impressions of airmatic in C400 (underwhelmed)
 

So I demoed an Airmatic in a C400 sport a few days ago, and I have to admit, when I changed from eco->comfort->sport->sport+, i could not perceive any difference in the suspension.

Is it just me? or do you guys agree with my assessment?

It's not just you; I had the same impression with the C400 Airmatic, the difference in suspension-feel between settings is very hard to detect. I'd also add that I found it "wallowy" and it gave me a sensation that the rear end was moving slightly left and right over bumps.... very disconcerting.

I think reviewers have mentioned the C400 tends to wallow more than the C300 because of the extra weight up front.

Also, isn't Airmatic active regardless what mode/setting you are in? Can it be turned off? If not, the way to tell the difference in an Airmatic car vs. non-Airmatic would be to drive both vehicles and make the comparison.

Exactly! I've also driven the C400 with the sport suspension (steel springs) that's standard in US C400's and I found it excellent. It wasn't wallowy at all. It felt confident and firm without being harsh. Had I bought a C400, I'd definitely have gone with the standard sport suspension.

Good to know. Thanks.

I find this very strange, I have driven several different cars with selectable drive modes and none is as prominent as the 205 with airmatic, this was a deal breaker when I bought my own, I always select comfort for long trips and individual with sport plus suspension for more inspired driving, I cannot believe how one cannot sense the differences between the agility modes.

No offense intended, I'm just conveying my own impressions of the Airmatic. To clarify, I'm not saying that the suspension modes with an Airmatic have no difference between them, I'm just saying that the differences were far less dramatic than I'd expected (and wanted). I think my disappointment may also have to do with what I was looking for in a suspension. The first C400 I drove was the steel sport suspension, and as I said, I liked it. If anything, I'd have preferred a little stiffer/flatter in turns. So I resolved to test an Airmatic model, just to see if the firmest settings might be firmer than the steel suspension. If yes, I thought I'd be able to get the best of both worlds... I'd use the Sport+ setting almost exclusively, and switch to a softer setting whenever I had guests riding with me for extra comfort. What I found was that the Airmatic's Sport+ setting is not nearly as firm as the steel sport suspension, and that was a deal breaker for me. All the other settings simply got farther away from what I actually wanted.

That said, if I'd been looking for a smooth, comfortable, calm ride, I'd have had a far more favorable impression of the Airmatic suspension. It's certainly a technical achievement that I can appreciate.

Agreed, these were my impressions after an extensive test drive. But....I have not driven a sprung sport suspension setup yet. I guess I should, particularly seeing that the C450 will be ditching airmatic in favour of the adjustable shock setup they're borrowing (I hope entirely) from the C63.

In the C300 I didn't find the differences dynamic as in going from a Hennessey to a Rolls, but all three steel suspensions felt oftly different for the same chassis, as did airmatic which well imitated the steel in each respective setting, but with a slight increase in 'isolation'. C400 I tested in steel and in air and I personally loved the acceleration, but the agility and balance not on par with the C300, though the C400 on 19" and steel felt the roughest of the fleet. That said, as you point out your preferences, some will see 'road isolation and calm' as a negative. The air wouldn't be for you. The C-Class in sport with large rims may not even be for you....only you can decide that. Many, many more spirited, road connected options out there than a 2015 C. There's not many options though if going for smooth and calm luxury w/o feeling like your'e driving a barge.

I'm with you Vic. I have driven a diesel & a C400 with Airmatic. The differences between modes is marked.

You would need a consistent road and back to back driving to see the difference.

What would be best would be a cobbled road

I just wonder if the US calibration is not softer than ROW. The US steel comfort suspension looks wierd. Like the car is on stilts.

Is this true? I was hoping that the C450 would have airmatic as it's the only mid powered petrol that is going to be available in the UK. The Cc63 has too much power and maybe the C200 will have too little!

I find the difference quite noticeable between C and Sport+, I usually go between those two, but a better indication will be when the summer tires are on in the spring, I went right to winter tires.

Absolutely true. But don't worry, it'll be good. In fact I'll wager it'll be exceptionally good. Read up on it in the MB press release attached to most of the media reports that came out of Detroit.

