Mercedes does this with hydraulic rams, it's called Active Body Control (or Magic Body Control for the version that scans the road in front too).
That system uses hydraulic rams in series with the usual suspension springs and dampers, and can handle up to 5 Hz (i.e. it controls the lower frequency part of the spectrum so softer springs etc can be used, improving both ride and handling)
As I’ve grown older I’ve come to realize that what truly makes high end luxury cars is the suspension and the sound deadening. The other stuff is important but doesn’t really set the cars apart. Sitting in a little mobile room completely divorced from the sensory input of the outside world truly feels luxurious
I'm in the same boat regarding sound deadening, so when I was in the market for a car this was my #1 priority. But outside of the luxury segment, they do not even talk about sound deadening or noise isolation. This idea simply does not exist. It was very disappointing because this is a fairly low tech, inexpensive feature that could easily find its way to mainstream cars. Sure it adds some extra weight, but the improvement in riding comfort easily outweighs the fuel consumption. It's like flying with noise cancellation headphones. You don't know what you're missing unless you try it once, and then you can never go back.
> when I was in the market for a car this was my #1 priority
Did you look at recent model year trucks? The acoustic treatment on these vehicles is almost too much. I feel like I am in a recording booth every time I roll up my windows. I have to keep them open a little bit or my tinnitus starts to bother me.
Trucks are not a thing where I live, but I wish I could drive in a recording booth.
NAD, but opening up your windows like that might actually worsen your tinnitus. Wind noise can be pretty loud at speeds and you're teaching your brain to expect such background noise at all times. Might be better off playing some audio. If you have a quiet cabin, you can get away with very low volumes, just enough to give your ears something to focus on instead of getting bored and starting to wail by themselves.
I'm sure it does, but this just made me realize something.
I drive a Smart Fortwo, which goes in the opposite direction - there's not much suspension to speak of, and the short wheelbase means you rock around a lot more on uneven street surfaces, so you're very much connected to the outside world. One of the things I've noticed when switching back and forth between that and a normal sedan is that, if I'm not consciously thinking about it, I'll drive slightly more aggressively in the sedan than in the Smart. And I think it's precisely because of that difference in connection with the outside world.
The same happened when I rented a pickup truck a while back to move some furniture; I don't remember the model, but I think it was a fairly recent/common one. It was very clear that movements that would have felt pretty aggressive to me if I were walking or biking around felt less so from the driver's seat. And I bet the same is true of these luxury cars.
This is of particular interest to me because my day-to-day method of getting around is not driving but rather walking and biking, and it's worrying to me if drivers are subconsciously acting more aggressively just because they feel more disconnected from the world around them.
Watching the video I wonder how much of it is combining that plus a car that’s higher off the ground. Mercedes cars will be more performance minded so it’s lower to the ground. Maybe SUVs could have the greater suspension range so it can handle larger bumps but I wonder how much any Sedan could.
The most comfortable car I’ve ridden in suspension wise was a Mercedes SUV. So maybe they figured that out already.
The Mercedes version is hydropneumatic suspension. It was pioneered in the 1940s and 50s by Citroen. Citroen still use on high end vehicles too. Byd has adopted more recently
It has always occurred to me that the car industry doesntprioritisee a smooth ride or this would be much more widely used.
The ABC system does more than the earlier hydropneumatic systems of Citroen etc. Those earlier systems have a slow response that can compensate for things like ride height, not to actually move the struts up and down rapidly like the ABC system.
For example see the "rodeo test" where the car moves each corner up and down to test the system. ABC involves active feedback control of the body and rapidly adjusts force/displacement of individual struts, just like what the Bose system does with electric actuators.
That system uses hydraulic rams in series with the usual suspension springs and dampers, and can handle up to 5 Hz (i.e. it controls the lower frequency part of the spectrum so softer springs etc can be used, improving both ride and handling)