[MontyB1]

Nobody has found any cable attached to the suspension yet, it could be hidden right at the top of the damper but nothing to show it's linked to anything so far.

[JFDIT]

BMW blurb does state it's mechanical, so I suspect it's mechanical.

[FlashMonkey929]

Originally Posted by ramen.slayer

I see. I guess I'm just hung up on the word "variable" that they use in the description and assumed variable means it's varying based on something.

In any case, I guess the final truth will be out when someone is able to get under the car and see whether there is any form of electrical cable/wire that comes out from the top of the dampers ... or maybe they have something similar to Ohlin's Road & Track ...

It's varying based on the impact to the suspension, meaning the fluid in the strut flows differently based on the on how hard and fast the force is. Think about it like slapping water with an open palm vs just slowly submerging it, fluid behaves differently under different levels of force.

As for the possibility of it being electronically controlled dampening, I've looked under the hood and could not see any wiring going to the suspension. Another poster uploaded photos from inside the wheel well and I couldn't see anything that would suggest there were solenoids attached to the struts. There is still a chance that they are electronically controlled if the wiring in concealed in the wheel well liner, but there are a few reasons I think this is not likely:

a) The suspension does not feel any different in Sport Mode vs Personal. Only thing I can immediately feel is throttle response, steering effort, and holding gears longer.

b) You can't select/adjust the comfort level in iDrive, and there is no physical button for it. I can't imagine BMW would put in an electronically adjustable suspension and not allow the user to select their preferred comfort level in at least one of the modes. My f32 4 series had this and like another user said there was a toggle on the center console that I could select to change modes, and select the steering and comfort settings in iDrive.

c) BMW seems to be using Dynamic Damper Control as the term for the electronically adjustable dampers (at least in the US). I see not mention of this in the X1 literature here.

d). For the price point, I would be highly surprised that BMW offers this in the X1 included in the M Sport Package.

But then again, I could be wrong. Just my observations.

[sclord]

Has anyone pushed their X1 without the M adaptive suspension? How does it handle at high speeds with road anomalies? How does it handle when high-speed cornering?

Trying to figure out, if adding the M adaptive suspension is worth it or not - meaning obviously it will give more confidence and less body roll at the above scenarios, but.. is it really needed? Without it, is the X1 so bouncy? Because I am almost certain that driving WITH it (especially with larger wheels) it will be uncomfortable in urban drives..?

[FlashMonkey929]

Originally Posted by sclord

Has anyone pushed their X1 without the M adaptive suspension? How does it handle at high speeds with road anomalies? How does it handle when high-speed cornering?

Trying to figure out, if adding the M adaptive suspension is worth it or not - meaning obviously it will give more confidence and less body roll at the above scenarios, but.. is it really needed? Without it, is the X1 so bouncy? Because I am almost certain that driving WITH it (especially with larger wheels) it will be uncomfortable in urban drives..?

Comfort is relatively subjective. I'd highly recommend a test drive if at all possible. Some have stated that the M Sport package is too harsh for them, while I find it great for the most part and more comfortable than previous cars I've had. But I've also been driving modified cars all my life and prefer handling over comfort, so it also depends on your previous experiences.

[sclord]

Originally Posted by FlashMonkey929

Comfort is relatively subjective. I'd highly recommend a test drive if at all possible. Some have stated that the M Sport package is too harsh for them, while I find it great for the most part and more comfortable than previous cars I've had. But I've also been driving modified cars all my life and prefer handling over comfort, so it also depends on your previous experiences.

Can you provide on what you previously had? I am currently a VW Passat B8 owner and find it fairly 'stiff' on occasion, but really enjoy it in high speed driving (200+) which is firm and confident. Since changing to a different category, I am wondering if 'SUV stiff' is more comfortable than a 'Sedan stiff'..

