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All you lucky owners. Can anyone comment on seat comfort/ride comfort?

darku

Member
Feb 13, 2016
6
1
California
Any commentary on the ride comfort? Is this thing cadillac smooth or something more sporty like a BMW ?

Thank you for any thoughts

(I'm getting old and actually looking for caddy smooth. ugh. cant believe I just said that :)
 

pvogel

Member
Jun 23, 2015
917
199
Santa Clara, CA
Hmm. That's a hard one to answer, the electric drivetrain is very smooth, but the suspension (at least the smart air suspension) is 'tight'. I'm running 20" wheels so that should get me the smoother ride. It's definitely less harsh than my Prius v with 17" wheels but I'd say not as smooth as a Cadillac land yacht and probably closer to my buddy's BMW, but, as I said, the smoother drive of the electric tends to soften it.

Where are you located? I'd be happy to offer a test ride.
 

K-MTG

Sunshade Captain of TMC
Oct 24, 2015
4,815
3,437
Irvine, CA
Hmm. That's a hard one to answer, the electric drivetrain is very smooth, but the suspension (at least the smart air suspension) is 'tight'. I'm running 20" wheels so that should get me the smoother ride. It's definitely less harsh than my Prius v with 17" wheels but I'd say not as smooth as a Cadillac land yacht and probably closer to my buddy's BMW, but, as I said, the smoother drive of the electric tends to soften it.

Where are you located? I'd be happy to offer a test ride.

I would assume it has better suspension compared my Cadillac ELR. It always scrapes my driveway, the car is so low!
 

pvogel

Member
Jun 23, 2015
917
199
Santa Clara, CA
I would assume it has better suspension compared my Cadillac ELR. It always scrapes my driveway, the car is so low!
That has less to do with the suspension itself and more to do with the car's ride height. With the adjustable air suspension you can choose your ride height and have it change automatically based on location.

The OP was asking about the quality of the ride from floaty like a Cadillac to tight like a BMW.
 

darku

Member
Feb 13, 2016
6
1
California
Hmm. That's a hard one to answer, the electric drivetrain is very smooth, but the suspension (at least the smart air suspension) is 'tight'. I'm running 20" wheels so that should get me the smoother ride. It's definitely less harsh than my Prius v with 17" wheels but I'd say not as smooth as a Cadillac land yacht and probably closer to my buddy's BMW, but, as I said, the smoother drive of the electric tends to soften it.

Where are you located? I'd be happy to offer a test ride.

Thanks for the reply. It is very helpful. By the sound of it I should probably wait till they are available at my local dealers to get a ride in. I love my bmws but for the commute I want something that really absorbs bumps since I'll be in the car for about 2 hours per day :)

Thanks for the offer for a ride that's amazingly kind of you! I'm in the Los angeles area

Take care
 

PGeer

Member
Nov 10, 2014
168
79
Port Townsend, Wa
We had a BMW X5 once and my wife nick-named the car "Lurch." Everything about it seemed to throw the riders around.

My X is the opposite. I've never experienced a car so well "planted" to the road. On smooth roads it's like silk. It takes bumps with a reassuringly solid authority. There is something about the battery reinforced frame that lends a secure stiffness unlike anything I've felt in other cars.
 

pvogel

Member
Jun 23, 2015
917
199
Santa Clara, CA
We had a BMW X5 once and my wife nick-named the car "Lurch." Everything about it seemed to throw the riders around.

My X is the opposite. I've never experienced a car so well "planted" to the road. On smooth roads it's like silk. It takes bumps with a reassuringly solid authority. There is something about the battery reinforced frame that lends a secure stiffness unlike anything I've felt in other cars.

+1. That low center of gravity definitely has an effect on smoothing things out in the high seating position.

I love my bmws but for the commute I want something that really absorbs bumps since I'll be in the car for about 2 hours per day :)

So I was thinking about your question on my commute in this morning (yes, I fell to temptation and drove instead of riding my bike in). There's one part of 101 shortly before I get to my exit where I'm nearly always in the #3 lane which is very torn up with some really large potholes and similar damage, in my Prius v if I didn't swerve around it there was a resounding BANG felt throughout the car and I was always afraid it would lead to a flat. I was on the phone and in autopilot mode today and didn't think to swerve. I barely felt it.

For commute, don't underestimate the beneficial effect of the autopilot, it's hard to overstate how much more relaxing and easy it makes a commute, even a 2 hour one.

For things like speed bumps, etc. I do notice them a little more as the back end pops up but it's not at all uncomfortable.
 

Blastphemy

Member
Jan 11, 2012
641
277
Los Angeles, CA
The ride isn't equivalent to a Lexus LS460 by any stretch of the imagination, but the quality and comfort is still worlds beyond most other cars.

Then again, I like the "float on a cloud, never hear/feel a bump" ride from the Lexus, so since the Model X is a sportier car, it's probably not fair to compare it to the LS460.
 

roser

Member
Jan 30, 2016
38
16
Burlingame, CA
I have the 22" wheels and you can feel little bumps, which I expected. When going over some bumps/dips in the road the car kinda see-saws forward and back a bit, kinda like I flew over them and landed hard on the front wheels, then bounced back.
I wish there was a way to adjust the suspension stiffness, instead of just ride height.
Regardless, it handles amazing for an SUV and will out corner most cars on the road.
 

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