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Ride Quality Question

Has anyone had any experience with a back to back comparison of the standard coupe vs the air ride as far as the smoothness of the ride. My wife and I (both in our mid 70's) are looking at the E450 M4 coupe. We had in the past a 2013 E coupe and we thought the ride was harsh. We currently have a 2016 E350 which is going to come off lease next year so we have time to special order. We live in Utah so trying out a new 2019 is a bit tough. We did drive a new E300 and with the soft shock setting the ride was great. No question we will order the car with the 18 in tires. I don't want to spend 1,900 for the air ride which we would leave it in the soft setting and then find out the ride was no different than than the std. coupe.

Quote:

Originally Posted by roncar (Post 7590602)

I have a 2019 E450 Cab, which is almost identical to the coupe. I also have Air Body Control. Before I ordered this car, I test drive a 2018 Cab. With the exception the tunes up engine and some subtle interior changes (steering wheel), the 2018 and 2019 are the same, AFAIK.

I found the ride on the 2018 Cab (regular lowered suspension) to be stiff and a little harsh. But, this is a sports (or sporty) car. I accept that the design may be for a firmer ride. I chose ABC for my 2019 because I did not want the firm ride all the time. I’m glad I chose ABC. First, I find the comfort mode very nice. It has the car riding in the middle position vertically. A little more drag from the slightly raised position, but nice and smooth. Of course it has the sport and sport+ mode which are firmer but also lower the car to its lowest point. Eco mode is the same as comfort, but lowered the car to the lowest point for reduced drag. Eco is not has “floaty” as Comfort, though but certainly not as springy as sport mode.

but my favorite thing about ABC is the ability to raise the car. I am paranoid about scraping the front bumper on a parking pylon or bottoming out on a funky drain gutter in a road or a steep driveway. Now, if I think it’s going to be a problem, I just raise the car the 4-5 inches and no problem.

I would recommend the ABC suspension option. I have it on my MY 18 E400 cab. All the cars are coming with run flat tires that ride as hard as rocks. Any suspension aid that can offset those rock hard tires is well worth the investment. As the previous poster mentioned, you also get the ability to adjust the suspension stiffness and raise and lower the car as needed. Go for it.