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Ride quality and noise levels in the Model S?

4K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  Lee Jones 
AFAIK you can only test drive air suspension in the UK, but if you ask, they are very accommodating and if they have standard coil available I can't see why they wouldn't sort something out for you!

I have air on 19s and I am very happy with it. Because you have no engine to hide the sounds of the ancillary systems, you do get to hear the compressor working when it initially charges the system, and occasionally when the car is auto-levelling.

The ride is firm and yet exceptionally smooth. It manages to soak up the bumps and provide good (not great) driver feedback without making the car feel like a massive 2 tonne barge. If you like cornering hard+fast then you'll need the P85+, but that is more down to the other suspension parts rather than the air option.

Being able to jack it up a few inches to get over extra high speed bumps or drive slowly through a suddenly flooded street is a bonus, as is the little bit of extra range you get when it moves to "low" on the motorway. Car looks cool on "low" when parked too :)

People complain about the road noise in the US, but you have to remember that over there many of the highways and streets are made of concrete, which is far more noisy than the tarmac we have here in the UK. For me, I am still getting used to the whole no-engine thing. Sounds sad, but driving along with the windows down, making no more noise than a couple of cyclists, is massively addictive.

I wouldn't say that air is an essential option, but IMO it should be high on your list.
 
Sounds like a decent spec. The sunroof adds some headroom, especially at the back where most needed if you regularly carry taller people. It also adds the mounting points for roof bars if you ever need to carry bikes etc.
 
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