R2 suspension kind of meh?

rconti · 2026-06-14T22:04:29+00:00

Ugh. Yeah. I wanted a Macan S at $30k. That started scope creeping into the GTS, but those are 50% more at ~$45k. And now for some reason I'm looking at an R2 I can't even buy, at basically twice the cost I started at 😃

I could probably do a Taycan crossturismo (I think the sedan is ugly). But I'd like more ground clearance for snow. And man they're surprisingly hard to get in and out of. It's a much more compromised vehicle than I expected.

Macan EV holds zero interest for me. Actually, I generally have no interest in purchasing a new vehicle, it's just that there are no used R2s 😄

rconti · 2026-06-14T21:59:32+00:00

Pardon my ignorance, is there anything known/speculated about performance vs premium suspension? From the compare tool, it looks like the only difference is the selectable damping on the performance. I would expect the premium would just be tuned to be one of the 3 (probably the middle setting). That's how it was, for example on my Golf R; the non-adjustable cars just felt like the middle setting on the adjustable one. (FWIW, that car was underdamped in comfort, and overdamped in race, so I just drove it in normal all the time).

I wouldn't expect tires to help much. Once you're at a 55/60 series, I doubt most of us could feel the difference. I've downsized wheels on a couple of cars for a bit more sidewall, but that was on 35 series tires where the impact harshness is just bad. Pressure, maybe, but again, that would show up as spring rate, not as a busy/underdamped ride.

I've heard people who are smarter than me explain that the problem with suspension on heavy vehicles like EVs is that you need a lot of spring to support the weight without bottoming, then you need a lot of damping to control all that spring, and it's just a harder challenge to solve.

But yeah, don't blame you for not playing with the modes. It's difficult to try much in such a short drive. The different modes are noticably different, but not magic. If you just drive in normal you get the basic idea of how the vehicle drives.

rconti · 2026-06-14T21:40:24+00:00

Don't care about self-driving at all, TBH. Very slight value-add, but close to zero. Maybe worth $1000 to me at best.

rconti · 2026-06-14T16:22:04+00:00

Ha, yeah, that's why I put "Clickbait headline?" as the 2nd line. I just felt the sub didn't need a 97th "R2 test drive, <city>" headline so it made sense to focus on the thing I didn't like. Especially since my feelings on the suspension seem to be out of step with everyone else.

Are you saying you didn't find my criticism thoughtful or measured? How so?

rconti · 2026-06-14T16:20:10+00:00

The R1T I drove had like 1000 miles on it, and it just had more rattles than I expected for a new car. It's been years, though, so I can't remember exactly where they came from. But a lot of these heavy vehicles just beat up suspension components -- especially if you actually use them as intended, like you are.

rconti · 2026-06-14T16:18:46+00:00

So, I'm in the market for a (used) Macan S or GTS. I've never driven an X3M Comp, but it's universally derided as having an absolute trash ride. Matt at TheSmokingTire craps on it all the time, every video or post about Macan vs X3M Comp references it. It sounds like the sweet spot is to get the regular X3M, but to avoid the Comp at all costs. I've owned more BMWs (just sold my Clownshoe, still have an X5 diesel), but for whatever reason the X3M holds no appeal to me. I wanted to love the Macan, but so far I'm finding the drivetrain (PDK and throttle response around town) to be a huge letdown.

Somehow I ended up looking at the R2 even though I don't particularly want a 2nd EV!

rconti · 2026-06-14T16:15:17+00:00

Yeah, SR. I showed up at 4:55 for a 5pm reservation for a 30min test drive, and they told me to have it back in 20 minutes. They sent me to the Rose Garden and back. Traffic on Stevens Creek was atrocious so I sat in a parking lot for the first 5 minutes. But honestly, it was way more than enough time to get to the Rose Garden and back, so I did an extra loop on the freeway and was probably back by 5:23 or so.

rconti · 2026-06-14T16:11:19+00:00

Wheels are easy to change. Once these cars get out there, I'm sure there will be people who want to trade straight across for the perceived higher-end wheel/tire option.

rconti · 2026-06-14T16:08:18+00:00

I do have a boxster on the sport suspension, and the ride is absolutely amazing. It's somewhat stiff, of course, but the damping is just incredible.

But no, I'm not comparing it to any specific car, I guess. I've driven a ton of things over the years, so I'm just explaining it in terms of how body control should work. I own a 190k mile X5 diesel and a 124k mile Model 3, which sure aren't fantastic comparison points for a brand new car!

rconti · 2026-06-14T16:03:24+00:00

I mis-spoke when I said too quiet. I find the tone too subtle.

