I am ordering a 2013 X5 5.0. In addition to using this X5 5.0 every day, I am an enthusiastic driver and will attend BMW CCA events. My dilema is should I order BMW Sports Suspension, which allows me to get the upgraded V-8 engine, or order the adaptive suspension system, or both or no supsension package? My goal is to have a comfortable daily ride and still eliminate much of the roll/swaying that occurs with a 5,000+ pound SUV. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments. Thank you.
I have no experience with the various suspension options, but if you want the most 'sporting' ride, I'm guessing you'd likely want, from what you're saying, at least the sports suspension. The adaptive suspension might do more, or less, than the sport suspension, I have no idea. If your dealer has vehicles with either, I'd try some extensive test drives, and get familiar with how to switch the suspension settings around so you can try them all out. One potential consideration is that if you're looking at wanting to keep the vehicle for the long haul and hope to run it well into 100k-200k mileage territory, added mechanical complexity (typically) adds maintenance expense and headaches later on. The adaptive suspension may be great best-of-all-worlds technology, but what will it be like to fix and maintain years from now? So, it might be worth researching what you can find about any of those options. Next question though is, what kind of 'CCA events? If you're thinking autocrosses or track driving schools, you might want to check various requirements/constraints, I believe there are some driver's schools (perhaps even most, for all I know) that do not allow the BMW SAV's for their events. Probably not the same constraint for autocrosses, but I don't know if you're likely to have a lot of fun trying to hustle a relatively tall and heavy X5 around a tight auto-x course - to each their own, however.
