BMW 135i and Acura TSX: Familiar Suspension Issues

[YEH]

Edmunds on the BMW 135i

But after all these months, this car's ride quality still doesn't feel quite right to me. Well, at least it doesn't feel right to me on the freeways and a lot of the city streets in the LA area.

Every time I get in our 135i, I'm struck by how compliant it wants to be. Its ride isn't just smooth, it's downright soft. But as soon as I hit an expansion joint or an uneven patch of pavement, I realize I'm mistaken. Initially, the suspension compresses in its soft, forgiving manner, but then, a big dose of damping brings it back hard and you feel the brunt of that road imperfection. The sequence gets old after you realize what's happening, and it made my passenger queasy.

To me, the car feels conflicted, like the chassis engineers couldn't decide whether the U.S.-spec BMW 1 Series needed to be a cushy cruiser for people who ordinarily wouldn't buy a BMW, or a full-on sport coupe for people who think the 3 Series has gotten too big and luxurious. So it's both -- and neither.

http://blogs.edmunds.com/roadtests/page/2/


Jalopnik on the Acura TSX

In the quest for greater ability, the V6 sacrifices much of those qualities. The ride is much harsher, but like several recent Hondas and Acuras (the Insight and TL come to mind), that's not balanced by good body control. Drive the TSX V6 over pot holes, ruts and ridges and the steering wheel will jerk in your hands and the suspension will intrusively fail to soak up the bumps, in short it feels like a firm setup. But, drive the TSX quickly around a corner and it will roll, change direction quickly and the roll is more noticeable. Hit ridges or bumps mid corner and the body will wallow, in short, it feels like a soft setup. The end result of the revised suspension is a car that's firm when you want it to be soft and soft when you want it to be firm. Despite that flaw, the revised steering does deliver plenty of feel, which, combined with the lack of torque steer, is impressive for a front driver.

http://jalopnik.com/5328937/2010-acura-tsx-v6-first-drive

It appears that the Genesis is hardly the only vehicle w/ suspensipn issues (even mighty BMW is not immune).

Since there are already a no. of threads discussing the suspension, I don't want this thread to be a rehash of what has previously been posted - but here are my 2 cents.

There seems to be a wide variance in experience for owners - some don't have any real issue; some would like the suspension to be harder or softer or handle the rough roads a little better but don't a major problem; and some have a real major problem w/ the suspension on their Genesis (primarily experiencing hard jolts to the spine, "porpoising" or both).

Hyundai definitely needs to tweek the suspension on the Genesis (whether that be different bushings, dampeners, shocks, etc.) to make sure that no future owners experience porpoising or other issues (plus any new suspension usually needs a few years of tweeking to gain optimum performance) - but due to the wide variance in experiences (putting aside that some of it may be due to personal preference), I suspect (as some others have already done) that a significant factor likely has to due w/ variance in individual suspension parts (whether that be the shocks or whatever).

 

[akuma]

consider that the 135 and TSX are the cheapest models sold in their respective brands as well as the sportiest (besides M versions and sports cars/coupes even though the 135 is technically a coupe), and it doesn't surprise me that much that they are the worst riding of their respective lineup, nor are they considered the competition of the Genesis. i also don't know exactly how stiff their torsional rigidity is compared to the Genesis which is supposed to be 12-14% stiffer than the BMW 5 series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

http://www.automobilemag.com/review..._comparison/traditional_styling_elements.html

the Buick Lacrosse has already been compared to the Genesis by Automobile magazine. they made a comment about the Genesis being unexpectedly harsh over bumps, while almost all reviews have praised the ride comfort of the Lacrosse while at the same time having considerable improvements in handling without being floaty.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtuqdQXbUsA"]YouTube - On the Road, 2010 Buick LaCrosse Launch. 07.15.09[/ame]

in this video you see the same guy from autonetwork that was interviewing Wendell Collins (ride and handling engineering manager, aka seat-of-the-pants) last year when the Genesis was launched. you can watch the whole thing, but i wouldn't. most of it's boring and the part where the GM guy talks about the history of Buick in China seems a bit far fetched. fast forward to about 26:00 where they go over a bad stretch of road and talk about the ride (in sport mode) for a couple minutes. the head engineer, Jim Federico, seems to be speaking the exact same language as Wendell Collins about body structure, torsional rigidity and high strength steels being the foundation of a good riding/handling vehicle. i think Hyundai needs to focus on the quality control of that aspect (body structure) of the Genesis.

 

[YEH]

^ Despite being in the same general price point, I don't consider the 135i or the TSX to be competitors to the Genesis.

I merely brought them up since they seem to have undergone the same conflicting engineering w/ regard to the suspension (which, btw, has little to do w/ the fact that they are "entry" level since there are many autos at much lower price points which don't have the issue of suspensions which have dual/conflictingcharacteristics.

As for the LaCrosse, handling and and a properly tuned suspension are two different things - the LaCrosse doesn't turn into corners as well as the Genesis and has a bit more body roll.

As for the Genesis not taking bumps as well, that has nothing to do w/ body structure/rigidity (the Genesis having a considerably more rigid body structure than the 5 Series), byt rather has to do w/ the types/calibration of the shocks, bushings and dampeners.

 

[Mark_888]

Hyundai definitely needs to tweek the suspension on the Genesis (whether that be different bushings, dampeners, shocks, etc.) to make sure that no future owners experience porpoising or other issues (plus any new suspension usually needs a few years of tweeking to gain optimum performance) - but due to the wide variance in experiences (putting aside that some of it may be due to personal preference), I suspect (as some others have already done) that a significant factor likely has to due w/ variance in individual suspension parts (whether that be the shocks or whatever).

According to Hyundai, the 2010 suspension and steering have been improved on the Genesis sedan.

By almost all accounts I have read (and my own limited observations during a very short test drive), the 2010 Genesis suspension has been improved without any noticeable loss in firmness. In fact, some have reported that 2010 corners flatter (better handling) than the 2009, even though the 2010 is more compliant over rough spots. Many have also confirmed that the 2010 steering has been improved, supposedly with new bushings.

 

[jwaters943]

There have been similar complaints about the ride of the RDX, X3, and new TL as well. Ride quality is largely, but not fully, subjective.

 

[Sayantsi]

Yes, what makes for a good ride is your personal opinion - that's why its so important to test out your investment before you sink tens of thousands or dollars into it!

 

[TJPark01]

Yes, what makes for a good ride is your personal opinion - that's why its so important to test out your investment before you sink tens of thousands or dollars into it!

Yeah, every car forum you go to people have gripes about their cars. No one car is perfect. I'm sure Ferrrairi owners are bitching about rear visibility and 911 GT owners are whining about lack of cargo room too. In this price range, I still can't think of a car that collectively does this many things as well.

 

[JOwest]

It is not possible to have one suspension setting to satisfy ALL customers. That is why some auto makers offer different level of suspension options so the customer who want "soft" and other customers want "sporty" can choose how their cars ride. Perhaps Hyundai can make that option available in future models.

 

[Sayantsi]

Yeah, every car forum you go to people have gripes about their cars. No one car is perfect. I'm sure Ferrrairi owners are bitching about rear visibility and 911 GT owners are whining about lack of cargo room too. In this price range, I still can't think of a car that collectively does this many things as well.

If you looked close enough, you'd see that every car has suspension tweaks every couple years or so, along with myriad other tweaks.

 

[doug725]

you guys are completely clueless about the actual issue

If you looked close enough, you'd see that every car has suspension tweaks every couple years or so, along with myriad other tweaks.

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