Porsche takes on Lexus in suspension challenge and there’s one clear winner
Published on Aug 16, 2023 at 7:58 PM (UTC+4)
by Adam Gray
Last updated on Aug 17, 2023 at 11:58 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
This is quite possibly the most one-sided suspension challenge there’s ever been.
Someone’s actually pitted a Lexus against a Porsche to see who’d come out on top.
The result – well, there’s one clear winner.
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The video, posted to Instagram by TurboStyle, shows the two vehicles driving across some humped tracks in a parking lot.
The dark blue Porsche Cayman is the first to take on the challenge.
And, to be expected, it rocks side to side as it makes its way across the tracks.
It’s the turn of the white Lexus LS400 to have a go next.
Unsurprisingly, there’s little to no body roll seen as it makes its ways across the tracks.
To be fair, both did exactly what they’re engineered to do.
Sports cars like the Porsche Cayman are fitted with stiff suspension so they’re more stable when powering through corners.
Sedans like the Lexus LS400, though, are built for luxury and comfort.
But just how comfortably the Lexus glides over the humped tracks is what’s really impressive – and there’s a reason why.
It’s a little known fact that the Lexus LS400 is actually fitted with Bose electromagnetic suspension.
Yes, that’s Bose the famous audio manufacturer, who once upon a time produced a revolutionary car suspension.
Said car suspension provided an incredibly smooth ride using adaptive suspension.
That’s the reason the LS400 in the video resembles a magic carpet.
The idea actually came from the business founder.
He realized that if he beefed up some of the electromagnetic drivers from their loudspeakers, it would support up to 1,000 lbs of the car per corner.
It was a really clever bit of kit, as it included sensors to analyze upcoming road surfaces, searching for potholes and bumps, and then compensating for those imperfections.
Whereas ordinary suspension reacts to bumps, the Bose Active suspension cancels them out.
The result is a car that literally floats along the road and through corners.
But, Although it was deemed a technological success, it was a commercial failure.
That didn’t stop the likes of Audi and Mercedes using the idea and subsequently fitting the vehicles with active suspension, though.
Bose, on the other hand – well, they adapted the technology into truck seating to improve driver comfort and health.
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Adam Gray is an experienced freelance motoring journalist and content creator based in the United Kingdom. Using his media accreditation with manufacturers’ press offices, Adam test drives the latest cars and attends new vehicle press launches, producing written reviews and news pieces for a variety of lifestyle and business publications. Here at Supercar Blondie, Adam applies his journalistic skills penning social-first content around current news and trends. When he’s not behind the wheel of the latest car or writing up another viral story, Adam can be found at his local rink playing ice hockey or at the Riverside Stadium supporting his beloved Middlesbrough FC.