[FlashMonkey929]

Originally Posted by sclord

Can you provide on what you previously had? I am currently a VW Passat B8 owner and find it fairly 'stiff' on occasion, but really enjoy it in high speed driving (200+) which is firm and confident. Since changing to a different category, I am wondering if 'SUV stiff' is more comfortable than a 'Sedan stiff'..

In order of ownership:

1986 VW Jetta GLI (Neuspeed Race Springs/Bilstein Struts)

2000 VW GTI VR6 ( Neuspeed Race Springs, Bilstein Struts, Neuspeed upper stress bar, rear tie bar, RH 17” wheels)

2007 VW GTI (KW V1 coilovers)

2008 BMW 335i coupe (KW V1, 19” BBS RS-GT)

2011 BMW 335i sedan (Ohlins coilovers, 19” BBS LM-R)

2020 BMW 430i (stock, pandemic didn’t leave me with much income)

[bfaliszek]

I have an X1 with M Sport adaptive suspension. I recently had the opportunity to drive the new X5 (also with adaptive suspension and M Sport package) for two days. The suspension on the X5 is much more comfortable. Especially in Comfort mode. Even in the Sport version, it copes better with bad roads or speed bumps. The suspension on my X1 feels firmer than the Sport on the X5.

[ramen.slayer]

Comfort is very subjective.

That said, a bigger car generally (and that’s a huge stereotype) feels more comfortable due to Lo Ng er wheelbase, bigger wheels, more premium suspension etc with a lot of assumptions and some level of constants (i.e. from same manufacturer and all that)

That said, many often times lump a firm ride with rough ride. They are actually quite different. And then there is bounciness/wobbling in some cars when the suspension just isn’t tuned very well …

[MontyB1]

I test drove the X-line with the standard suspension and would say it was great a perfect blend of firmness and forgiveness. We get the M-Sport suspension on Saturday I can give you a comparison then.

Also though the PHEV and iX1 often ride a little worse due to the extra weight, they can appear firmer as a result. To show you how much look at the height and they both are lower than the petrol and diesel mostly due to weight.

[ramen.slayer]

Originally Posted by MontyB1

I test drove the X-line with the standard suspension and would say it was great a perfect blend of firmness and forgiveness. We get the M-Sport suspension on Saturday I can give you a comparison then.

Also though the PHEV and iX1 often ride a little worse due to the extra weight, they can appear firmer as a result. To show you how much look at the height and they both are lower than the petrol and diesel mostly due to weight.

The electric versions are heavy, but also have a lower center of gravity. This isn’t unique to iX1, and is just how EVs tend to work given the batteries are on the floor.

The iX1 sits “lower” not really because the suspension is getting squashed, but rather due to BMW taking away some of the ground clearance to fit the batteries. Otherwise, the interior’s floor would be raised up much more resulting in rear passengers having to bunch their knees up even further.

If the iX1 used the same set of dampers/springs as the ICE models did, then ya the extra 1100lbs or whatever would put a dent on the ride height. However, my guess is BMW very likely used higher spring rates and all that for the iX1. Also, I don’t notice the iX1 having a smaller fender gap compared to ICE models based on photos; it looks like it’s only ground clearance that’s affected. I can’t compare the iX1 vs X1 in person as the dealer in where I live has effectively stopped selling ICE models and didn’t care to put an X1 as display car.

So ya. The EVs will ride firmer as stiffer suspension is often times needed to compensate for these heavier loads

[sclord]

Originally Posted by MontyB1

I test drove the X-line with the standard suspension and would say it was great a perfect blend of firmness and forgiveness. We get the M-Sport suspension on Saturday I can give you a comparison then.

Also though the PHEV and iX1 often ride a little worse due to the extra weight, they can appear firmer as a result. To show you how much look at the height and they both are lower than the petrol and diesel mostly due to weight.

Yes, please do post your findings!

Also what ramen.slayer says, makes total sense. Since, they developed the M suspension for the heavier iX1, why not also put it as an option for the ICE versions?

