[mcoops]

So I notice that most of you have specced this, and it's almost impossible to find a review of the car without it, as BMW have predictably included adaptive on all their press loaners.

I get that the universal view is that it's a great option and well worth having if you can afford to include it. What I can't find anywhere is a view on how good the car is without it, not relative to those with it, but relative to a standard / passive suspension set up on other compact execs, family cars or crossovers.

I'm not going to be driving mine on the track, or at the limit on the street. However I'm still buying a BMW in the expectation that it will be better than its peers, all other things being equal. For instance, I'm expecting it to be better than our Evoque, and previous cars we owned, previous generation Honda CRV and VW Passat. On the other hand I expect it will feel a bit less controlled than my outgoing e87 120d given the difference in size.

So, is it good but not great, or really not so great?