Is Adaptive Air Suspension a Must-Have?
#1
Is Adaptive Air Suspension a Must-Have?
Hi, I am planning to get a 2018 Panamera 4, but I wondered if there was a noticeable ride quality difference between Steel spring suspension and Adaptive Air Suspension, especially on 21'' wheels? My concerns are both from cost perspective: 1) the extra $2,190 cost to add Adaptive Air Suspension; 2) the potentially high repairing cost if it goes wrong in the future.
What does air suspension really bring to the car? If NOT having Adaptive Air Suspension will make the ride quality "Uncomfortable" with 21'' wheels, I may just go with 20" Panamera Turbo Wheels...
Thanks!
What does air suspension really bring to the car? If NOT having Adaptive Air Suspension will make the ride quality "Uncomfortable" with 21'' wheels, I may just go with 20" Panamera Turbo Wheels...
Thanks!
#2
personally I don't get the 21" wheel thing. I would take 19" wheels over any other size in an ideal world. Mine has 20" turbo wheels and air suspension - older style Pano - and ride is just fantastic - yes you can still feel the road irregularities, but it's not harsh at all. I have a latest model Camaro convertible too which has 20" wheels and fixed spring suspension - it does pretty good considering, especially for runflats which make it worse. But even on that car I would go 19" if I changed out the wheels. wheels get too heavy when they get up into the 20-22" range - IMO. I had 19" 997 wheels on my 996 and that was an ideal set-up for that car. Of course it didn't ride anywhere near as good as either my Camaro or the Pano!
"
"
#3
IMO it enables you to completely change the character of the car. The difference between Sport Plus (low) and Regular is really very noticeable. She glides on the motorway much better than my X6 then really hunkers down in Sport +. Also having the "lift" function has been handy when parking in fields, going over kerbs etc. Out of all the options I'd say it's the most important from a day-to-day perspective. Or at least I cannot think of any others right now.
#4
Rennlist Member
I agree with the others, the difference is very noticeable. IMO it's worth the asking price..
#5
Hi, I am planning to get a 2018 Panamera 4, but I wondered if there was a noticeable ride quality difference between Steel spring suspension and Adaptive Air Suspension, especially on 21'' wheels? My concerns are both from cost perspective: 1) the extra $2,190 cost to add Adaptive Air Suspension; 2) the potentially high repairing cost if it goes wrong in the future.
What does air suspension really bring to the car? If NOT having Adaptive Air Suspension will make the ride quality "Uncomfortable" with 21'' wheels, I may just go with 20" Panamera Turbo Wheels...
Thanks!
What does air suspension really bring to the car? If NOT having Adaptive Air Suspension will make the ride quality "Uncomfortable" with 21'' wheels, I may just go with 20" Panamera Turbo Wheels...
Thanks!
Trending Topics
#8
I love the active air suspension that is standard on the hybrid. I have had my car four days and i have used the lift function twice due to rough roads in the santa cruz mountains... Really enjoy the way the car lowers also
#9
Advanced
You will love the air suspension, it makes all the difference in my 18, Turbo. Pass on the 21’s so many great designs in the 20” and way more tire choices. I have 21, rides good because of the Air suspension, I wanted the 20’s for the ride and even looks. Put the money into the the suspension and rear wheel steering.
#10
Air suspension is a must agree with most above.
I have my car in sport+ setting (low) always, as I prefer the feel and stance.
21" wheels as far as I concerned make the car look much better. 19" wheels looks wrong IMHO. 20's are ok ( I had on my previous SE Hybrid).
The lift facility is great when needed. I have used many times as on one of my preferred routes to work there is a mountain sized speed hump, which most people avoid.
I have my car in sport+ setting (low) always, as I prefer the feel and stance.
21" wheels as far as I concerned make the car look much better. 19" wheels looks wrong IMHO. 20's are ok ( I had on my previous SE Hybrid).
The lift facility is great when needed. I have used many times as on one of my preferred routes to work there is a mountain sized speed hump, which most people avoid.
#11
Thank you guys! Understand that the air suspension can significant increase the ride quality, but how about from a maintenance perspective? I heard from some owners, that after a couple of years, the air suspension broke, and it was very expensive to fix it. They had the 1st generation, any ideas if this is still a concern with the 2nd generation of Panamera? Thank you!
