I've never had a luxury car. My last car was a Toyota Camry.
I've decided to buy a Volvo XC60 T6 Inscription, after test driving it against equivalent Mercedes, Audi, BMW, Lexus.
The Volvo I tested (2018) did not have air suspension, and there is none in my area with this option to test.
Question is should I get air suspension or not?? Please note, I am NOT looking for a sporty kind of ride, I want a car as comfortable, soft, and smooth as possible; and I drive just normal mixture of highway and city, nothing exotic. Does air suspension offer a smoother/softer ride or not?
Thank you

 

the idea of the air suspension is that it can offer adjustable settings and for some cars even raise or lower the ride height. If you really do just standard driving, then I'd say no, don't bother. If you like the ride during your dealer test drive, then that's should be your decision point.

 

I have a 2018 T6 Inscription with the air suspension. Like you, the dealer did not have one with air suspension on the lot so had to locate one. I had made up my mind I wanted the option before I went in. Our test drive then was in one without and it road great. I have also seen professional reviews saying the Momentum with the standard 18 inch wheels rides better than the Inscription with air suspension and the 20 inch wheels, just because of the lower profile tires. That being said, I do like the air suspension in ours. I normally drive in Comfort or Economy mode and the ride is comfortable. Get used to driving in one of those modes and their height and change the mode to Off Road and then step out of the car. Feels like it is much further down than the 2 inches. In all honesty, I am not sure I can tell the difference in ride in ours or with the test drive. Now if I drove them back to back, I probably could.

Anyway, if going with the T6 Inscription I would go for the air ride again. The load leveling to me is worth it and the feel is more consistent with me riding alone or if I have others with me. I have been happy with it and do not feel like I wasted money getting the option.

 

Thank you for the responses.
I am writing this for reference, in case somebody else does search on air suspension in future. I personally have made my decision, and am going to buy it "without" air suspension.
I did a lot of search and the amount of information regarding air suspension was scarce on internet, particularly review by real people. Based on what I found, it seemed to me that air suspension would be cool in a sense that it would change the height of the car, so for loading, or getting into the car, etc it would be nice. Also, it appears that air suspension makes it more practical to drive off road.
My personal obsession was/is "smoothness" of the ride particularly in city driving. What I found based on my searches, my feeling was air suspension would not necessarily make the ride smoother, it helps mostly with the dynamics of driving. In addition, there is always a concern for future expenses should the air suspension fails. Based on such understanding, and also based on the kind response from the moderator of this forum, I decided to buy one without air suspension. At this moment, I have not bought the car yet, but am actively in process.
Actually, I went back to my local dealership to test drive a volvo again, and incidentally he told me that one of their cars (an R-design) has air suspension. I asked him to let me test it, and I did. I did not feel any difference in smoothness of driving, whatsoever. No difference to a T6 inscription/momentum with 20" wheels. That experience made me more determined to not pay extra for the air suspension. To me the $1800 extra was not a huge deal, given huge price on the car anyway, but I didn't want to have to pay big bucks in future to repair the air suspension. The dealer also told me that air suspensions will fails some time down the road and will be pricey to repair them.

 

I have driven Mercedes with air suspension for years. What people don't want to hear is that the components wear out and will need changed in about 10 years.

 

I recently drove the XC40 D3, XC60 T5 and XC90 D5 without Air Suspension then got in an XC60 T8 with Air Suspension (all in the same afternoon). The difference for me was night and day - there was less roll in corners and bends and the ride was more comfortable and seemed to handle better. That is why I went with air on the T8 we just ordered.

 

I test drove with and without a few times..could not tell much of a difference.....Sales manager said the size of tire makes a big difference, in the smaller tires, since you have more sidewall, air suspension is not really necessary, but in the 21" he recommends it. And to be honest, I didnt really pay attention to the size of tires during the test drives. In the end, I went with the air suspension...my car arrives next week.....

 

Air suspension is a huge difference IMO. It takes the edge off bumps and expansion joints. Overall drive is sportier. I don't know if those things are worth the cost for everyone, but the few times I've opted for air suspension I didn't regret it.

 

I test drove on 22" wheels and the difference was night and day.

 

My wife loves the ride with the A/S in our 2018. I keep it in comfort mode which makes the ride enjoyable.

 

I ended up not buying the XC60 T6 with the air suspension......As I mentioned I test drove both afair # of times...same bumpy roads..could not tell the difference....Going to purchase a XC60 T8 instead..no air suspension......I plan to keep the car for quite awhile and from what I have read..air suspension and colder weather are not a good mix..even the sales manager admitted to that.....and if its ou tof warranty..$$$ to fix If it was night/day difference..sure...but for me and my wife we couldnt tell much.....was cool to see the car lower,lol Cost of the air suspension is almost equivalent to buying the 10 yr/100,000 warranty from Steingolds!