Comfort Dynamic or Sport Suspension?

[peterw47]

Hi all, in the process of ordering my next company car and coming from an A3 S Line I'm looking at upgrading to the A4 Avant S Line. My main sticking point is whether to go for the Comfort Dynamic suspension or the Sport suspension.

My 62 plate A3 has S Line suspension which if I recall was an upgrade over the Sport suspension. I find it really hard and pot holes are avoided at all costs to save my spine! I've had a test drive of the A4 Avant S Line with Sport suspension and it's definitely an improvement over mine. I haven't had chance to test drive with Comfort Dynamic yet but I'll see if I can.

Main considerations for going for Comfort Dynamic are that I spend most of my time on the motorway and planning on having kids soon. Main considerations for Sport are that its lowered by 20mm and I still want it to handle reasonably well when I'm on my own. I wonder if I'd ever notice a 20mm higher ride height in the Comfort Dynamic - don't want to spoil the look!

Wondering what people's thoughts are and if anyone has had the opportunity to drive both? The adaptive systems are out of reach due to costs unfortunately :-(

Cheers!

 

[cuke2u]

You might notice the tyres not filling the wheel arches as well with that 20mm higher ride, I would have thought the sports suspension would be fine as it was on the last A4 I drove..

 

[Dan241085]

Saw an a4 today without sports suspension, i didn't like the look of it at all. The ride is far too high. Like you I previously had an a3 Sline. My a4 has the Sline sports suspension and it is no where near as hard of a drive as the a3

 

[dts439]

A3 S line has Sport suspension as standard (-10mm from SE). S line suspension was another 10mm lower.

What size wheels are on your A3 vs prospective A4? I'd have thought standard S line would be fine - but have a drive to compare.

 

[A4B9]

I've got the adaptive comfort and looks too high for my liking, regretting not going for the sports set up

 

[ScottishA4B9]

I have the sports set up and it's great. It's not hard at all.

 

[peterw47]

Thanks all! Well based on that I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to go for Sport. If the general consensus is that Comfort Dynamic may look a tad high, and I'm coming from S Line suspension on the A3, I would surely notice it!

As I say, it was loads better than mine anyway so I shouldn't miss any more comfort. I'll see if I can get a test drive arranged anyway and see if that cements my decision. I guess more comfort surely has to compromise handling? It obviously wasn't quite as good at corners than my A3 and Comfort Dynamic may feel a bit floaty...


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[wecanseeformiles]

I'm still in a quandary here as to whether to get the passive Sports Suspension or passive Comfort Dynamic suspension on a leased A4 1.4 TFSi S-Line saloon. My budget doesn't allow for the extra cost Adaptive Suspensions. The posters here suggest the passive Sports Suspension but several reviews I have seen, including What Car, suggest that faster progress is possible on bumpier roads with the passive Comfort Dynamic Suspension. I live in the country and the roads around here are pretty poor. Anyone have any experience of the passive Comfort Dynamic Suspension?

 

[holly35]

Stick with the standard sports suspension. I also considered this however the A4 looks ridiculous on the comfort springs.Any way i came from a A3 SE on 16 inch wheels and found little difference in comfort between the two Remember the A4 suspension is more refined than the A3s. Also come trade in who wants a high riding sline A4?

 

[NeilHD]

I went through this dilemma. In the end, basically every review I read said "Get the comfort suspension". So I did. I was under strict instructions from SWMBO to make sure the car was comfortable and didn't jolt over bumps.

I admit I prefer the lowered look of the sports suspension and there is a bit of a wheel-arch gap (I've got the standard s-line wheels). When I first got it I wasn't keen on the look but I'm used to it now. Plus, I spend more time in it driving over poorly maintained bumpy roads than I do looking at the wheel-arch gap. So overall I've no regrets.

 

[wecanseeformiles]

Thanks NeilHD and Holly35. Decisions, decisions! I guess that's why Audi offer the adaptive suspension but my budget doesn't run to it. In the end I decided just to go with the passive sports suspension but it was very close call either way. Like NeilHD I'd seen a lot of reviews say, 'get the comfort suspension'. I did test a car with the passive sports suspension and it seemed to ride OK but short term tests and long term driving can differ.

 

[wideboybloke]

And the ride in the front differs from the ride in the back. Mine was a stock vehicle so I had to take the s line suspension to get the other features I wanted. I’m not a fan of hard suspension - and my A3 had SE suspension - but in the front I find it OK. However, my family said it was a harsh ride in the back so I tried it for myself and it is. We take rear seat passengers only occasionally so I’m not too worried about the harsh ride, given thatbwhere I sit nearly all the time is OK. And I do like the way the car sits on the s line suspension. See below

 

[Fridarey]

I went with comfort. It was a no-brainer for me, I do 30k+ miles per year and at least 75% of that is on single carriageway rural roads. I'm also comfortable with the fact that I'm not the kind of guy to go pinging round corners I like getting places feeling rested, which all sounds a bit pipe & slippers, but I'm fine with that!

