335d Xdrive - Does it have adaptive suspension

[BmmAde]

Sorry if this has been covered before.

Picking up a 16 plate 335d xdrive, and the spec sheet from dealer does not say it has adaptive suspension. (comes with Msport pack and Msport brakes)

I test drove the car and checking the i-drive, driving mode, Configure Sport, it had 3 options to select:

Chassis & Drivetrain
Drivetrain
Chassis

Does this mean I've got adaptive suspension?


My last 330d F31 did come with adaptive suspension and it was noted on the spec sheet from dealer, and it had the same 3 options.

Hope someone can chime in.

thanks

[rassi]

If it has the "chassis" option I believe it has adaptive suspension.

[xjay1337]

Look on the suspension itself. Surely the easiest way to be sure. If it has a plug in the bottom of the shock then yes. :-)

[BmmAde]

xjay1337 said:

Look on the suspension itself. Surely the easiest way to be sure. If it has a plug in the bottom of the shock then yes. :-)

ok thanks. Does the car need to be on a lift/ramp to view this?

Sorry if this sounds silly.

[smashy]

Id say you have it ,otherwise all you would have is eco pro ,comfort and sport

[smashy]

here you go sorted you have it

https://www.google.co.uk/search?biw=1366&bih=6...

[JNW1]

BmmAde said:

Sorry if this has been covered before.

Picking up a 16 plate 335d xdrive, and the spec sheet from dealer does not say it has adaptive suspension. (comes with Msport pack and Msport brakes)

I test drove the car and checking the i-drive, driving mode, Configure Sport, it had 3 options to select:

Chassis & Drivetrain
Drivetrain
Chassis

Does this mean I've got adaptive suspension?


My last 330d F31 did come with adaptive suspension and it was noted on the spec sheet from dealer, and it had the same 3 options.

Hope someone can chime in.

thanks

My car has adaptive and the same menu options as you've listed above so I'd say your new car probably has it; however, if you give the registration number to any BMW dealer they will be able to tell whether the car was ordered with adaptive or not.

That said, did you not put the car into Sport mode during the course of the test drive? Should have made an obvious difference to the suspension if you did and the car has adaptive!

[CarsOrBikes]

Adaptive is a tick box option, doesn't come with M Sport or M Sport plus, and chassis in the options on a car without it only tightens the steering feel. The options are the same in the iDrive with or without. I have it now on my M240 but had to order it, it wasn't on either of my 435d M Sport cars.

[JNW1]

CarsOrBikes said:

The options are the same in the iDrive with or without.

Ah, fair enough, never checked the i-drive display on a non-adaptive car. However, if the OP's buying from a BMW dealer they should be able to see from their system what spec the car was delivered with and if all else fails just drive it and flick between Comfort and Sport - if you can't tell any difference it doesn't have adaptive!

[LocoBlade]

I think "Chassis" on a non adaptive car just makes the steering heavier and "more sporty" (although I dislike it as it adds weight without any additional feel).

Best way to check is to put the chassis number into something like BMWVin.com which will list all the options the car has.

[BmmAde]

Thanks for all your replies. Very informative

Checked via VIN and it does NOT have adaptive suspension.

So after one day of driving Town and motorway, I really didn't notice not having adaptive which my 330d had.

I didn't notice the soft and spongy SE suspension so many people post about. Didn't notice much excessive body roll through corners.

Maybe it's down to 19 inch wheels and the minor tweaks they made under the facelift/LCI model.
Or maybe I'm just getting old and not that bothered about detail anymore. Lol

Going from comfort to sports is very noticeable for sure.

So overall I'm very pleased with the upgrade..

More power (although not loads more, just proves to me how good and balanced the 330dwas)

Engine Makes a lovely deep loud throttle noise (my son laughs like a madman !!more than the last car.... When I floor it, he loves the noise!)

