Adjustable suspensions come with a "soft" setting, which significantly increases comfort by providing a softer, softer ride.
Your favorite suspension tune - Soft (comfortable), medium (balance), firm (sporty)
A car's suspension ultimately determines the way it drives and handles: factors that help determine the purchase for enthusiasts. The suspensions can be adjusted for a smooth ride (soft) or a very sharp ride (firm). Some can be tuned with a balance of ride and handling in mind.
So what's your kind of hang-up tune?
soft (comfortable)
A soft suspension is not stiff. Overall, this ensures that the vehicle drives comfortably at low speeds. Even if the road becomes bumpy, residents will not feel uncomfortable. This type of suspension is ideal for commuting because the comfort of the passengers comes first.
The disadvantage is that a soft suspension causes a car to roll. Such a suspension is not suitable if the driver becomes enthusiastic when cornering. Here too, a soft suspension causes the car to tip over at high speeds. This setup is not for enthusiastic drivers.
Examples of cars with soft suspension:
MG Hector
Skoda Octavia
Kia Carnival
Maruti Ciaz
Average (balance)
A medium suspension setup is somewhere between soft and firm. It provides a good balance between ride and handling. In such cases, the car will usually run smoothly and have acceptable handling for an enthusiastic driver. Such a setup is ideal for those who use their car for commuting from Monday to Friday and like to drive along a winding country road on Sunday morning.
Negatives? It is neither here nor there. Sometimes you just feel like he could use a few more trips or, if the roads in the area are really good, buy a car with a firmer suspension. While the ride isn't bad for a car with mediocre suspension, it won't be as sharp as a car with firm suspension.
Examples of cars with medium suspension:
Skoda Kushaq
Maruti Grand Vitara
BMW 3 series
Citroen C5 Aircross
Fixed (sporty)
A fixed suspension is stiffer than the other two setups. With most solid suspension systems, passengers will feel all the bumps and irregularities in the road, which translates into a choppy ride at low speeds.
But a solid suspension gives a vehicle superior handling. There is less body roll and corners can be taken at higher speeds. The suspension quickly recovers from bumps and undulations in the road surface, which also results in better stability at high speeds. Ride comfort on the highway at 100+ km/h is generally better with a firmer suspension (more plant feel). Those looking for performance and handling are more likely to enjoy a firm suspension.
Examples of cars with fixed suspension:
Kia Seltos
Ford Ecosport
Volkswagen Tiguan
Tata Nexon
Nissan Magnet
Special mention = Adjustable suspensions
The adjustable suspension clearly gives you the best of both worlds and comes with a 'soft' setting that significantly improves comfort by providing a softer ride. Press the magic button on public roads and things are firm, meaning the suspension is now more dynamically oriented. The Kodiaq is the first car in its segment with adjustable dampers and we hope that other brands/cars will follow suit. This dual personality is a MUST HAVE for India, thanks to our varying road conditions.
This is whatGTOhad to say about this:
In my twenties I would have nodded vigorously and voted for 'fast & sporty'. Today? Not really. My first choice is "medium". Very happy with the balance between cars like 3 series, Kushaq/Slavia, C5 etc. This is perfect for India. Will reward you for the 10% of times you ride hard and keep you acceptably comfortable the other 90%. Rigid and sturdy suspensions are no longer my thing. Heck, I'd choose an Octavia or Hector tune over a stiff, back-breaking setup. My sister drives a Tiguan and I hate traveling to Pawna in it. Also consider aftermarket = My next car (arriving in December) has a bumpy suspension, so I already have an aftermarket suspension that improves ride comfort. There is a lot of quality aftermarket support these days.
This is whatBHPian Dr.ADhad to say about this:
I voted for 'Medium (balanced)'.
For Indian driving conditions and for my long weekend drives on mixed highways and rural roads, a well-balanced suspension is my choice. I'm quite happy with the suspensions in my F30 3 Series, which fall into this well-balanced category.
For pure highway driving, however, I would like a firm and sporty suspension. During some high-speed driving on slippery highways, I find my F30 suspensions a little too soft for my taste (even when using Run Flat tires). I would have liked to see them be a little more solid in those relationships. And that's why I find it funny when people complain about the hardness of RFTs on F30s (or even G20s, which aren't firm by any standards). For me, even with RFTs, the F30 or G20 ride is a little too soft for highways (but perfect for bad country roads and generally mixed driving conditions).
A few times I got a ride in an M340i on long highways (Bangalore to Chennai) and loved the ride. The M340i has optimal strength for highway driving. I really like the sporty, firm feeling on the highways. So perhaps my choice would be somewhere between mediocre to firm suspension overall, for our driving conditions.
What I absolutely don't like are soft suspensions. The soft, undulating ride is the worst and regardless of the conditions I would stay away from such soft cars.
This is whatBHPian aravind.anandhad to say about this:
My daily driver is a Fiesta 1.6S with sport-tuned fixed suspension. Aside from the corners that make me laugh, there are way too many bumps and ruts that make me cringe and cringe.
I had to think twice between soft and medium suspension before voting, I dream so much about comfortable riding! Definitely not pleasant given the condition of the roads in our country.
I ultimately settled on medium because soft suspensions roll too much and also tend to bob up and down at highway speeds.
ReadBHPian commentsfor more insight and information.
