BMW 1 Series - vibration suspension tired

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Wed 30 Oct 2019 14:34
BMW 1 Series - vibration suspension tired - Warning

May be someone can help... as on the look out for a replacement car.

I was on holiday in Spain and I got a free upgrade to a BMW 1 series. I was over the moon, as it was my first time in a BMW.

I noticed the suspension was hard when going on say a bump at slow speed, but one thing which impressed me was that when driving on long journeys, I did not feel tired. I think that is down to small amount vibrations which end up into the steering feel and into the body. I don't know if people understand what I mean or can explain it to me. Even on cornering on mountain roads, it was a spoil sport, as it did not fling me left to right. It was very poised.

I arrived very refreshed at my destination. This is my main goal. I want the same experience from a replacement car.

What is BMW doing to their suspension or ride comfort? What do I need to look for a in a replacement car? Is this experience unique to the BMW? When I read reviews, of BMW keep saying BMW has hard suspension, but that sounds very uncomfortable? So I am confused.

On holiday, I have rented small VW Golf, Micra, Skoda, Corsa etc.... all were reasonable, but none I wanted to own. Getting a test drive, can be a pain, as they think you are a time waster, but I want the right car. I don't want to buy something which I will regret or have remorse. I tend to keep cars for a long time.... and do low-mileage, but I want a car for city driving, but I also want a grand tour of the UK (my wish list!).

The BMW 1 is n't perfect, as too small for my needs in the UK. I need a larger hatchback then the 1 series. (or a SUV style).

What I really need is a 24 hour rental, but car hire places are expensive.....

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Wed 30 Oct 2019 15:10
BMW 1 Series - vibration suspension tired - badbusdriver

The comfort and handling balance on BMW's, like most 'premium' cars, is very dependent on wheel/tyre size, and suspension setup. You could test drive another one here and find it awful because it had bigger wheels/lower profile tyres, and stiffer suspension. Also, run-flat tyres have a reputation for having a ride which is very hard and unforgiving. Finally, as someone who reads a lot of car magazines, it would seem to be the case that the quality of road surface in Spain is far, far better than this country. So even if the car you test drive here was exactly the same spec as the one you tried in Spain, you may well be much less impressed with it on our battle scarred British roads!.

Another thing, and this may or may not be relevent, but the new (i believe, iminent) 1 series will be based on a 'fwd' platform shared (i think) with the current X1 and Mini Countryman. What this means is that it will have much more interior space for its size, so depending on how short on space you found the car you tried, the new one may be fine. I read a review on a high spec (4wd) version in a magazine and they were absolutely raving about its road manners (though motoring magazines do tend to wax lyrical about pretty much any German car!).

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