Agility Control is a dynamic damper. So even a standard steel suspension has a dynamic damper. My understanding is that airmatic just replaces steel spring with air bag as part of recoil. So effectively, the standard steel spring is already very good and is active. Airmatic does add ability to change the damper default rate or range of damper. Unless you don't like the default suspension, why bother upgrade?

No, steel suspension is a passive system unless you have the ADS option (Adaptive Damping System)

I suppose you're right - although I would have prefered to have a less 'harsh' suspension rather than a stiffer one. I would have gone for the C250 or C300 petrol versions had they been available. For the petrol engines we currently only have the option of the C200 & the C63 - nothing in between. I want the cruiseability of the C200 but with a little bit more power when required!

I'm about to pull the trigger on a C200 (petrol) estate. I'm not concerned about huge power requirements as I have a 300+hp bmw for that. I do however want maximum comfort and quiet in a small car that I can manoeuvre and park in city spaces. so 360 camera and AIRMATIC is on my wish list. The idea of lowered suspension by default on the AMG line is good for handling and stability, but less great when poor roads mean clearance could be required. With AIRMATIC being able to raise the ride height, that's useful stuff.

Odd. I feel the difference very dramatic. I live in the city and work in the county and I had doubts about buying it. It's probably one of my favorite things on the car.

I have not driven the c400 myself, so I can't comment if it is any different than my c220 - I do however feel a dramatic change when switching from comfort to -> sport / sport+.

If your testing was done while driving on straight roads, without any narrow corners, or any noticeable holes or rough patches, then I guess I can see how you may have been tricked into getting a disappointed experience - You really need to challenge the car a bit to bring out the beast, and feel the difference.

If you are still able to take the c400 out for a test run, I would suggest that you do so - Bring it into some tight corners or round abouts and step on the gas, you'll notice the change immediately, I promise - There is no end to the smile on my face when I put the car into sport+ while speeding up the ramp towards the highway in a tight turn - I feel how the steering wheel gains more weight and stability, but what thrills me the most is how rock solid the car is, and I get a feeling that I am completely in control of the car, even in turns where the car should be rolling if I had been driving in comfort mode.

Go take it for another spin ;)

This is from MB USA's site, note it may be different in other parts of the world.

"A precise 4-wheel multilink suspension teams with AGILITY CONTROL®, an innovation that instantly firms up in corners while maintaining silky comfort. Sport or Comfort tuning is also available. And for the first time, the C-Class can be equipped with AIRMATIC, an advanced adaptive suspension that turns pressurized air into poised performance."

Passive suspension do not firm up in corners. The other passive suspension with adjusting damping is the Acura MDX's new suspension. That one has a two setting where higher bumps hits a different damper in comparison with smaller bumps. It never adapts to the road since it does not sense it.

Here is a youtube description of agility control.

That is Advanced Active Agility Control on a W204 with Sport switch. SA rumours are a return next year by popular demand on W205. Maybe C450 only??

This is another link from MB.

http://techcenter.mercedes-benz.com/...ol/detail.html

My understanding is that suspension with Agility Control (TM) term has this:

"The AGILITY CONTROL suspension offers a high level of ride comfort thanks to selective adjustment of the damping system in line with road conditions.
By constantly scanning the surface of the road, it improves the road roar and tire vibration characteristics for smaller bumps and improves the damping and stabilization of the vehicle over larger jolts.

In the AGILITY CONTROL suspension the flexibility of a selective damping system is combined with the efficiency of a passive system.This significantly reduces tire/road noise as well as substantially improving tracking. In the event of heavier impacts, the selective damping function activates full damping effect."

Now, my understanding of that descriptions is it has a dynamic damper with electronic control. I could be wrong and it is a passive damper with two mode like Acura.

Please note, I do not use the phrase active suspension. Active suspension is different in damper adjustment in that it has a ability to push back if I recall correctly.

Since this is my first time into Mercedes technical, let me know where I read it wrong. I am more interested in what is in it than actually worry about if I should have bought with airmatic suspension. The default suspension is already good enough for me. I have no need to upgrade.

Agility Control is from the old W204 system, not to be compared with Agility Select in the W205


Agility Select with regular steel suspension will NOT affect suspension in any way when switching modes, unless the car is equipped with SA code 488 or 492 (ADS)