivem2]

Originally Posted by MattUK

When you select VDC you can delete the M Sports suspension.

I really don't know for sure but......surely you don't delete sport suspension because VDC totally replaces it? Unless there are sport and non-sport variants of VDC, which I don't think is the case.

[citrilla]

If you choose the VDC option in the UK it automatically deletes sport suspension