[MontyB1]

Originally Posted by ramen.slayer

The iX1 sits “lower” not really because the suspension is getting squashed, but rather due to BMW taking away some of the ground clearance to fit the batteries. Otherwise, the interior’s floor would be raised up much more resulting in rear passengers having to bunch their knees up even further.

It's the height of the vehicle that is changing.

X1 18i>23d are all - 1642mm high
X1 25e>30e - 1630mm
iX1 - 1612

The reason is the weight, 18i to iX1 is a change of just short of 500kg or over 1000lbs for those in the US.

That weight compresses the suspension and drops the height of whole car, it isn't the clearance that is changing, which as a result can cause a firmer standard ride than the base cars and a little less compliancy.

[ramen.slayer]

Originally Posted by MontyB1

It's the height of the vehicle that is changing.

X1 18i>23d are all - 1642mm high
X1 25e>30e - 1630mm
iX1 - 1612

The reason is the weight, 18i to iX1 is a change of just short of 500kg or over 1000lbs for those in the US.

That weight compresses the suspension and drops the height of whole car, it isn't the clearance that is changing, which as a result can cause a firmer standard ride than the base cars and a little less compliancy.

You are right about the overall height being lower on the iX1 by 18mm versus the ICE cars with adaptive suspension, which is 12mm lower than the one without adaptive suspension. I missed that part.

Non adaptive suspension of 1640mm height gives 205mm, which gives the car’s body height of 1435mm. Then the iX1 has 1616mm height with 170mm of ground clearance, yielding 1446mm of body height without wheels. That’s merely 11mm of increased floor thickness, which is considered negligible.

That said, given that the X1 with Adaptive M Suspension is 18mm taller than an iX1, unless the car runs some insanely stiff suspension, it’s very unlikely a 1100 lbs diff would only bring the car down by 18mm. Just have a normal sedan or even the X1 loaded with 5 passengers (which probably just adds 600lbs realistically), and measure how much the suspension compresses. Then scale up that number based on a 1100lbs increase. That would provide some empirical evidence of how much impact the increased weight has on the height of the car.

Unfortunately we likely won’t figure out the motion ratio and factory spring rates, but I would be really surprised (and disappointed) that BMW would simply use the same springs between the two variants when the heavier one is nearly 40 percent heavier. EVs even use different tires (mainly thicker sidewalls etc. ) to compensate for the substantially heavier weights. So it would be really odd that BMW would have kept the suspension the same between ICE and EV variants just to let the suspension compress and call it the day. If anything, some manufacturers even alter the spring rates for their auto vs manual gearbox variants

[SpaceSilverX1]

Originally Posted by FlashMonkey929

2000 VW GTI VR6 ( Neuspeed Race Springs, Bilstein Struts, Neuspeed upper stress bar, rear tie bar, RH 17” wheels)

dude! that was my favorite car that I never owned! but I drove it a lot back then because my friend his company sent him to work in Sweden for almost 2 years. he didn't want to part with the car, so he left it with me because my garage had an extra space... and I got to enjoy it every week.(nothing is more satisfying than helping a friend whose baby needs to be driven weekly to keep the engine and all the other parts well lubricated, right?) it was a great little car and probably one of the last to have that "fahrvergnügen" VW feeling.


in the mean time... I just left the BMW dealership half an hour ago. The replacement rear springs arrived yesterday. They just spent almost 3 hours to put them on my X1 and then did an alignment. I was a little scared because they put like ten 50-pound sandbags inside the car while doing the alignment.. never seen that done before. (but who am I to question a BMW dealership service tech?) Fortunately, it was all done under warranty.

don't notice anything different after a short drive... but time will tell.

oh... I did talk to the tech who replaced the suspension. He said my new X1's "so-called M suspension"(his words) was nothing more than just stiffer shocks and very slightly shorter springs. He gave me a look like "boy, if it weren't for you suckers who fell for these silly marketing slogans, BMW and our dealership would be making less money than the Maytag repair guys"

