SnowCub

I'm looking for some opinions on how the S (350/550) is supposed to feel when driving. I have test driven an S350 and an S550 over the past year and both have felt rather ponderous and not fun at all. I'm trying to figure out if the examples that I drove were typical of what the W221 usually feels like.

My current daily driver is a 2006 E320 CDI (diesel) and it feels sublime when I'm in it. I really love the balance of speed, comfort and handling. I bought it used with 65k miles on it and at 112k miles it still feels great. Our family car is a 2013 GL450 and it again is a great drivers car though, not quite as good as the E. The power is awesome and it handles quite well for a 5,400lb car. My only problem with it is that I have a newborn and with the rear facing carseat behind me I'm literally jammed into the dash. I haven't even tried fitting the carseat into the E yet, I fear it will be too depressing

I thought my solution would be to upgrade to an S class. They have plenty of rear leg room, much more than the GL and at 700 lbs less with more power should drive great. But the S550 that I drove felt really slow to react and the handling was OK, definitely not like the GL. Altho I will admit that I had the transmission in comfort for most of my test drive, not sure about the suspension setting. It was quite disappointing all around.

I took an S350 out for a test drive last week, thinking maybe the diesel engine held some of the key elements for me as it does in my E. While the wall of torque was nice. It too felt ponderous and not fun at all. And I had set the suspension and transmission to sport.

So now I'm perplexed and looking for opinions, thoughts,etc, which I know folks love to share

xxfightclubxx

Ive driven a 2010 e class, some c classes , clk, etc. The s class is a big car. Iver never driven a amg model. But my s550 drives like a really big comfortable boat. Its not really made to speed or have all this power and performance. I love my car cause of the comfort, the quietness, all the leg room, looks, etc. Once you really get in a s class and drive it for a few days, weeks, months you will fall in love with it too.

Luthian

I had a 2001 E320 and now have a 2007 S550; the S-Class feels less sporty and a bit more ponderous than the E-Class did. While the steering feels precise and the brakes more responsive (I still think there was some kind of air in the brake lines of the E320 despite the indy dealer never being able to find anything), it's clear that I'm driving a wider, longer and heavier car now.

To be fair, I'm still new to the S550 (only owned it about a month) but it's clear this is a "Full sized sedan" versus the "mid-sized" E320.

Mike5215

It rides like you're floating on a cloud of angel vaginas.

DaveW68

The S350 is going to feel like a dog as it does not have a lot of high end power to lug the heavy S around, although the torque is decent. The pre-2012 S550 has good power, with zero to 60 times in the low to mid 5's. Putting the tranny in sport definitely makes a difference. If you go with a 2012-13, you will not be wanting for power as it will run sub 5's to 60. Lots of engine improvements starting in 2012 with the bi-turbo motor that puts out more power with better gas mileage.

Handling greatly improves if you find a car with ABC as it keeps the car completely flat around curves and gets rid of pitch and dive. Couple that with 20" wheels and you have a big car that handles better than your E.

A warranty is a must with these cars, so make sure that you plan on finding a lower mileage car where the warranty cost isn't going to break your bank.

You definitely won't have any issues with getting car seats in the back. The legroom is massive....with more room than any other luxury sedan in its class. If you're under 6', you can stretch your legs out with room to spare.

Drives550

I certainly think the car drives big and wants to isolate against non-deliberate motion, regardless of how it's brought about. Result is that by default it generally moves and responds more slowly. Benefit is that it you're less likely to whip heads about with sudden small steering correction, or inadvertently aggressive throttle or brake application.

That said, I think after you live with it a bit and get to know it you'll find it has more potential for enthusiasm than at first suspected. It'll go once you realize you just have to press a little harder and faster; it'll turn too. Just a bit of a learning curve on how to wring these cars out. As well, I think throttle and transmission adaptions/characteristics are learned and re-learned constantly; if the cars you drove were old-ladied, then the car essentially sets itself to old-lady. Throttle it about a bit and it should start to get a little more keen on what you're looking for.

Still big driving cars. I think BMW's drive smaller (in my limited experience) and are maybe more successful at finding ground between "sport" and "luxury". But man, check out the F01 forums; those things seem like full on grenades, just waiting to blow in one way or another.

Mike5215

My advice was a lot more on point and helpful.

ffr2014

LOL and agreed!!

KNBS550

Have you thought of putting the car seat in the middle section of the back seat? IMO it's much safer to have your infant in the middle than next to one of the doors. Plus you wouldn't have the legroom issue. I did that for my kid.

KNBS550

I thought we would get the Mike and Dave show on this one, but Dave didn't take the bite.

DaveW68

What am I... a clown? Am I here to amuse you?

pleeson

In my 2012, the "S" mode and sport suspension settings have a pronounced effect on ride and transmission behavior. Don't be afraid to mash the accelerator, and hold on! No comparison to the E350's I had.....

Drives550

"Write one true sentence...".

-Ernest Hemingway.
**and Mike5215

Though, I've been wrestling with the image, and I just can't get it to the good place it should be.

Mike5215

Too many angels or not enough vaginas?

Mike5215

But seriously folks...

