K-A

I don't mind the steering, as again, I prefer a "luxury" oriented drive first and foremost, but you're right, I seem to feel every stone and imperfection on the road as well.

220S

I went directly from a 2009 E350 to a 2009 E63.

The first thing I noticed with the E63 was that it took rough roads a lot smoother. A much more solid feeling and yet very smooth.

Has a lot to do with Airmatic DC, but of course with more expense over time in maintenance/repair, etc.

Airmatic set in Sport I/II mode makes the car feel even more planted and with a lot less body roll (and the E350 had a lot of roll.) Also, the AMG Airmatic is calibrated differently than the E550 Airmatic. The E63 handling and steering is also much improved over the earlier E55.

Overall, the steering is a lot more precise and allows for much more confidence. I used to think I was going out of my lane when I was driving the E350 at a modest pace; it got really frustrating. Now I can take the curves and know exactly where the wheels are pointed. The car is even more comfortable than the steel spring E350. Again, no doubt it's the Airmatic.

It wasn't until about three weeks ago that I took the E63 up into the mountains where I normally drive the Porsche. For a big, heavy sedan it does pretty good. Still not the best confidence builder going into the tight turns but you can point it in and it stays pretty well planted (with ESP on ) And you can really fly coming out of the corner with all that torque. And the brakes are superb (but yeah, I know, pricey to replace.) If you've ever tracked a car, you know good brakes with little fade are super important.

So, for spirited driving it's head into the corner, downshift and brake, and then really punch it coming out sort of thing. There's good throttle control when the rpms are up there. Not a lightweight Lotus that's for sure, but still a lot of fun. That kind of hp can get you from A to B really quickly.

Drive like Grandpa it's smooth and comfortable. No suspension compromises there. 17 mpg in Grandpa mode. 20-22 mpg with freeway cruise control. Wild Grandma mode and I can get it down to 10 mpg.

One thing that helped a lot with the E350 was better tires. I put on some PS2s and it made a difference. Turn-in felt a little sharper and road noise wasn't as noticeable.

The V6 is okay, but the V8 is definitely noticeably smoother, imho. Overall the E63 feels more planted and solid and having that power gives you a lot of confidence in passing, freeway merges, and getting out of danger, etc.. The seats are also way better bolstered for spirited driving.

The E350 is a very good comfortable daily driver, but nothing extra special, imho.

gaazmon

With all the complaints out there, I still love my airmatic. Do I worry about it? Sure, but I made sure to get a 320 with it. I'm always in Sport II mode with tranny in S.

MBNUT1

K-A Thanks for the feedback. I agree I like the luxury feel to just disappointed with the lack of high frequency isolation. I appreciate your comment because it tells me that nothing is uniquely wrong with mine. Since you had a S500 how good of a job did it's steering do in terms isolating the road texture relative to your E350 and what size wheels did it have?

MBNUT1

Very nice write up thanks.

petee1997

I took delivery of a W212 E350 4 Matic last Saturday. At low speed the steering is very soft and great for city handling. At high speed on the highway the steering goes into direct steering mode and the handling is superb. Power from the V6 is as I expected,smooth and comfortable. This is not a E63,Porsche or BMW335. I own the latter two and the E350 for a daily driver has them all beat. The 997 is a toy and if I had looked at my birth certificate before purchase I would not own it. The BMW has awful run flat tires and a transmission that is never sure of dowshifting or upshifting at low speeds. Take this opinion with a grain of salt as I am 60+. If I were 30,and I was once, my opinion could be different.

K-A

Hey, not a problem. It always kind of annoyed me too, but I guess I've gotten used to it, maybe M-B engineered it that way as to give you some "road feel", and to not be so "Lexus"-ish, with completely numb steering. Thing I don't get is, it's like make up your mind, give use Sporty steering and good handling, or isolated steering and Luxuriously engineered handling, lol.

I can't really recall feeling that kind of road feel with the S500. That car was super smooth, I remember when I got the E, I thought it handled like a Sports Car, and thought that it rode like one too (shows how they compare, also to note I have the AMG Sport/Suspension).

gaazmon

Huh???

220S

In hindsight (after owning the 2009 E350 with "AMG sport suspension") I find it interesting that it's labeled as such. It's not a suspension found in any of the AMG cars. It's either AMG tuned airmatic (and/or ABC) or a different suspension/chassis (ie, the C63.)

The "AMG sport suspension" is purely a marketing thing. There's nothing AMG at all about the E Class. It's a comfort luxury car first and foremost.

They probably should have called it simply a "sport(ier) suspension" option. Although BMW also tends to do the same thing: "M package," bits and pieces on non-M cars, etc.. And Audi with "S Line" bits and pieces versus actual S cars.

X5er

I started driving BMWs at 30. After 25 years I'm not ready for retirement to a Lexus so I'm trying a 2010 E350. My 535s and 2004 X5 (4.4L) were great for the first 100K miles. I average 30K/yr. No maintenance problems at all but the rides seem to get way rougher and noisier, lower back problems and couldn't even use bluetooth on my X4 because of the road noise. I have a 2002 330Cic (e46) with 50K, still rides smooth and quiet (even for a ragtop). I struggled between the E350 and the E550 (as a sub for the M5 at 25% less price). I settled for the E350 as a start and will move up to a 550 after a couple of years if the E350 fits well. Or maybe BMW will come to its senses and ... My MB pals are betting I'll never go back.

ETA on my E350 end of September.

gaazmon

If I were a AMG, M, or S car owner, I wouldn't like it when they offer an AMG package, M package, or S Line package. My argument would be that those body kits and components should be reserved for those cars. I mean it adds to the distinctiveness of that supercar The body kit is how most (general) people can tell it's one of those.

K-A

True. I wonder if the AMG Sport cars and regular "Sports" actually have the same suspension. I also wonder if the pre F.L AMG Sports have a different suspension than the F.L ones. M car seems to sit lower than other W211's, even F.L Sport models

mkaresh

My problem with all such steering systems--and Mercedes is far from alone here--is that the transition from numb to direct tends to occur at a much higher speed than I'd like. Once above 10 MPH I'm ready for direct.

220S

+1

Once the car's rolling, there's no need for the numb tiller.

VCA_AMG

Call me crazy (again) but I think C&D got it right. The E350 is a blah car IMO. It's impressive what AMG does with the chassis & engine to take it to such high levels. Having driven a new E350 I was underwhelmed...deeply underwhelmed, for a car of its price. Gorgeous, yes. Nice interior, yes. Powerful and effortless like a MBZ should be, no, not in my opinion.

rieger

I think they should incorporate something like what Audi has on the new S4. With Direct Drive it allows you to customize the steering boost to what you like along with the suspension and throttle. Even the differential can be customized.

Dema

Lazy to read the article since I did recent shopping and consider exactly all these cars, but MB was 09. So my order was:
1st 2009 Mercedes-Benz E350
2nd: 2009 Jaguar XF
Third: 2009 Infiniti M45
4th: 2009 BMW 535i
5th: 2009 Audi A6 3.0T Quattro
So it looks like I share C&D opinion. Why 2010 made this order upside down, I do not know. I guess editors of C&D drink a good kefir.