Non Air suspsension - Self levelling

[karlak]

I believe the previous XC90 model had a mechanical type arrangement that meant the rear suspension was self levelling. Does the mk2 version have similar ? I know the Air suspension does, just curious about the standard spring setup.

[nu11eaf]

There is no mention of it in any sales brochure and when I bought mine I was told I would need to include the 4 corner air suspension, a big step backwards from Volvo, as I tow a heavy caravan and occasionally use all the 7 seats I wanted self leveling so had to pay up.
Omitting the booster seat was another step back too.

[gaby]

I would also have taken the rear leveling we had on our XC70 if it would have been available on the XC90.
But now that I have the air suspension, I can't call it a big step backward, rather a big step forward.

[karlak]

Originally Posted by gaby

I would also have taken the rear leveling we had on our XC70 if it would have been available on the XC90.
But now that I have the air suspension, I can't call it a big step backward, rather a big step forward.

True, but also an expensive one

[gaby]

Originally Posted by karlak

True, but also an expensive one

Unfortunately, yes.
That's why I would have chosen the self levelling system of the previous generation since
that was all I was after. Being able to drive a fully loaded or towing car without it not
something I want to go back to. to me auto levelling is a safety feature.
But as I mentioned, I like the air suspension. That may change when it fails (€€€)

[nu11eaf]

Having to pay £2000 for something that did the job as a standard feature is a step back in my eyes, I also find the air suspension very harsh and you feel every bump and pothole a lot more than in my old XC90's on standard suspension. I would not option it again I think the standard springs will cope well enough, after all it is designed to cope with 7 passengers.
But each to their own and as you say time will tell when things start to wear out, lots of Discovery owners changed back to standard springs after air suspension failures as it was cheaper than repairing.

[Crockers]

We’re both cars on the same size wheels?

[gaby]

I find the air suspension very smooth, not harsh at all. Perhaps it has to do with tyres and pressures?
I have the 19"s at 2.4B/35psi. Perhaps a T8, seen the heigher weight, has firmer springs?
Wear and failure is another matter. It remains to be seen how they will do, until now there is little to go on,
the Discovery story isn't relevant. When we bought our XC70 in 2003, I was also a bit doubtful about the
possible repair cost. The Nivomats were still in good condition when we sold the car last year.

[Ringthane]

Originally Posted by nu11eaf

Having to pay £2000 for something that did the job as a standard feature is a step back in my eyes, I also find the air suspension very harsh and you feel every bump and pothole a lot more than in my old XC90's on standard suspension. I would not option it again I think the standard springs will cope well enough, after all it is designed to cope with 7 passengers.

I, like gaby, find the air suspension smooth and quiet, compared to my previous MY11 R Design XC60. In fact, I consider the ride to be in a completely different league to my previous car. I have 20” wheels and speed bumps and potholes are handled quite competently. If my memory serves me right, my car performs as well, if not better, than the R Design, on ordinary springs, that we had as a test drive, before we ordered our one.

The XC90, on ordinary springs, must be like riding around on a magic carpet, if you feel the air suspension is harsh.

[nu11eaf]

My last 3 were D5 SE's and a lot smother and a lot more sure footed on the bendy bits, the R design may have had harder set up.

My new inscription with air thumps over potholes even small ones and when going over speed bumps you have to go really slow, you get a right thump from the airbags and as the suspension gets over the hump and drops back down there is another clump.

Enthusiastic driving on bendy bits improves a little in dynamic mode but still does not give the same confidence as my older cars and they had higher profile tyres.

I have standard 20" wheels, which are not a good combination. Also very noisy whith Contisilent tyres. (But thats another issue).

Suspension has been checked by dealer twice and compared to other same spec models and all as bad in my experience.
For me the two things that let the car down are 1/ noise, 2/ the air suspension. In that order.

The car looks nice and pilot assist 2 is great, once you learn to trust it, saftey features are great and there are a lot of them, and its a very practical car.