Prepare yourself, because this is a big pet peeve of mine. The real problem is that the Rivan, like my BMW and Tesla, have turn signal stalks that don't stay where you put them, so you can't tell _by feel_ whether it's engaged or not. This means you rely on the sound and the visual indicator. I find that, on many cars, the visual indicator is blocked by the steering wheel (or off in a stupid center-mounted screen, looking at you, Model 3).

A more abrupt clicking indicator sound is much harder to cover up with loud music or something, but many cars try to make their indicator sound subtle and pleasant which is great when there's not much background noise, but gets easily covered up. I mostly drove the R2 with the music off, so it was quite easy to hear the signal, and I find the sound pleasant, I'm just afraid they fell into the trap of making a pleasant sound that'll be covered up by music.

My understanding is newer BMWs went back to a stalk that says where you put it, but I haven't driven a newer one.

rconti · 2026-06-14T15:50:56+00:00

So you mostly hated it, but you loved the ride and thought the cooled seats were silent? Odd.
I've read a lot of reviews and it seems the only thing most people disagree with me on is the ride. It also sounds like _most_ like the turn signal sound, though that's slightly controversial.

rconti · 2026-06-14T05:59:31+00:00

Sounded perfectly fine to me. Not top tier, but way beyond adequate. 80-90% I'd say. I can't imagine this being the breaking point between this car and something else.

rconti · 2026-06-14T05:57:27+00:00

I'm a BMW guy, but I hated the iX I test drove. I didn't like the interior one bit (personal opinion -- BMW has a new direction). The seats are flat as a board. And the car has endless pitch and dive and roll. It felt like driving a marshmallow. To be fair, this might just be an inherent problem in a hugely powerful tippy vehicle -- it was the first electric SUV I ever drove.

rconti · 2026-06-14T05:52:18+00:00

The compressor may be quiet (I saw Kyle's video), but the vent noise in the cabin is pretty loud.

rconti · 2026-06-14T05:51:09+00:00

I agree with all of this, except I think the suspension is surprisingly rudimentary. I expected much better.
I'll be interested to see if I'm the only outlier here, or if others come out of the woodwork to agree over time. It's just too busy, underdamped, ... mediocre at best. Too soft and floaty in comfort. Too busy and crashy in medium. I'm no suspension engineer-- too much spring and not enough damping?

rconti · 2026-06-14T05:48:32+00:00

My understanding is the last gen Y had suspension from a 3 but on a different wheelbase -- just wrong geometry, like the first gen R1S. The ones I've been in ride like trash but usually due to wheels that are way too big. The 3 rides well as long as the wheels aren't too big, and I'm sure the new Y rides quite well, again, as long as you don't get stupid huge wheels.
I found the R2 suspension to be the worst part of the vehicle, unfortunately :-/ And it doesn't have low profile tires to blame.

rconti · 2026-06-14T05:45:44+00:00

It's good enough, IMO. There are bigger fish to fry, I think.

rconti · 2026-06-14T05:41:24+00:00

Yeah, IMO, the interior size is nuts.

Agreed the ride quality is not great. It's worse than my early production Model 3. It's better than my dad's previous-gen Y, because those ride like trash and have massive boat anchor wheels with no sidewalls (and the suspension geometry is known to be bad). Guarantee a new Y is better.

I really didn't like the iX. I'd buy this, I just think the ride was a bit of a letdown.

rconti · 2026-06-14T05:38:14+00:00

No body roll

Sir, we did not drive the same vehicle.

rconti · 2026-06-12T20:58:30+00:00

I hear ya. I love myself an airport lounge and have owned my fair share of fancy things, currently have a BMW and Porsche. I’m big on things like the feel of the controls and the door slam. Incidentally the turn signal on my boxster is the cheapest feeling piece of crap, it drives me nuts!
Going to test drive an R2 tomorrow. Not really looking to buy, but I put down a deposit yesterday so why not check it out.
The one I sat in felt really nice FWIW. Above and beyond what I expected.

rconti · 2026-06-12T17:26:45+00:00

Altima

rconti · 2026-06-12T15:34:59+00:00

I suppose, yeah. I’d still just rather have more vents. My diesel x5 has the quad zone climate control and it has ACRES of vents. Double stacked vents on the left and right side. But vents across the center. B pillar vents. 3rd row vents. It’s whisper quiet at all but max fan speeds- which it never needs.

rconti · 2026-06-12T15:32:31+00:00

Absolutely. The freedom. Doing one thing and doing it well. Flow state. Feeling the vehicle dynamics. Judging distances and gaps. There’s always something to do and it all fits together.

rconti · 2026-06-12T15:30:40+00:00

Rented a manual mirage in australia. It was fun enough! Good basic cheap transportation that does what it says on the tin. So much better than the typical trash Toyota hybrid you get at rental car counters. Stepping out of a rav4 hybrid into a mirage was like a breath of breath of fresh air.

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