Air Suspension vs Coils

[barthalamute]

Hey guys,
I just bought my new grand cherokee l overland and i love it. The v6 feels fine to me contrary to what everyone says but…i do have a small bit of buyers remorse lingering. I got the overland with the air delete thinking it’d actually be better as I increase reliability, especially for a first year model. I googled incessantly and found that, the air suspension may have been not only more reliable than i thought but even a far smoother ride apparently.
I decided to see how much i would get if i retraded my car in to try to get a 2022 with air instead and found itd be about a 12k loss. While i can easily afford this loss, i must ask myself, is it really worth it just to get 1 year newer and the air suspension i missed? If i were to take the hit id also just upgrade and get the protech package i missed out in too i figured, HUD seems pretty cool.
How dumb of an idea is this lol? Am i overthinking it and my current overland is good enough and i should take the slightly higher reliability and call it a wash? Any advice on whether the upgraded suspension is really worth it? Thanks!

 

[4xe]

I drove both and I think the air suspension makes it feel like a different vehicle comapired to the non air. Much more of a luxury ride etc...
There is no way I would be willing to take a 12k hit however. Having said that, I don't think I would have bought my Overland without the air suspension.

 

[hamada128]

I test drove the Limited without Air Suspension and I didn't like the ride quality when compared to the my Overland with the Air. The Air suspension on the GCL is very close to the ride quality in the Mercedes GLS450 I test drove before buying the GCL.
But $12k will be a lot to justify for the upgrade to the AS. I would say keep it for another year or so then trade it in especially if you have no issues with your current Overland.

 

[barthalamute]

Ya that’s what I figured. 12 is hard to justify but when everyone keeps saying “coil sucks but air is far superior and its not even close” it makes it tough lol. Unfortunately i cant even find one near me with air suspension to test drive so I can’t decide for myself. Im just left being told how incredible it is. Everyone does seem to agree 12k is pretty high though so i guess ill just stay for at least a yr, i was hoping used car market would offset my losses a bit more.

 

[elsabito]

$12K even if you can afford it, is a horrible number to eat just because of Air suspension.
Now, the air suspension is totally worth it for anyone buying a new one, willing to go beyond the Limited.
Not only is the ride better, the entry/Exit mode is underrated for most people trying to get in the SUV. If you are over 6'3" then you may want to turn off entry/exit mode, for everyone else is a good feature to have.

Regarding the Adv Pro tech, agree the HUD is a nice thing to have, but what I actually enjoy the most from Adv Pro tech is the Driving, Highway Assist. It works pretty well and just requires a slight touch. If your typical drive is short, you may not enjoy this.
Night vision works really well too.

 

[4xe]

Ya that’s what I figured. 12 is hard to justify but when everyone keeps saying “coil sucks but air is far superior and its not even close” it makes it tough lol. Unfortunately i cant even find one near me with air suspension to test drive so I can’t decide for myself. Im just left being told how incredible it is. Everyone does seem to agree 12k is pretty high though so i guess ill just stay for at least a yr, i was hoping used car market would offset my losses a bit more.

Jeep and Ram really cranked out the product on certain models so there seems to be an abundance of those GCL's and Ram 1500's. Ram was actually offering 0% for 72 months a few days ago. If you wait long enough and they still have production problems, the values may go up but who knows.

 

[MotownBob]

Motor Trend magazine rated the coil springs as pretty good...

"The Grand Cherokee L is a big vehicle and can wallow like one. With air suspension, the higher trims glide over bumps, but our judges were surprised by how well the steel springs worked on the Limited. Road test editor Chris Walton was "shocked at how composed and poised" the Limited was in figure-eight testing. "

 

[barthalamute]

Motor Trend magazine rated the coil springs as pretty good...

