Quote:
Originally Posted by jgalaxy
The sport package on the XI has nothing to do with suspension, unlike the I which does. The XI sits considerably higher than an I with sports package. The XI also has a much wobblier suspension (poor rebound, dampening and roll) as compared to an I (non or sport).
As an aside, the XI sits about 1 3/4" (R) and 2" (F) higher than an I with sport package. There should be more detailed info available if you search the forum but other SUV based XI owners can attest to that  |
I do not understand where this info comes from and it sounds very puzzling. I test-drove for many miles sport, non-sport and XI (all 2007.2 models) and saw them standing next to each-other on the lot. I did not see any difference in ride height in the back and saw barely visible difference (about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch) in the front. The handling of XI was about in the middle between sport and non-sport, maybe closer to non-sport in terms of sharpness (but still noticeably better) and in the middle in terms of compliance. There is this "big bang" issue with XI (scary sound when front gets into a big pothole) but I got rid of it with non-RFT tires. XI does feel "boaty" to me when on 17 inch tires, but I'd expect the rest to get the same penalty from softer rubber.
Anyway, my point is not to disagree with other posters but to point out that a test-drive comparison on the same day and same track is a must for making the decision on what is better for you. With the situation auto industry is in now, extended test drives of anything should not be an issue...