#12
Advanced
Thank you guys! Understand that the air suspension can significant increase the ride quality, but how about from a maintenance perspective? I heard from some owners, that after a couple of years, the air suspension broke, and it was very expensive to fix it. They had the 1st generation, any ideas if this is still a concern with the 2nd generation of Panamera? Thank you!
#13
Don't have PASM on our '18 P4, however it does have the "Lift" option and different suspension settings. Perhaps this b/c we have the Sport-chrono package?
Also have 21" turbo design wheels, IMO makes the car look absolutely fantastic. 19's don't cut it, however if there was a nice 20" out there, probably best compromise.
In the end, took the car off the lot and if it had PASM instead of sport-chrono, would probably be much happier (from what i read about PASM)
Also have 21" turbo design wheels, IMO makes the car look absolutely fantastic. 19's don't cut it, however if there was a nice 20" out there, probably best compromise.
In the end, took the car off the lot and if it had PASM instead of sport-chrono, would probably be much happier (from what i read about PASM)
#14
Thank you guys! Understand that the air suspension can significant increase the ride quality, but how about from a maintenance perspective? I heard from some owners, that after a couple of years, the air suspension broke, and it was very expensive to fix it. They had the 1st generation, any ideas if this is still a concern with the 2nd generation of Panamera? Thank you!
Never had any air suspension issues on our two SE Hybrids. Had other issues, like one battery replaced, GPS module and 3 injectors in mine.
I have heard BMW have issues with the air bags failing on 5 series, and I suppose the bag could be classed as a part that is going to wear. Compressor issues too. So its likely any make is going to eventually have issues.
#15
Burning Brakes
Lots of different opinions here on wheel size. I myself think that large wheel sizes are just asking for trouble. I think that 19-inch wheels look absolutely fine, and I want the thicker sidewalls to help prevent blowouts. I'd opt for 18-inch wheels if I could, in fact. I'm more into how the car handles than how it looks, and I think it looks plenty fine.
As for the air suspension, I wouldn't even consider a Panamera without it, because of my desire to do mild off-roading at times and also the many severe bumps and dips in roads that I frequently drive (including where some driveways meet roads), plus curbs in parking lots, etc. So I won't buy a vehicle that won't give me a minimum of 6-7 inches of ground clearance at low speeds. My 2015 Panamera 4 has the air suspension, and there have been no problems in 90k miles, but I have worried about it because of the well-known frequent failures in the first-generation Panamera's air suspension. My goal is to only have a Panamera under warranty, in which case there is no need to worry about cost of repair, but I do hope that the are many fewer air-suspension problems overall with this new second-gen Panamera. (And I disagree with the comment above that if you can afford a Panamera, you can afford any repair cost. Some of us push the limit to get a car like this, and we don't want any extra hassles, given the high taxes and insurance we pay on top of the car's purchase/lease cost.)
I should add that the first-gen Panamera has also had well-known problems with the front suspension making loud noises when going over bumps (such as speed bumps), and I hope this is fixed in the new-gen models. I had mine inspected carefully, and they saw nothing wrong with any of the suspension. The sound seems to be mostly prevalent in cold weather (below about 40 deg F) -- something noted by many other Panamera owners also. I do not know if there is a link to having air suspension or not.
As for the air suspension, I wouldn't even consider a Panamera without it, because of my desire to do mild off-roading at times and also the many severe bumps and dips in roads that I frequently drive (including where some driveways meet roads), plus curbs in parking lots, etc. So I won't buy a vehicle that won't give me a minimum of 6-7 inches of ground clearance at low speeds. My 2015 Panamera 4 has the air suspension, and there have been no problems in 90k miles, but I have worried about it because of the well-known frequent failures in the first-generation Panamera's air suspension. My goal is to only have a Panamera under warranty, in which case there is no need to worry about cost of repair, but I do hope that the are many fewer air-suspension problems overall with this new second-gen Panamera. (And I disagree with the comment above that if you can afford a Panamera, you can afford any repair cost. Some of us push the limit to get a car like this, and we don't want any extra hassles, given the high taxes and insurance we pay on top of the car's purchase/lease cost.)
I should add that the first-gen Panamera has also had well-known problems with the front suspension making loud noises when going over bumps (such as speed bumps), and I hope this is fixed in the new-gen models. I had mine inspected carefully, and they saw nothing wrong with any of the suspension. The sound seems to be mostly prevalent in cold weather (below about 40 deg F) -- something noted by many other Panamera owners also. I do not know if there is a link to having air suspension or not.
The following users liked this post:
DavidUSA (10-19-2023)