Every suspension until recently has been a compromise. It's the physics of it. If engineers wanted a compliant ride, they sacrificed handling. The ideal solution was to have suspension that could continuously react to road conditions and handling requirements. There are now three ways to get there:

AirMatic:

Uses air filled bags instead of coil over springs. A sensor measures ride height at the wheels and a reservoir of compressed air routed to the bags compensates for variation in real time. Disadvantage is that air can be compressed, so the responses are not instantaneous. The system will move air around to help control body pitch and roll but it gets there a few seconds too late to really arrest it.

Automatic Body Control (ABC)

Uses hydraulics to operate dampeners at each corner of the car that nullify roll or pitch by applying counter-force. The result is a heavy car that handles like a much lighter car. Downside is it's prone to failures and very expensive to repair.

Magnetorheological Struts/Shocks

Uses fluid with metal particles that can vary the resistance (firmness) of the shock by applying electrical current. Can respond very rapidly.

On an S, the choice is Air or ABC. If it's a CPO car and you're walking away after the warranty ends, ABC definitely makes an S550 drive sharply, and it's standard on the S63 and S65. The new C63 uses the magnetorheological shocks instead of ABC, so I'm guessing MB is wisely phasing ABC out.

wilassasin

IDK but my car is fast and spirited to drive, I don't even have to use sport mode. However, yes the car is big and heavy and until you actually put a good amount of pressure on the gas pedal from the parked position it wont move but once you do it takes off. I also love how it handles turns and maneuvers with the 20" wheels and Michelin sport tires. Coming from two 7 series bimmers I must say that this car can definitely hold its own. Yet not as nimble and fun to drive as the 7, it definitely is a beast!

Drives550

And that's exactly the problem - implication that there can be other than a 1 to 1 ratio.

Call me old-fashioned, but I'm a 1:1 kind of guy.

Mike5215

Angels can have extra vaginas. It accounts for their "holier than thou" attitude.

The Thomas J

So do you think if someone who is used to the crisper handling of an E-class that want's more power and similar if not better ride and handling a 7 Series would be a better choice?

I am happy someone made this thread as I have similar questions. When I was car shopping 3 years ago I wanted a Jag XJ. An older one before the radical restyle. I wound up test driving three. The first two were regular V8's the the third was a turbo. I preferred the power of the turbo but all three lacked road feel and handling. The non turbo's felt muted. I decided to go with an E-class and have been very happy. However my warranty will end in June and I would like to move to a 2012-13 S class. I am wondering if I will experience the same reservations in the S class as I did in the XJ.

DaveW68

It sounds like you want a sport sedan ride....and any S550 of any year will not provide you with that. You'd need to step into the S63 or S65 to get a real tight ride with lots of road feel.

But just to be clear, the S550 does not ride like a land yacht. These aren't some old Cadillacs or Buicks that just float down the road with vague handling and steering. They are German cars that were built for the Autobahn.

superpop

Granted, I went from a 2013 Toyota Tundra Crew-Max to my 2012 S550, but I think it is superb at both acceleration and handling. It is indeed like riding on a cloud of angel vaginas but also goes like a raped ape when you stick your foot into it. I looked at the 7 series and while it may have handled a little better it was way to plastic clad on the inside for me to consider. The one I looked at was a sea of black cheap looking plastic on the inside. If you want a better handling sports car, go buy a Porsche, bang for the buck is pretty good with these cars though. I picked up a perfect 2012 S550 4Matic with 26K miles for around 45K and spent another 3K on an extended MB warranty for an all in price of around 49K after adding a new set of Michelin's.

Mike5215

I guess the original question was how the S drives compared to other MB models. The CLS 550 is closest, and also rides on air. It's a smaller, lighter car and you sit lower in it. I owned one for about 12 hours and returned it because I hated the seats. (Dealer had a 3 day return policy). I kind of wish sometimes I stuck it out because it was a cool car but I didn't want to risk it.

Unfortunately the engine and air suspension was all it shared with the S. The rest was all E bits, and it was pretty cramped inside vs the S. But it was quick, rode quiet and smooth and handled well.

Nothing else in the MB sedan line had air and that's what separates the S ride. Oddly, I drove a new C300 which now offers air as an option and it really was like driving a miniature S in terms of the ride, although the shorter wheelbase means the suspension is busier in general. The new E will also offer air, and given that car's size, might be the sweet spot in terms of smooth soft ride and good handling.

The Thomas J

I have been considering the new E class as well. I would lease that new. Although, I would rather own. Will see. i'm in no rush but, I don't want to wait to long to pick up a w221 because they aren't getting any younger.

Mike5215

Yeah, for that money I'd lease too. The thing about the S Class is, if you don't mind shopping a Florida car, the Clearwater/St Pete/Sarasota/Naples corridor has a huge population of older snowbirds who leave their S in the garage from around Easter to Labor Day, and you'll find tons of low mileage S Class coming out of there.

The S is a really rewarding car to own, although the 221 cabin is looking a little plain compared to the amazing stuff MB is doing with interiors now. Chassis too. I think the E is my next car if I can be patient.

hoseclamp

Comparing my s550 (20" AMG pkg) to my wife's GL350 (21" AMG pkg), there's no comparison how much better the s550 is for handling. Sure it's big, but what's the priority. Go with the angel vaginas and enjoy