Self Leveling Rear Suspension? - Need Help
 

All,

The self leveling rears suspension is an important feature for me in the X5. Reading on the forum says it’s a part of the V8, third row seat or adaptive drive orders. Minnetonka BMW hasn’t been able to answer the question and then Motorwerks BMW said it was a part of the third row seat option ($1,700) or the adaptive drive option ($3,500)…ouch on the adaptive drive.

Can anyone confirm/deny this or help me find the true answer? I really don’t want to pay for these features if the self leveling rear suspension is standard on the diesel. The adaptive drive is way too expensive and the third row seat is a useless waste of space when I could have that spot as storage.

Thanks!

It's amazing to me how uninformed dealerships are!

So, for the record and for the US only:

- The self leveling suspension (option code 220) is standard on the X5 M
- for the X5 35d, 35i Premium, 35i Sport Activity and 50i, adding the 3rd row seat (option 4UB) will automatically add self leveling suspension (220) AND 4NC 3rd row seat climate control.

Adaptive drive does NOT add self leveling. At least not according to the order specs given to the dealerships.

I have the self leveling suspension because i also have the third row seats.

In other countries, you can order the self leveling suspension as a standalone option.

If you have the right dealership, you could probably have them put in a special order just for the self leveling suspension - but it won't be easy.

Sounds like a pretty good answer, above.

My comment is just that is you are focusing on the self-levelling just for towing, that you are maybe over-analyzing it. BMW doesn't require self-levelling suspension to tow to the maximum tow rating. If you want it, fine, but that shouldn't be driven by a belief that it is necessary for towing. And I sure wouldn't pay thousands for it as part of adaptive drive (if I didn't otherwise want adaptive drive) or pay to purchase a third-row seat that compromises the utility of the vehicle (IMO).

Thanks for the update! I'll probably be doing a special order if the "price is right" and "trade is right" game goes well this week. However, I'll probably just end up ordering the rear seat to get the self leveling.

The dealer is saying the rear end won't squat with a 500lb tongue weight and 5000lb boat weight. I find that hard to believe and would much rather have it level itself out.

At least the seats fold down. The only thing I loose is that storage space in the floor, which would be nice to have though. I've towed before with an SUV that had the tow rating but didn't have a self leveling rear suspension. Hitting bumps on the highway at 60 MPH when the rear end is squating down like that is not fun at all.

Let's be clear about this option and its "utility." I realize that one man's utility is another's garbage but for some, it does have some advantages.

I got it so that if I have to, I can move my son (and daughter) back there in case we needed more room for adults. BMW makes no bones about it, it is ONLY meant for people (kids usually) up to 5 feet and maybe 2 inches.

But that is not my point actually. Because with the 3rd row seat option, the second row has both a forward and back adjustment that the standard setup does not. You can move the second row forward about 3 inches and tilt the backrest forward too. This actually gives you more storage in the back while the seats are still up. In fact, not long ago I managed to fit four large boxes in the back with the seats upright ONLY because I was able to adjust the second row.

Just an FYI that is not intended to open up a debate about the value of the third row seats. ;)

I wonder if you can special order 220 on it's own!

Sure, minnetonka will say "no" but it seems to me some folks (say, was that Jim E.?) have been successful adding/ordering non-standard configurations.

A

Fair enough. I did include the annotation "In My Opinion" so as to try and not insult those that like their 3rd row seats ;)

My personal solution is to buy a smaller vehicle that handles better, and gets better mileage, in our case an X3. Then a couple of times a year we rent a vehicle when we need the utility and don't want to take two cars. I rented a 2011 Expedition two weeks ago. $89 per day unlimited mileage, to get a carload to a family event through snowstorms. Upped it to the Expedition Max, and had room for unlimited suitcases behind the 3rd row. 15 litres/100 km, not bad on fuel for a weekend. I could have bought a larger vehicle like the X5, but then I would have had to drive it the rest of the year with one or two people in it, and it wouldn't have carried all of us and our luggage without a rooftop carrier on this trip anyway. Just my $0.02.

That is a great suggestion if you know exactly when you are going to need a larger car. Thare are many times when I don't know when I will use the third row or only need it for 30 min.

Huge 2nd. We bought X5 after using 7-seater LR3, and while BMW's 3rd row is a joke compared to the Land Rovers, the ability to move/tilt second row seats came up as a very handy option... like when you have an itch to save $20 and bring home that new shiny dishwasher right away...