Benzzie

Hello,
I am considering buying a new 2017 C-300 or E-300 sedan. I have learned that these new cars are equipped as standard equipment, with the "Dynamic Select" driver-select driving modes which the driver can select up to 5 programed driving modes which altar and adjust the engine, steering, transmission and suspension depending on the road conditions or the mood of the driver. My question concerns the reliability of this system. I'm sure this system will give a great impression when the car is new, as the salesman raved about it during my test drive, but my concern is, as the mileage and years accumulate, will there be problems with this system? Will it need major repairs? If so, will it be costly? Do any members who owned cars with this system have any problems with it? With a system as complex with computers and electronics, something will breakdown eventually.
What do you think? What do other members think? Thank you.

GerritKw

The agility select is not really adding a lot of complex systems.
In principle it controls the behavior of the existing systems.
The steering is done by changing the dynamics​ of the power steering, for the gearbox it uses different gear change schemes. It might change the behavior of the ECU for the engine but i am not sure this is done.
If you add airmatic then the airmatic might be an extra maintenance sensitive component but in relation to the agility select it only changes​ the height of the car and therefore also the dynamics.
Without agility select you still would have electronics in all of those systems​ but likely​ some less software.
Of course when you always drive the car at is limits it is likely to require more maintenance then normal. But this has nothing to do with the agility select.
I would not worry about this.

Mike5215

Of the 5 Agility modes, only one (Individual) is programmable by the user. The suspension is only variable on C300s with AirMatic. Otherwise it's not affected. One setting turns auto-stop on and off, and one sets the climate control, neither of which have much to do with performance, just convenience.

Steering adjusts the amount of assist, high (Comfort) or low (Sport). That leaves the engine setting, which is actually a transmission setting. In Eco or Comfort the transmission starts in 2nd gear and upshifts quickly. In Sport or Sport + it starts in 1st and holds the car in lower gears longer (Sport) or much longer (Sport +). This keeps the engine in the torquiest, most responsive part of the power band. It also keeps the revs up, so the engine is working harder vs the other modes.

To me Sport + feels like it's abusing the engine. I understand it's not, since Mercedes built the engine and they know its limitations, but it feels and sounds like too much. Sport alone seems like the best choice. The acceleration is right there (usually the tranny has to take a split second to kick down a gear) but the car relaxes into a cruise when the drama is over. Sport + is all drama all the time.

I've owned five Mercedes. The drive trains are generally bullet-proof (although I had an S500 eat a $6,000 transmission at 103k miles once). The other stuff... electronics, AirMatic ...I'd never own any Mercedes (or BMW or Audi) out of warranty

ManiacGT

This is not an area of the car to worry about.