As I wait for delivery of my S40 T5 in January, I continue to be surprised at the frequency of comment, both in fora such as this and in mainstream media, about the suspension in the S40/V50. Is it too stiff? Could it be stiffer still? Is it just right? My impression is that the consensus, or at least the prevailing concern, is that the suspension is too stiff for everyday driving comfort. I'm curious whether (assuming the balance of opinion does tip that way) this is more of a relative measure, i.e. it's stiffer than we would have expected of a Volvo but not, say, for a BMW; or if it approaches an absolute, i.e. even mainstream sport sedans deserve a more compliant everyday ride. Or, on the other side of the coin, is it fine the way it is? Comments I've read don't always distinguish whether they're aimed at the dynamic sport suspension or the stock one; I'm actually interested in opinions on both. You needn't own the car to respond, but please at least have some seat-of-the-pants test-drive impressions to share. (Note: I'm aware that wheel size and tire choice is a factor in this type of discussion overall, but am hoping we can try to focus mainly on the suspension bits themselves to keep this fairly simple.)
As for me, I ordered my car with the dynamic suspension. I drove both types several times and discerned a difference in cornering behavior, of course, but no significant difference in overall ride comfort, noise, and so on. I didn't deliberately seek out the worst roads I could find, but I did make sure to drive a reasonable cross-section of freeway, side roads, banged-up bus lanes, and so on.
As for me, I ordered my car with the dynamic suspension. I drove both types several times and discerned a difference in cornering behavior, of course, but no significant difference in overall ride comfort, noise, and so on. I didn't deliberately seek out the worst roads I could find, but I did make sure to drive a reasonable cross-section of freeway, side roads, banged-up bus lanes, and so on.
