BMW Malaysia switches to standard suspension on most popular models for better comfort.
*cover image from Racool_studio
It seems like Malaysian roads are just too pothole-ridden for BMW customers. BMW Malaysia has just realigned the specification of its product portfolio to take better care of customer comfort by switching to the standard suspension setup on its most popular models. Is this a sign that the loyal BMW customer base has aged or a sign that older customers are starting to consider BMW products? Maybe a third possibility is that BMW Malaysia made a mistake in product planning before and are now rectifying it.
Starting March 2023, BMW Malaysia says the following models will come with more comfortable suspension:
- BMW 218i Gran Coupé
- BMW 330i M Sport
- BMW X3 sDrive20i M Sport
- BMW X3 xDrive30i M Sport
- BMW X3 xDrive30e M Sport
The solution is not the same for each model.
The 218i Gran Coupé adopts standard suspension for a softer spring and damper setup.
The 330i M Sport now uses Adaptive M Suspension, which uses electronically controlled dampers with individual control for each wheel versus the M Sport Suspension that came before. The new Adaptive M Suspension also changes its damper setting according to the drive mode selected, so you can still downgrade your comfort setting by going into Sport mode.
As for the BMW X3 models – each get individual solutions. The base sDrive20i M Sport model used to come with M Sport suspension but now gets standard suspension – the same solution as the 218i Gran Coupé.
Meanwhile, the xDrive30i M Sport, which used to get M Sport Suspension, now gets Adaptive Suspension. The plug-in hybrid xDrive30e M Sport also gets upgraded to Adaptive Suspension, but from its standard suspension. In essence, the biggest upgraded goes to this last model, as it goes from the most basic suspension setup to the most advanced one available.
The 330Li M Sport facelift model, which was launched in the same breath as this suspension update was not given the same Adaptive M Sport suspension as its shortwheelbase 3 Series sibling. Instead, it comes from the factory with ‘comfort’ suspension. It’s also unclear if any of these suspension changes come with an increase in price. If they do, it was not mentioned explicitly by BMW Malaysia.
