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The ride in my 2022 Defender 110 is smooth and reliable with the coil spring suspension, and I don’t have to worry about a failure of any of the components of the air suspension which we have seen here numerous times previously. Remember one instance where an off-roader had the air line “pop” off, asking forr an unpleasant situation. I’m confident about my suspension, not so much about the air. And for the driving you expect to do, the e-diff would be wasted money. This Defender is extremely capable as is, adding all the bells and whistles may pump up some chests, but deflate the wallet needlessly.
Not going to debate on the reliability of the air suspension on the defender as there is not enough data to base any assessment on. The failure of the air suspension in the previous land rover models does not mean the air suspension of the current land Rover would fail in the same way because it's not uncommon that car manufacturers actually improve their technology as time goes by.
But in terms of your comment of the e-diff being a waste of money for on road driving, that's simply incorrect. Torque vectoring by braking improved handling on road (traction and stability) particularly in high speed cornering. That's the reason why many high performance sports cars are equipped with torque vectoring.
Last edited by sacharama; Mar 7, 2023 at 09:42 PM.
1. If i choose the coil suspension over air suspension option (due to future maintenance and current options charges) , will it really compensate on the ride feel? What is the plus minus on this? Fyi, mostly i wont do any offroad with this vehicle ... I tried to find references/review regarding this question , but the answer is not very comprehensive .
Yes.
Plus:. Better ride comfort, better handling on road and off-road, ease of passengers ingress and egress, flexibility in getting in and out of low ceiling building and dodging low hanging obstacles, wading
MInus: additional cost, if the air suspension fail while you are in a remote area off-roading you will likely be stuck.
2. Regarding the Electronic Active Differential with torque vectoring option, will it play significant role on daily driving basis mostly on suburb, highway.
Yes, It will as it would improve traction and stability particularly in high speed cornering.
Last edited by sacharama; Mar 7, 2023 at 09:43 PM.
l didn't notice much difference between the two on tarmac.
The air spring one was a bit softer and more "floaty" but l actually preferred the coil springs.
Air suspension is probably more of a benefit on poor tarmac.
There may be an adjustment for the ride on the air suspension l just left it in the default settings.
Being able to lower the vehicle would be a benefit so l could get under the 2.0m height barrier in car parks.
IMO, it's a stretch to say it's going to do much for "regular" daily driving. It's somewhere between being a 5th semi-similar enhanced safety feature and a drifting mode. I push my 110 pretty hard dry and wet and I've never lost traction.
Standard systems in the Defender:
Those can reduce torque to a wheel but none can re-route to increase torque. Against other big heavy boxes I've driven, these are excellent at controlling cornering.
The e-diff option can send more (increase) torque to a wheel as long as it's coming from the engine (throttle input). In fast turns, this can control oversteer (rear wheels losing grip) or understeer (front wheels losing grip). Op asked about "daily driving suburbs and highways" and this is really not that.
There probably could be a conversation regarding AT tires that start with less grip to begin with. I drive the Pirelli Zeros specifically because they work well in Florida rain and insane drivers. I would not let my 16yo get Sasquatch on his Bronco for the same reason.
Last edited by _Allegedly; Mar 8, 2023 at 08:28 AM.
Defender First Edition D240. E-diff was optional on this. No word on whether this one has it but, either way, this is just damn good driving and it probably wouldn't matter.
I don't know friend. I really like my wife's Taycan but i drove it tonight. Really hard. I realized that it's just too perfectly balanced. Too perfectly mannered. It goes exactly where you point it without a shred of hesitation. It does 30 to 70 instantly before you can even crack a smile at the torque. It's just too damn easy to drive.
I really like pushing a car to the edge but, with this, there is no edge. I could do 100 in a school zone in that thing and it would be blase blase. I don't even think I could possibly break traction with the fatty 305's. This is hyperbole but it might be the most powerful and exhilaratingly joyless experience you can have.
I think that's where I disagree. Not that e-diff isn't technically "better". I just don't find myself actually wanting better. My Defender has 4 braking nannies built in. I don't want a 5th.
Air shocks? OMG I love those.sobwe can solidly agree on that at least.
Last edited by _Allegedly; Mar 8, 2023 at 07:44 PM.
I don't know friend. I really like my wife's Taycan but i drove it tonight and realized that it's just too perfectly balanced. Too perfectly mannered. It goes exactly where you point it without a shred of hesitation. It does 30 to 70 instantly before you can even crack a smile at the torque. It's just too damn easy to drive.
I really like pushing a car to the edge but, with this, there is no edge. I could do 100 in a school zone in that thing and it would be blase blase. This is hyperbole but it might be the most exhilaratingly joyless experience you can have.
I think that's where I disagree. Not that e-diff isn't technically "better". I just don't "want" better. My Defender has 4 braking nannies built in. I don't want a 5th.
Air shocks? OMFG I love those.sobwe can solidly agree on that at least.
I hear you. I never assert that e-diff is better than coil as a whole as "better as a whole" is heavily dependent upon the person's own preference, application, priorities and such.
I was merely responding to op's specific questions in regards to air suspension and e-diff by pointing out the benefits of those technology. I never once stated that coil is inferior and that people should get air and e-diff.
There is a difference between pointing out the benefits of a feature than claiming that the said feature is necessary and that if anyone who doesn't have such feature must be missing out. The two scenarios are not mutually exclusive.
Speaking of EV, my mini Cooper SE never cease to give me that instant torque euphoria every time I drive it!
