Computer Active Technology Suspension

Computer Active Technology Suspension, marketed under the acronym CATS, is Jaguar's proprietary name for an adaptive damping system that continuously and automatically adjusts the firmness of the car's dampers to reconcile the conflicting demands of ride comfort and handling. A fixed suspension setting always represents a compromise: tune it soft for a comfortable ride and the car wallows and rolls in corners, tune it firm for keen handling and the ride becomes harsh over poor surfaces. CATS exists to escape that compromise by varying the damping in real time according to how the car is being driven and the road it is travelling on.

The system relies on dampers whose resistance to movement can be altered electronically, controlled by sensors that monitor the car's behaviour, including wheel and body movement, steering, braking and acceleration. A control unit reads these inputs many times a second and selects an appropriate damping characteristic, switching the dampers between softer and firmer states. The mechanism for varying the damping has typically used dampers with two or more settings, where a solenoid valve opens or closes additional fluid passages to change how freely the damper oil flows, and therefore how stiffly the suspension resists motion.

The benefit to the driver is a suspension that adapts to circumstance. When the car is cruising in a straight line over a smooth road, the dampers soften to deliver a supple, refined ride befitting a luxury car. The moment the car is cornered hard, braked sharply or driven over a series of undulations that would unsettle it, the dampers firm up to control body roll, pitch and dive, keeping the car composed and the tyres better planted. The transition happens automatically and quickly enough that the driver experiences a car that always feels appropriately tied down without ever feeling needlessly stiff.

In the broader landscape of suspension technology, CATS is one manufacturer's expression of adaptive damping, conceptually equivalent to systems other makers brand under their own names. It belongs to the family of adaptive suspension solutions that replaced earlier fixed setups in performance and luxury saloons, and it has appeared on a range of Jaguar models as the company sought to combine the marque's traditional ride comfort with sharper dynamic ability.

The distinction worth drawing is that CATS adjusts only the dampers; it does not raise or lower the car or alter the springs, which is the province of more elaborate active or air suspension systems. Its capabilities depend on the sophistication of its sensors and control software, and like any electronically controlled component it relies on those parts remaining in good order. It sits within the wider category of adaptive suspension and road-sensing systems, all of which use a controllable damper as the heart of the mechanism by which a single car can feel both comfortable and agile.