I went back and forth on ordering air suspension - then a mouse built a home underneath my wife's X5M, disabling the air suspension. Chewed a hole in line, pump kept running, burned it and a level sensor out - $3500 (covered by insurance, less deducible). So just concerned about depending on all that technology when I'm in the back country somewhere, that could all be negated by a small pin hole anywhere in the system.

 

The reason I chose coils (besides the fact that I was aiming for a cheap build…) was that it adds another failure point to the car and one that would be fairly catastrophic off the beaten path.

I do have air on a D5 and love it, so it all depends on what you are planning to do with the car and what your priorities are.

 

The ride quality on a Defender with air suspension and tire pressures set to light load is absolutely outstanding. Add in the height adjustments and more, and for me air suspension is well worth it and I’m glad I have it.

 

I’ve been super happy with the air suspension. It’s definitely going to cost more in the long run, but for me the benefit has been worth it.

In addition to the comfort and raised height for off-roading, if you have kids or shorter adults, the access mode makes it much easier to get in and out.

 

Something I hadn’t even considered before buying mine is that the air suspension allows me to lower the height of the car. Without this ability there would be multiple occasions where I wouldn’t be able to park in a garage.

 

Air suspension is a significant help with towing: it's auto - leveling feature makes the vehicle drive better, and the ability to lower or raise when attaching or detaching from a heavy trailer is quite helpful.

 

Hire a cat and get rid of the mouse.
Definitely get air. Yes, some times things can go wrong, but there are may things that can go wrong on a car nowadays. Don't let that be a cloud over your head.
So much better ride with air.

 

Surprised your auto insurance covered non-accident damage. I’ve always thought auto insurance only covered damage that was the result of an accident. I googled and generally speaking that’s what I found.

 

Under comprehensive. Things that happen when you aren't driving it. Tree falls on it, stolen, hail damage, etc.

 

After four Rovers with air including my wife's current LR4, I am very happy with the prospect of my incoming P300 on coils.

My ONLY anxiety is city/train station parking garage "management." A few years ago, I had a W463 G Wagen that hit various parking garages with relatively low ceilings when transitioning to ramps leading to the next floor. Hoping LR did some studies to determine a height that wouldn't make it outrageously inconvenient for use in most metropolitan areas (despite the overlanding ethos, of course!).