Dilema - Air suspension/dynamic pack or not.

[ron1977]

Hi Folks,

Hopefully ordering my new Q7 and looking at the options. First time buying a brand new car so new to the whole option game...

Was hoping for some advice regarding choosing air suspension or is the extras with the dynamic pack really worth it or is the air suspension necessary for our British roads. Car will be doing no off-roading and mainly transporting the family.

Cheers in advance
Ronnie

[maxw]

Hi Ronnie

its really down to what you would like and what you are used to all the extras are nice to have but like anything depends how much you want to spend

i can tell you however the air suspension is such a smooth ride and can adapt to your mood or what the road is like
in dynamic mode the car does sit lower and looks better the Q7 is a heavy car so it's worth buying

ride wise even in dynamic mode it's still a smooth ride and really holds the road well plus if you loading the boot you can lower the rear by means on a button in the boot and that really does help
in my view the air ride is worth it

as for dynamic pack if your doing motorway driving or going to be stuck in traffic the traffic assist is a god send
and lane assist is also good although strange at first but also is good for safety

traffic sign does really help as often often you don't know thease days what the speed limit is as it changes so much
and if you really want to and have adaptive cruse you can have that set according to the speed limit so will change when you enter a 30mph then speed up to say a 40mph if it changes to that

pre sense and warning again is safety and could save your paint work or a crash

Efficiency again is good and could save you fuel and again if you have adaptive cruse can change to the route ahead


If you do do a lot night driving matrix lights are a must and is great for A and B roads and country driving


most extras have there use so it's down to how inportant really budget and safty

so air ride yes or dynamic pack if you can stretch to the funds

hope this helps a little any more help just ask as I have most extras so can let you know more

M

[ragebe]

The air suspension covers lots of scenarios for me.

Dynamic for twisty B roads; All Drive/Offroad for those gravel tracks, full of pot-holes that our National Parks are full of, or when driving down a narrow lane in Devon/Somerset and I want some extra height because the edge of the road is a steep valley wall; being able to lower the boot-sill with a button push, so it's easier for the dogs to jump in, or me to load 550 kg of garden concrete (then put the car in Off Road and see it hasn't budged the suspension) put it in Efficency on the motorway and marvel at how smooth, quiet and comfortable the ride is at 70 - and a bit mph is - do watch the last one, such a smooth ride at 100 on a French motorway, that you might not realise your speed. The only one I rarely use, is Comfort.

Speed Limit recognition is very useful to have, especially combined with Cruise Control and on the odd occasion when your inner-teenager takes over, you have Independent on the car settings, to set everything to Dynamic and a couple of handy paddles on the steering column.

The lighting pack is nice for your passengers, when they realise that it's all movement sensitive. The automatic Matrix lights I'm yet to be convinced on; very convenient but not always as quick to respond as I'd like.

Head up display is a must.

I'm struggling to remember what comes as standard and what is optional now.

Traffic Jam Assist and the whole Adaptive Cruise Control thing are incredibly useful. I thought that would be a bit gimmicky but for removing the frustration that sitting in the roadworks on the M6 brings, AACC and TJA is perfect.

I'd say your bet, is ask your local dealer to let you have a demonstration model for a week and try everything in daylight, night driving and wet weather.



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[srbsq7]

Hi Ronnie,

Welcome and good luck with your choice of options!

I think I've said before, if you get the base car with no options, it's still a fantastic car (unlike some of its competitors where options are a must!).

That said, if your budget allows, I am with Max and Ragebe. I owned an X5 Msport before and ride quality was a must for this car. The car i test drove didn't have it and the ride quality was still great. The decision for me was easy as I wanted the other options the guys have mentioned so the choice was Tour Pack or Dynamic Pack. £1k extra for the air suspension seemed a no brainer. Reverse is true I think, £700 extra above air for ACC, Lane Assist, Traffic Jam, Sign recognition, Predictive Efficiency, pre-sense jpg seemed good value!

I tend to drive in comfort mode as the ride is just amazing and so comfortable on UK roads. I use ACC all the time as with traffic sign recognition and predict efficiency assist it really does just drive itself. I use active lane assist as a backup on motorways.

Definitely worth considering the HUD (or tech pack). After using them for 6 years now, I find it dangerous driving a car without one! It provides a lot of info other than speed, such as nav, predictive efficiency prompts and current and upcoming speed limits.

It's very easy to rack up the price

[nbedford]

I don't have all the toys everyone else above are talking about, but I do have the trailer package and the air suspension is great when towing and also when not!

[dghdgh]

Its a fantastic option when you use the car but will become more important with residual values and selling on when the time comes.

[andyhud007]

Agreed. Helps on value but air suspension is a must IMO

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[Big_D_80]

I've driven both and personally I don't think it's worth it unless your getting the 21 inch wheels or above. If it's 20 inch wheels, I wouldn't bother as the ride is comfortable enough. As other have said though if you want to go off load then it may be worth it.
The SQ7 on the other hand has a different air suspension and that feels remarkably different combating body roll really well for a very much sportier ride.
If I were you I would try to test drive a couple of q's and see what you think. There's obviously more that can go wrong with air susp too. Just sayin'
Good luck


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[Thakey17]

Originally my budget didn't stretch to the air suspension, but after reading the reviews and wanting a car that has the ability to change so much through the settings it was a must. I found the extra money and added it. I wouldn't be without it. My regret is not getting the full Dynamic Pack for what would have been an extra £600. I would very rarely use the extras it gives but still should have stretched that little bit more.

Tech pack for me was a must and agree totally on the HUD. I'm lost without it on my daily car after using the Q7 at the weekend.

Good luck with the spec. Let us know what you pick.


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[ron1977]

Hi Folks,

Thanks for all the replies and advice. Had initially drove a Sline on standards 20's without the air suspension and thought it was quite nice, although wasn't an extended drive.

Ive gone and ordered the Q7 and went with the dynamic pack. Although extra think it would be worth it especially as I'd probably upgrade to 21/22 inch alloys later. I've got air suspension in my 2013 black edition A7 and played about with VCDS and lowered the settings 15mm. Sits nicely on dynamic mode!!!

Looking forward to picking it up...went with Sline 272, Sepang blue, style pack, dynamic pack, Bose, memory seats and mirror, flat steering wheel.

Cheers again for the advice