The turbo lag seems to be a lot less than 330d
Performance very noticeably stronger after 70mph

When stamping on the accelerator, before in 330d, the effect was quite a violent delivery of power. With the 335 it does not quite feel like this. I find it's a little bit smoother with power delivery. Strange as it is definitely quicker.

So just sharing some of experiences after one day.

Thanks

[CarsOrBikes]

The heavier steering is only particularly noticeable at slow speed

The wallowy suspension is most likely found near limits, adaptive shows it's value here because it keeps some composure, most are happy without it but won't know what it does unless the dealer has demo cars with it plus allows demonstration of it haha.

[JNW1]

BmmAde said:

I didn't notice the soft and spongy SE suspension so many people post about. Didn't notice much excessive body roll through corners.

Maybe it's down to 19 inch wheels and the minor tweaks they made under the facelift/LCI model.

I've not driven an LCI version but the consensus seems to be that they're notably better in the chassis department compared to the pre-LCI cars like mine.

You obviously get loads of opinions on forums like this (including from people like me!) but ultimately it's only yours that counts; therefore, if you're happy with the car as it is then great! If with familiarity over time you decide it's a bit soft then just get some ACS springs fitted and by all accounts that will sort it out; I certainly wouldn't worry about the lack of adaptive as any perceived chassis shortcomings can be resolved without it.

[335d]

BmmAde said:

Engine Makes a lovely deep loud throttle noise (my son laughs like a madman !!more than the last car.... When I floor it, he loves the noise!)

The turbo lag seems to be a lot less than 330d
Performance very noticeably stronger after 70mph

When stamping on the accelerator, before in 330d, the effect was quite a violent delivery of power. With the 335 it does not quite feel like this. I find it's a little bit smoother with power delivery. Strange as it is definitely quicker.

I know just what you mean. The 30d is an excellent engine too. The extra 35d turbo changes the characteristics of the engine a fair bit - it pulls from so low down that the lag seems to have all but disappeared. It does take away the drama of the 30d turbo cutting in after the lag though, making it feel less brutal, at least until you look at the speedo. If you want to see what it can do, try launch control one day - it feels like someone has driven into the back of you!

It's only when I drive another car that I remember that people have a habit of accelerating a bit as you overtake them. In the 35d you just don't notice...

[BmmAde]

335d said:

I know just what you mean. The 30d is an excellent engine too. The extra 35d turbo changes the characteristics of the engine a fair bit - it pulls from so low down that the lag seems to have all but disappeared. It does take away the drama of the 30d turbo cutting in after the lag though, making it feel less brutal, at least until you look at the speedo. If you want to see what it can do, try launch control one day - it feels like someone has driven into the back of you!

It's only when I drive another car that I remember that people have a habit of accelerating a bit as you overtake them. In the 35d you just don't notice...

Absolutely bang on mate!!
Exactly that ...exactly that😊
The car and engine is just pure class

I did test drive a merc 350 cdi, S4 And also Lexus , but they just didn't do it for me.

So now I'm on my 5th BM

E90 320i
E90 325i
E90 330d
F31 330d
F30 335d

[jcborden]

I’ve just picked up my first BMW, an LCI 335d with 19” wheels, still on runflats and no adaptive.

I have also been wondering about all the negative comments suspension wise... I find the suspension to be a good balance of comfort and poise. Perhaps the LCI improvements are fairly significant or it could also be the fact, like the OP, that I’m also getting a bit older :-)

[CSLchappie]

jcborden said:

I’ve just picked up my first BMW, an LCI 335d with 19” wheels, still on runflats and no adaptive.

I have also been wondering about all the negative comments suspension wise... I find the suspension to be a good balance of comfort and poise. Perhaps the LCI improvements are fairly significant or it could also be the fact, like the OP, that I’m also getting a bit older :-)

I have a similar car, albeit in 340 form, for everyday driving the setup is probably adequate for most people. However when pressing on, especially over poor road surfaces I find the car severely lacking, feedback is vague, it bobbles about regardless of comfort or sport and I have little confidence in the chassis to stay in shape when pushed, its a shame as the engine and drive train are pretty solid by comparison.