 

[hmy7k]

I have adaptive sports suspension but I use the comfort setting nearly all the time, the only time I use Sports is on the B roads where the comfort compromises the handling, Sport is perfect for that but it would be a bit too much for motorways and normal driving.

Therefore I would go for comfort if you do lots of motorway miles or sports if the B roads are where you hang out.

 

[cuke2u]

Hi all, in the process of ordering my next company car and coming from an A3 S Line I'm looking at upgrading to the A4 Avant S Line. My main sticking point is whether to go for the Comfort Dynamic suspension or the Sport suspension.

My 62 plate A3 has S Line suspension which if I recall was an upgrade over the Sport suspension. I find it really hard and pot holes are avoided at all costs to save my spine! I've had a test drive of the A4 Avant S Line with Sport suspension and it's definitely an improvement over mine. I haven't had chance to test drive with Comfort Dynamic yet but I'll see if I can.

Main considerations for going for Comfort Dynamic are that I spend most of my time on the motorway and planning on having kids soon. Main considerations for Sport are that its lowered by 20mm and I still want it to handle reasonably well when I'm on my own. I wonder if I'd ever notice a 20mm higher ride height in the Comfort Dynamic - don't want to spoil the look!

Wondering what people's thoughts are and if anyone has had the opportunity to drive both? The adaptive systems are out of reach due to costs unfortunately :-(

Cheers!

Which engine are you choosing to have as the spring weights might vary from engine to engine and change the characteristics of the suspension.
Apologies as you seem to be getting the 1.4, I would still say sport will be fine...

 

[wecanseeformiles]

I've chosen the 1.4 engine so considerably less mass upfront. Unless Audi adjust the spring rates, my thinking was that the passive comfort suspension might be too 'springy' with this engine.

 

[cuke2u]

I've chosen the 1.4 engine so considerably less mass upfront. Unless Audi adjust the spring rates, my thinking was that the passive comfort suspension might be too 'springy' with this engine.

Sport then, I find it quite compliant and not harsh over all surfaces. The previous model had a very hard suspension...

 

[v1rotate]

Had exactly the same dilemma. Was primarily concerned with comfort and road noise - I spend a lot of my time on the M25 and some of the road surface is really terrible.

The obvious (and I suspect the best) solution is to get an S-Line car with the adaptive sports suspension.

I couldn’t stretch to that so I ended up getting a Sport with the comfort suspension. I agree with the poster above who said selling an S-Line with the comfort set up might be challenging, on the private market anyway.

The comfort suspension is exactly that, very comfortable. As for the higher ride height, I did think it looked a bit high to start with but having had the car for 3 months now I can honestly say I don’t notice it anymore - it looks pretty normal now. But then, I would say that wouldn’t I!


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[wecanseeformiles]

Thanks v1Rotate. What is your handling like with the passive comfort suspension and what wheels do you have? I'm leasing the car so I'm not concerned with resale value.

 

[v1rotate]

Thanks v1Rotate. What is your handling like with the passive comfort suspension and what wheels do you have? I'm leasing the car so I'm not concerned with resale value.

I went for the standard sport trim set up, so I have 17 inch wheels and the standard comfort dynamic suspension. My main concerns were comfort and noise due to having young family and the roads I commute on. The ride is as you'd expect, very comfortable. Absorbs all the bumps with ease and there isn't really any noticeable wallow into the corners although again, I don't really throw the car about at all. I appreciate that if exterior looks are important to you then 18inch wheels on the lower suspension is a better choice, but inevitably there will be a trade off. Hence why the adaptive suspension is probably the best solution.

In your case if you aren't bothered about residuals I'd be sorely tempted to go S-Line with comfort suspension. Honestly don't think you'd notice the ride height after long and it's the best of both worlds as you get all the other nice S-Line features such as the body kit and the LED head/tail lights whilst not compromising ride quality.

P.S If you go into "Post pics of your B9" thread in this section, somewhere on the first couple of pages is an S-Line car with the comfort suspension so you can get a feel for what it might look like.

 

[Fridarey]

Mine is Sline with comfort, on the standard 18" wheels, I'll post some side-on pics tomorrow if that helps. I don't notice things like ride height, so I have no objection to purists saying how horrible it looks

 

[NeilHD]

Here's a pic of mine I quickly snapped when getting out of it yesterday - S-line on comfort suspension:

 

[wecanseeformiles]

The wheels looks fine, NeilHD, on Comfort Suspension. I have a 1.4TFSI S-Line coming on lease in several months in that same Brilliant Black. I plumped for the passive sports suspension as I thought it would give me slightly better handling. I could be wrong though so I'm pondering further. I've had advice both ways! Like you, I'm not that worried as to how the wheels look in the wheel arches. How do you like the handling and what are your thoughts on the lower profile 18" wheels compared to the higher profile 17" on the SE and Sports versions?