"The Grand Cherokee L is a big vehicle and can wallow like one. With air suspension, the higher trims glide over bumps, but our judges were surprised by how well the steel springs worked on the Limited. Road test editor Chris Walton was "shocked at how composed and poised" the Limited was in figure-eight testing. "

Ya a few people have said the air is only a bit better too and some (albeit very few) people have said they dont feel a difference either. Some people have also said the damping is amazing for riding with drinks like soda or coffee and prevents spilling. I really wish i knew what this gliding over bumps meant because im not gonna lie, it does already feel pretty smooth like butter, so driving even smoother over speed bumps (which i have many of in my neighborhood) would be glorious. I just wish i could test drive one to be sure heh. Either way, im at this point i think ill just ride it out.

Others have recommended 18” wheels to replace the standard 20” to improve ride a bit, which will also make it smoother onroad and better for offroad anyways i hear, so ill toss on skid plates, i dont wanna lift it to ruin the onroad ride since id only offroad 2-3 times a year and mosty mild stuff anyways and call it a day i think. Ill probably code my own hud with a raspberry pi or something too.

I just gotta mod it to make it my own and ill get over it.

 

[barthalamute]

Finally tried air suspension today. It feels exactly the same to me to be honest….wont be doing the upgrade ever. Even the 1.8” going down barely helps getting in and its sooooooooo slow going up and down, but its cool when it does it. More of a party trick to me or free lift for off-roading without sacrificing on road experience.

I was told its more for like 70mph+ to be fair and i didn’t do more than 40 but i never drive higher than 70 anyways. Ill take the increased reliability.

Im also not a car enthusiast, just a dude who wants a smooth ride.

 

[Sarge]

I really like the air suspension and the computer controlled dampers on my car, FWIW. The shocks do a remarkable job firming up the ride with the air bags lowered, and frankly the 'closed system' nature of the design means it actually raises and lowers quickly, compared to open systems that rely solely on the compressor (the Jeep has a tank that bleeds air in and out on demand, in addition to the compressor).

In non-Sport mode, the ride is well-controlled but a little 'floaty' (compared to euro vehicles), but it's very comfortable for cruising. I don't know about it being a full on 'magic carpet' for open containers like coffee cups, but I would never drive around with a lidless cup in any car, one quick stop or turn, or big pavement defects and you're still spilling your milk.

Also, it will have problems (mine already does, it's dropped in front but not back when parked, and sometimes the entry/exit lowering doesn't lower, but the latter is probably a software issue), and for overlanding and off roading, the last thing you want is an air suspension riding on its bumpstops. That all said, the system has been in use for a while, and it's really pretty reliable overall.

I am curious if you get steel springs and the tow package, do they still fit the self-leveling Nivomatic style shocks in the rear (so it doesn't sag when towing)?

 

[barthalamute]

Ya I have the steel springs and got the tow package to replace air suspension. I think it means i got stuff overland doesnt normally get, like more powerful cooling for the engine. With my V6 i can do the 6200 tow rating no problem. My spec sheet does in fact say rear leveling shocks.

I don’t understand why everyone keeps saying its floatier though lol. It must ONLY be at highway speeds because I tried the hell out of air suspension on the lot and it took like 30 seconds to lower to park mode, which you say is fast but still feels slow to me heh, and ride quality felt EXACTLY THE SAME. I really don’t understand where this floaty ride comes from lol, even the dealer admitted its not much different and told me not to waste the money unless im extreme offroading.

I didnt glide over bumps, i still felt them. People said you wont feel every imperfection in the road, well i still did. If it only helps going like 70 which is what the salesman said then its really only useful for the 1 road trip a year i take at which point its added cost for more unreliability and OCCASIONALLY a better ride when i go fast. The lowering at 60+ mph for stability and the increased ride for offroad sounds like the only time it matters but as you said it’s super risky offroading with air too lol, air on a straight road is less of an issue but off-roading u can damage so much more. I did the same exact road with air suspension and without and it didnt even feel a little different lol, i really dont get what this floaty feeling means but i sincerely wanted to. Either im just not sensitive enough to notice or you really gotta go fast often to notice. Im almost tempted to go back to the dealer and drive it again to see if i did anything wrong lol.

Everyone keeps saying buy air ride, its a game changer, its so different etc. it feels so marginal to me, i must be doing something wrong. I was expecting to fly like a plane as everyone says but it really didnt feel like it to me.