I suppose a lot of it is perspective and informed by what you drove prior.

[Pica-Pica]

jcborden said:

I’ve just picked up my first BMW, an LCI 335d with 19” wheels, still on runflats and no adaptive.

I have also been wondering about all the negative comments suspension wise... I find the suspension to be a good balance of comfort and poise. Perhaps the LCI improvements are fairly significant or it could also be the fact, like the OP, that I’m also getting a bit older :-)

I bought a pre-registered 335d, in Jan 2017 (build date Nov 2016). It does not have adaptive suspension. I don't honestly feel it needs it, except perhaps on really broken up roads. I drove up some back tracks in Scotland recently. OK, I did not rally it, but it was OK for normal driving. The only issue I have is on some of the bolted down speed humps that are on private sites, e.g. Colleges. On these there seems to be inadequate rebound cushioning, and I get a sharp thump, and that is at low speeds. It is OK on normal speed humps driving over at the prevailing limits. However, I feel that the rebound cushioning should be better. Nevertheless, it is not a frequent enough event to demand the adaptive suspension (assuming that would help).

With regards the stiffer steering. Yes, I can set that up, but the standard default seems fine at all speeds and angles. I have the standard servotronic steering.

Edited by Pica-Pica on Thursday 14th September 22:22

[Some Guy]

335d said:

The extra 35d turbo changes the characteristics of the engine a fair bit - it pulls from so low down that the lag seems to have all but disappeared. It does take away the drama of the 30d turbo cutting in after the lag though, making it feel less brutal, at least until you look at the speedo. If you want to see what it can do, try launch control one day - it feels like someone has driven into the back of you!

It's only when I drive another car that I remember that people have a habit of accelerating a bit as you overtake them. In the 35d you just don't notice...

Agreed the 35D is a stunning engine. Just has a 335D GT M Sport as a rental for 2 days. Did about 550 miles in it and found it to be effortless, smooth and pulled like a steam engine pretty much anywhere in the rev range.

[BmmAde]

Ok. So after about 600 miles I am blown away by the sheer grunt and power of this workhorse !!
It really is the 330ds older big brother of a car
I do 60% motorway, 30% A road and country lanes and 10% village/town.

Main things I have noticed over my old f31 330d M-Sport (which had adaptive, VSS, 18s, prof media, HUD display, xenon, M-Sport suspension)

1. I can notice not having adaptive suspension in comfort and sport mode. The 330 felt a bit smoother over bumps etc and had better ride quality.
335 being 4wd and on 19s, with no adaptive... I always expected to have a slightly inferior ride quality. But it’s only slightly noticeable. And not enough to be an issue.
Maybe it’s the improvements in the LCI that help without adaptive. I read a lot about the SE suspension being spongy and bouncy and poor round corners. I honestly don’t really
Notice this. Or the instability at high speeds and excessive body roll often posted about..
I do miss VSS for parking but that’s it really.

2. Handling, grip especially in damp and wet is far superior in 335d. I still don’t go full throttle out of corners or roundabouts.. yet.. it’s just muscle memory from the last 4 BMs which were RWD. But I can push the car much more than before and there are no dramas. Awsome grip.

3. 19s Pirelli PZero RFT are a little louder than the Bridgestone and conti 18s rft. But seem to track the tarmac better.

4. Engine noise noticeably louder but in a nice way.

5. Roughly 10% less economical but much faster from low , mid and high ranges.

6. Really do miss HUD display.

I would recommend this super diesal. Ticks many boxes. Here are pics after a clean and wax ready for winter

Car didn’t come with many options but was low mileage and age

Sapphire black with oyster colour leather
M Sport pack (HK, tints, 19s)
Full beam assist
M Sport breaks
Electric controlled seats
Heated seats
LEDs

Edited by BmmAde on Friday 6th October 21:33

Edited by BmmAde on Friday 6th October 21:36