[JupiterOne]

if all true hard to explain why car feels more stiff and harsh on bumpy road when switching to sport, likely a subjective and impossible thing not having electronically regulated dumping

[FlashMonkey929]

Originally Posted by JupiterOne

if all true hard to explain why car feels more stiff and harsh on bumpy road when switching to sport, likely a subjective and impossible thing not having electronically regulated dumping

I thought I felt the suspension tighten up in sport mode as well, but after owning it for 5 months I realize it was all in my head. I drove over the same road multiple times switching between personal and sport mode and the suspension feels the same to me.

[FlashMonkey929]

Originally Posted by SpaceSilverX1

dude! that was my favorite car that I never owned! but I drove it a lot back then because my friend his company sent him to work in Sweden for almost 2 years. he didn't want to part with the car, so he left it with me because my garage had an extra space... and I got to enjoy it every week.(nothing is more satisfying than helping a friend whose baby needs to be driven weekly to keep the engine and all the other parts well lubricated, right?) it was a great little car and probably one of the last to have that "fahrvergnügen" VW feeling.


in the mean time... I just left the BMW dealership half an hour ago. The replacement rear springs arrived yesterday. They just spent almost 3 hours to put them on my X1 and then did an alignment. I was a little scared because they put like ten 50-pound sandbags inside the car while doing the alignment.. never seen that done before. (but who am I to question a BMW dealership service tech?) Fortunately, it was all done under warranty.

don't notice anything different after a short drive... but time will tell.

oh... I did talk to the tech who replaced the suspension. He said my new X1's "so-called M suspension"(his words) was nothing more than just stiffer shocks and very slightly shorter springs. He gave me a look like "boy, if it weren't for you suckers who fell for these silly marketing slogans, BMW and our dealership would be making less money than the Maytag repair guys"

My '00 GTI was my first new car purchase at the age of 20. I do miss that car and used to track it a lot at the (now closed) racetrack. Super fun to drive but it fell flat on its face in 4th gear, but that VR6 exhaust note is one of my favorite sounds! But typical of VW at the time, the interior falls apart after 5 years in the sun, so it wasn't worth keeping anymore.

[JupiterOne]

Originally Posted by FlashMonkey929

I thought I felt the suspension tighten up in sport mode as well, but after owning it for 5 months I realize it was all in my head. I drove over the same road multiple times switching between personal and sport mode and the suspension feels the same to me.

I think you are right.

[MontyB1]

In the menus it gives you the ability to configure the steering, throttle but not suspension. In cars that really have adaptive there is the option to use comfort or sports suspension, the X1 doesn't have that.

I'm very much of the view that BMWs use of the word adaptive for the suspension in the X1 compared to all other implementations of it across the range is a borderline fraudulent use of the word.

[SpaceSilverX1]

Originally Posted by MontyB1

I'm very much of the view that BMWs use of the word adaptive for the suspension in the X1 compared to all other implementations of it across the range is a borderline fraudulent use of the word.

IMHO, it's the same way that they use the same word "xDrive" to describe the all-wheel-drive system on the X1. It is not the same xDrive as other BMW models such as the X3, 3/5-series, etc.... the front wheels are driving the X1 99.99% of the time. but that's a debate for another day.(i.e. when we get the first 8 inches of snow here around December)

the BMW service tech at my BMW dealership assured me that my X1 "absolutely"(his word) did not have adaptive suspension.

[MontyB1]

I disagree with the analogy. Can the X1 drive all 4 wheels, yes, the bias drive differs to some models, but it can do it. The PHEV by the way is RWD by default with the electric driving the rear wheels, only the fronts get driven when the engine kicks in.

Does the suspension adapt in the same way others adapt as the word mentions, no it doesn’t on the X1, we are all pretty clear on that.