Thanks for the suggestion of switching to the base XF rear suspension; I will check with my dealer about it tomorrow & see if they have a standard XF I can drive for comparison. Hopefully they won't look at me like I'm from Mars. So far, Chrysler dealer folk have demonstrated far less product knowledge than I'm used to at my Audi dealer.

RE those car mag reviews: The two I read before buying made no mention of a harsh ride. Later I saw one that did -- too late to do me any good!

Meantime, a question: Has anyone here actually made such the switch, or maybe at least heard of someone who did?