 

[NeilHD]

The wheels looks fine, NeilHD, on Comfort Suspension. I have a 1.4TFSI S-Line coming on lease in several months in that same Brilliant Black. I plumped for the passive sports suspension as I thought it would give me slightly better handling. I could be wrong though so I'm pondering further. I've had advice both ways! Like you, I'm not that worried as to how the wheels look in the wheel arches. How do you like the handling and what are your thoughts on the lower profile 18" wheels compared to the higher profile 17" on the SE and Sports versions?

Handling - it's all be stop-start town driving since I got it, so I haven't had the chance to fling it down b-roads. That said, those days are behind me anyway (had a few fun years of country-road commuting in a Mazda RX-8!). It seems fine - goes round bends without wallowing all over the place!
As for the tyres - it does soak up bumps (of which there are many on my commute) very nicely indeed. It's a very smooth and refined place to be. The engine is whisper-quiet as well.

Of course, having said all that, I haven't driven a sports setup (apart from a quick test drive on smooth roads), or different wheels/tyyes, so I've nothing to compare it to really.

 

[yuppyflyer]

I have adaptive sports suspension but I use the comfort setting nearly all the time, the only time I use Sports is on the B roads where the comfort compromises the handling, Sport is perfect for that but it would be a bit too much for motorways and normal driving.

Therefore I would go for comfort if you do lots of motorway miles or sports if the B roads are where you hang out.

I also have the adaptive sports suspension on S-line with 18's and agree with you. I am nearly always in individual mode with comfort steering and suspension settings and dynamic engine response.

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[Fridarey]

Handling - it's all be stop-start town driving since I got it, so I haven't had the chance to fling it down b-roads. That said, those days are behind me anyway (had a few fun years of country-road commuting in a Mazda RX-8!). It seems fine - goes round bends without wallowing all over the place!
As for the tyres - it does soak up bumps (of which there are many on my commute) very nicely indeed. It's a very smooth and refined place to be. The engine is whisper-quiet as well.

This has been my experience this week as well, a few hundred miles on A and B roads like the one in the pics below, hopefully the photos show the wheels enough to help. It doesn't feel bad on corners, but then I'm often going round them at 40-60 not 70+. The ride is very smooth, and very quiet.

 

[BigAardvaark]

Soundtrack by Radcliffe and Maconie, my favourite in the afternoon

 

[Fridarey]

Soundtrack by Radcliffe and Maconie, my favourite in the afternoon

Haha, yes indeed. It's 4x better when they're both in though, far to many solo shows these days

Also your car spec looks great!

 

[wecanseeformiles]

Great pics! You've persuaded me to change my order from the passive sports suspension to the passive comfort suspension. I suspect I'd miss the sports suspension 20% of the time while enjoying the cushy ride of the comfort suspension 80% of the time. Plus the comfort suspension might actually offer better cornering on bumpy road as it flows better.

 

[france71]

I've orderd my A4 Allroad with the adaptive suspension. Really not sure what it'll offer? Anybody tried that on an Allroad? I assume the ride height will be the same? Few details or infor out there on the internet.

 

[wecanseeformiles]

From what I'm reading the Comfort Dynamic suspension comes with a 34mm increased ride height over the A4 Avant. Looks to me like you plumped for the Allroad suspension with damping control but I think that just adjusts the dampers, not the standard ride height. What tyres did you get, 17 inch or 18 inch? This telegraph article suggests the ride is poor on 18in tyres even with the adjustable damping option.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/audi/2016-audi-a4-allroad-driven/

 

[cuke2u]

The Telegraph says something similar for the A4 saloon. Perhaps they also write reviews for What Car as they say the same.
In my experience I haven't found these opinions strictly accurate...

 

[france71]

Thanks 'wecanseeformiles'. Yes the Allroad is 34mm higher which is I guess mostly due to the different wheel tyre ratio. The car came standard with 18'' wheels which I upgraded to a different design of 18'' wheels and then I purchased a winter set of alloys and tyres.
Fronm what I gather the height stays the same but the suspension can soften or harden due to the magnetic particles in the shocks - I am assuming the height stays the same - I know for sure the height is not adjustable like the A6 Allroad, just the softness/hardness thing.
I know some of these sites seem very against the 18'' wheels but I have always been okay with them in the past on other cars and my present B7 A4 - maybe I will regret the size but I just like the bigger wheel look too much. I did avoid the 19'' wheels though.

 

[france71]

Having read the Telegraph review it gives a rather dissapointing summary for the car. I had read elsewhere that testers thought the car rode very well and only lost a small degree of handling due to increased height. I chose the adjustable steering hoping it would help when the road got twistier. I also chose the dynamic steering. In the past this was slated but Autogefuhl on Youtube thought it was excellent on an A5.
Having no test car to try and even if I would never find a test car with the options.
Time will tell how it all goes..

 

[wecanseeformiles]

I agree with you, france71, other reviewers do like the ride. It's not always clear from different reviews exactly what spec they're testing!

 

[holly35]

I really hated the look of the A4 on comfort suspension ,,far too jacked up and really dose not suit the dynamic stance of the sline.
prob best suited to SE versions. Really the standard sport susp is fine .....on 18s that is.