I own an S550 2015 model with amazing comfortable multi contour seats, but it is a huge car and I want something a bit smaller that can do double duty as a back road cruiser and hul (***) car. I am cross shopping an SL 550 and an E 53 Coupe. And is it just my butt but the E class AMG model seats are just too tight on the sides and the seat cushion is fairly hard? The SL seat is WAYYY nicer and just fits better- but I am leaning to the E53 cuz of practicality and price.
Questions- on the "standard" leather seats are the side bolsters adjustable? I am 6' 215 so kinda average but I feel I sit ON the seat instead of IN the seat. And I am thinking of ordering the $ 4200 Designo seats- wonder if they are a bit more plush than the other seat choices? Or more adjustable? I get the AMG deal is supposed to be racy etc- but since the AMG deal is now reaching into the fringes of "luxury-ish" cars like the C53, the seats need to err on the side of comfort and adjust ability? Thanks for any input.

I have an E53 with the Nappa leather option. They are not the multi contour massaging seats. I am 6 feet, 180 pounds and the seats are very adjustable and comfortable for me. Much more comfortable from the C Class I came from. The side bolsters are not adjustable. My understanding is that the multi-contour seats are more adjustable, including the side bolsters, but I’ve never tried them. I ordered the car and built it to exactly what I wanted. The only regret I have is that I didn’t order the multi-contour massaging seats in designo leather. Those options would have made the car a more luxurious grand tourer. Having said that, the car is incredible.

Hi - I traded in my 2015 S550 with active multi-contour seats with massage for an E53 with multi-contour with massage. Of course I miss the active bolsters hugging me around corners but other than that I’m satisfied with the new seats. The side bolster adjust works for a good fit. At first I thought the seat bolsters were too tight but after a while they molded and became very comfortable. Really I like the new seats - especially with the more performance orientation of the car. Sorry I can’t comment on the standard seats but they don’t have the adjustable side bolsters.

Thank you for your experience and opinion. This is what I was looking for. I own an S550 and LOVE the seats- I am more for comfort than sport- the E53 straddles the line pretty perfectly I think. I am also cross shopping a used 2017-2019 LCI SL550 that has basically the exact same seats found on the D. Love them. But I have sat in the "standard" E series seats and pretty much hated them. I have yet to sit in one with the multi-countour/massaging seat option. Since you have sat in both- do you think the Multi Contour seats that you have in the E are close to to plushness of the S series? I can live without the air bladders on your sides- but I think its pretty cool- and the SL roadster has those seats also. But the other thing is on the Standard E seat (that's still a $ 2900 option lol) is that the seat cushion was also very hard compared with the S- do you think the seat cushion on your E compares with the seats in your S? Sorry for all the questions and I will eventually find an E in someones stock with the multi contour seats- but 5 minutes in a show room gives first impressions, but ownership and daily driving give you the real story. Thank you again.

It is hard to get a good idea with a short test drive on a brand new car. Let me just say that I LOVE my E53 Cab. I tell people I feel 10 years younger driving it! I got the S550 for long road trips but found it to be too big around town. The E53 Cab is much more noisy in the cabin - which makes sense for a convertible - but I didn’t realize how spoiled I was before. The S class seats were amazing. Very plush as you’ve said. The E53 seats are definitely firmer. When I first got the car, I thought the seats were too small and I didn’t fit, but they seem to have softened and “broken in” to fit me after ~1000 miles. I like the lumbar support better on the E53 than the S550. It hits me better and seems to give me more support. I like the massage better - seems deeper. And the E53 seat has the extension to make the seat longer which I really like. Definitely get the multi-contour with massage. But all this is highly subjective. Just know that the seats become more comfortable as you drive the car a bit but they will still be firmer and more supportive than the S550. I should add that I am 6’ and 190 lbs.

The wife's E53 with multi-contour Nappa leather seats are quite comfortable. She's done four ten hour trips across the desert with them and likes them. Possibly even more comfortable than my Volvo's.

Have E53 with multicontour, massage...massages only the back. Had BMW 535 with massage seats that the bottom only moved, it was MUCH better. The C43 seats 2017 model were a bit softer, but the ride was harsher. I love my E53, drove it 300 miles last weekend was perfectly fine. I don't need a back massage while driving I don't really like it-wish I knew that the bottom didn't move, I may have opted out.

I have an E53 with multi-contour seats. There are several different types of massage. I like the combo that does both the seat cushion and back. After 1500 miles with one six hour trip I find the seats very comfortable. Not S Class or especially A8 comfortable but you can't get the performance with those vehicles.

I dunno if the E53 uses the same multi contour seats as the E450 but I find the Multi contour seats in my E450 Cabriolet very comfortable. I had a S550 a while back too and nearly as comfortable as those seats. I find the side bolsters hold me in very well on sharp corners.

Based on the price difference between the E450 and E53 multi contour seats I'd tend to believe there is a slight difference in geometrics … and this doesn't even take into consideration the mandatory 'options' (read addit price increase) you have to include in your E53 configuration when compared to the E450 for this item. I asked a local sales rep this question, but he was either unable or unwilling to research for me.