Touareg CDC Continuous Damping Control
Discussion
Is CDC on the Touareg any good? Is it an active body control device, or just a method of varying dampers?
I recently spent some time with a new shape BMW 735i with "dynamic drive" and EDC. I ignored the EDC which I think is basically passive and just lets you choose sport/comfort mode which is a bit old-school now. However it was Dynamic Drive that I think made the car amazing. It's an extra that I believe lives on top of EDC, and is an active system that continually adjusts the suspension as you drive. So if you barrel into a corner everything stiffens, and when you turn the roll is reduced. Yet on a straight road at speed it rides like the best limo. All I know was that even with EDC left in comfort mode it handled incredibly on a twisty road. No roll, excellent body control, felt more like a 3 series. Huge improvement on old 7 series. Dynamic Drive available on the new M3 as an extra so must be good. Actually I'd describe the EDC adjustment as totally pointless because when you're going for it the dynamic drive seems to make it handle like a sports saloon no matter which mode the EDC is in.
So anyway is the CDC anything like that? I know it self-levels and also varies the height of the car, with perhaps a token 'sport' mode as well, but is that the extent of its repertoire, is it basically passive? Because we could easily live without that, at £2,500 (includes xenon lights). However a fancy active function like the BMW dynamic drive would be a worthwhile option..
ta
Russell
I recently spent some time with a new shape BMW 735i with "dynamic drive" and EDC. I ignored the EDC which I think is basically passive and just lets you choose sport/comfort mode which is a bit old-school now. However it was Dynamic Drive that I think made the car amazing. It's an extra that I believe lives on top of EDC, and is an active system that continually adjusts the suspension as you drive. So if you barrel into a corner everything stiffens, and when you turn the roll is reduced. Yet on a straight road at speed it rides like the best limo. All I know was that even with EDC left in comfort mode it handled incredibly on a twisty road. No roll, excellent body control, felt more like a 3 series. Huge improvement on old 7 series. Dynamic Drive available on the new M3 as an extra so must be good. Actually I'd describe the EDC adjustment as totally pointless because when you're going for it the dynamic drive seems to make it handle like a sports saloon no matter which mode the EDC is in.
So anyway is the CDC anything like that? I know it self-levels and also varies the height of the car, with perhaps a token 'sport' mode as well, but is that the extent of its repertoire, is it basically passive? Because we could easily live without that, at £2,500 (includes xenon lights). However a fancy active function like the BMW dynamic drive would be a worthwhile option..
ta
Russell
Going through my old topics here and found this...
To answer myself, my dad got the CDC equipped V10. I can't say I've noticed its operation much but perhaps I'm not supposed to. I can tell you that in sport mode its very stiffly damped. While still pretty serene across all sorts of roads anything with an uneven (as opposed to bumpy) surface has you boinging up and down quite heavily and it becomes unpleasant at speed, if you are going for it. In comfort mode it's softer, a touch sloppier and I find it at odds with the thump you get from the suspension so I leave it in sport where I can because I prefer the balance. In auto it seems to be a mix of the two but I haven't left it in that mode for long.
To answer myself, my dad got the CDC equipped V10. I can't say I've noticed its operation much but perhaps I'm not supposed to. I can tell you that in sport mode its very stiffly damped. While still pretty serene across all sorts of roads anything with an uneven (as opposed to bumpy) surface has you boinging up and down quite heavily and it becomes unpleasant at speed, if you are going for it. In comfort mode it's softer, a touch sloppier and I find it at odds with the thump you get from the suspension so I leave it in sport where I can because I prefer the balance. In auto it seems to be a mix of the two but I haven't left it in that mode for long.
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