zone5

Conflicted regarding getting the air suspension....

I don't necessarily need the driver adjustable height feature because I am in southern California.

On the other hand I want the best handling available.

Does the air suspension significantly improve the driving dynamics on dry roads during cornering like the BMW DHP, keeping the car flat through turns, or is it more of an factor to get through deep snow by lifting the car up? Salesman had no idea....

larryV

Hate to say it, but if you want the best handling possible, stick with BMW's system in the X5. It will corner flatter, and with the optional staggered wheel setup and summer tires, will ultimately handle better. The air suspension in the Q7 is tuned more for comfort and a luxurious ride. Even in the Q7's lowest/sportiest dynamic setting of the air suspension, it will still exhibit a fair amount of body roll compared to the X5.

That said, I think the Q7's air suspension is perfectly appropriate for a car like this and I wouldn't want it any other way. The handling is a good balance of comfort and sportiness.

The standard steel spring suspension in the Q7 actually gives you more feel and less "floatiness" compared to air suspension, not to mentiom less weight, so if you're looking for the ultimate handling and want to stick with the Q7, then it's probably best to skip on the air suspension.

SYMAWD

I think the 4 wheel steering makes a pretty big difference on the Q7. The X5 handles nicely, but I don't find it to be sporty.

zone5

Done with BMW. The 8 cyl motor requires a new battery every year. Not dealing with that.

Question is whether to order the Q7 with or without the air suspension. Does it handle/corner better in the dry or is it more of an issue for deep snow etc?

SYMAWD

I would recommend driving the 2 back to back. With the 4 wheel steering the turning diameter is the same as the A4 and at high speeds, the back wheels can turn opposite of the front for extra stability if needed.

larryV

Having driven both suspension options on the new Q7, I will have to say the standard steel spring suspension handles better in the dry in terms of steering feel and less isolation from the road. Like I said earlier, the steel spring suspension saves some weight too over the air suspension which always translates to better overall handling. The only exception is high speed bends and sweepers where the 4-wheel steering that is bundled with the air suspension helps with stability. But otherwise, the steel spring suspension definitely feels like it handles better overall. The air suspension in the Audi is tuned primarily for comfort.

On the new Q7, the rationale for going with air suspension includes the following:
- height adjustability for off-road use/deep snow or general need for ground clearance
- convenience: air suspension also allows lowering of the rear trunk loading height as needed
- desire for more comfort; air suspension isolates the chassis from the road more to gain ride compliance
- need for towing (air suspension is self-leveling so very useful when a load is placed on the hitch by a trailer)
- 4-wheel steering (decreased turning radius for better low-speed maneuverability) which is bundled with air suspension

kip1

I am very surprised about the variety of comments here. I have a M50d without the handling package, but M air suspension. I drove the Q7 in Italy for 2500km in a rental.
First facts. The ride depends a lot on the wheel size. I wouldnt suggest over 20 inch without air suspension for backup, un less you live in the city center. The Audi has true air suspension vs only rear in the BMW. The main advantage of the DHP in the X5 is torque vectoring, standard in the Q7. M suspension is really good but there is a fault with the X5 F15 chassis, it is very sensitive to wind and road conditions, horrible with runflats, but also present with normal tyres. You literally cannot drive straight without making microadjustments with the wheel. The Audi is solid as a rock. One cannot really compare air suspension with normal suspension, because the normal suspension is a mixture, air suspension is usually overly sporty in sport and more soft in comfort, but the trick is you can adapt to the terrain. If this is not enough, there is a possibility for the s-sport suspension. 5mm lower in sport mode and stiffer allaround. This one goes to the Audi and I have to say I am surprised. After having Audis and BMWs over the years, the BMW handling has been superior to all marques by far, in my opinnion BMW》Audi》MB, but the X5 was a disappointment in the chassis sent even with the M package and the Audi really surprised how nimble and stable it was back to back.

ND40oz

The Q7s "torque vectoring" is brake based, they haven't put the equivalent of the X5's Dynamic Performance Control in. Though having the Sport diff as an option would be nice. We don't even get it in the SQ5.

kip1

Yes I know, the BMW actually accelerates the other wheel, but based on my back to back testing 25000km/2500km, the Audi chassis IMO is better, the M sport chassis vs regular chassis in Audi. I can't believe the DHP in the X5 would make such a difference, atleast I havent heard from owners, compared to the M chassis. I must, however , point out I dont have it in my car as it is N/A in 7 seaters. I am interested to see how good the S chassis will be as I am forced to take it in the etron and am also interested how the battery weight will affect handling, I doubt positively.

ND40oz

The M Sport package doesn't change anything chassis or suspension wise, the only thing "sport" about it is the switch to the sport automatic transmission programming and sport seats. The rest is all cosmetic.

It's a shame that the 3rd row packaging necessitates dropping the dynamic handling pacakge when you add the 3rd row in the X5. You can still opt for dynamic damper control, but you're missing the stuff that matters the most. The hydraulically controlled roll bars and dynamic performance control. I had an E70 with Adaptive Drive, it made a huge difference in the way the vehicle handled, I preferred it to the SQ5. The only way to get DPC on the E70 was to get the M, at least they brought it to the F15 this time around.