Taleh

I am planing a new purchase of E-class 350. with R17 rims. i love soft and smooth ride. i do not like stiff and sporty ride.
question: whats the difference between normal suspension and airmatic? is there a real difference in the soft ride between airmatic and normal suspension?

what type of suspension do you recommend me to buy a new E-class in order to obtain a softest ride?

thanks in advance for helping me out

GuyFawkes

They describe the suspension in the cars without Airmatic, as the same as Airmatic in Comfort mode.

Taleh

so this means it is not worth paying extra for airmatic as a normal suspension is same like in comfort mode???

GuyFawkes

As far as I know, if you just want it to be comfortable, one can stick with the standard suspension.

The airmatic has some adaptive damping settings that adjust according to the road conditions but I believe these are more relevant in sport mode when the car needs to counter body roll when turning.

Airmatic offers one the benefit of being able to drive in a more sporty way because the sport mode is noticeably more harder and better in corners. It also allows the user to raise the car's ride height when driving in snow for instance.

Whether Airmatic in Comfort setting offers any actual technological advantage over the standard non-Airmatic condition, I do not know. But when I tested the E350 and E550 (in Airmatic Comfort), there was no discernible difference.

Perhaps the other forum members can chime in.

petee1997

I don't think airmatic is offered on the E350. The Luxury model comes with standard 17's and a softer ride than the Sport. That should work for you but you should drive one to make sure it's the car for you.

park423

It's a moot point unless you are also considering the E550, as mentioned above, Airmatic is not available on the E350 and comfort/sport mode only refers to engine performance/efficiency, not suspension settings. Your only way to choose a different factory suspension setting on the E350 would be to choose between the sport or luxury model. Obviously luxury = smooth/soft

GuyFawkes

Well it depends where OP is from. In some markets, you can get any option you want on any engine model.

scfishnman

Airmatic DEFINITELY gives a smoother ride in Comfort mode than one will get in an E350. However, it is only available in an E550.

I test drove a luxury E350 before purchasing my E550. There is a significant difference in ride comfort with the E550.

In conclusion, if you want the most comfortable ride you will have to move up to an E550. E550 base cost is several thousand higher than E350 base cost. But, leather upholstery becomes standard and you get Airmatic suspension and a V8 engine with much more power and relatively little difference in gas consumption.

Westwind

With that much difference in base price of 350 and 550, you should really think about your priorities. If you did not experience any difference in ride when you test drove the two - that answers your question.

IMO, the biggest difference was the ride itself. I test drove both. I think Airmatic is like driving on a cloud. Or, sailing on land. Is it worth the extra Ks? You decide.

And the standard leather, V8 does not hurt too.

GuyFawkes

hmm I am no wondering how come I didn't notice much difference when I test drove the two. Is it only noticeable on rough roads?

RNBRAD

The airmatic may have been in sport. Make sure the airmatic is on comfort. It's unbelievable how soft it rides, it's downy soft. lol

Arrie

Can you explain how airmatic is build and how does it work.?

Does it have coil springs with air springs or only air springs (bags)?

Or is airmatic done using shocks?

horse1

There seems to be some confusion as to whether the sport/ comfort setting actually affect the suspension. Does anyone know for sure?

RNBRAD

I do know the end result but technical stuff about the airmatic, I have no clue. I don't claim to know nore will I argue about stuff I have no clue about. You should do the same. Anyway, follow the thread here, you have a tendency to wonder off.

RNBRAD

On the E550 with airmatic it does. Not sure about it on the 350, maybe someone who knows will chime in.

ngerstman

I know for sure. You can adjust the suspension only on the airmatic that comes standard on the e550. The e/s switch which is on both the e350 and the e550 only control the tranny shift points and the gear you start from. The e setting starts in 2nd gear so I'm told. That has been feature on e's for a long time. On my 2000 e320 it was the w/s switch for weather or sport mode. The weather mode started from 2nd gear. If your priority is a comfortable luxurious ride, you can't go wrong with the e350 luxury that comes with 17 inch rims. It has a softer ride than an e550 sport that has 18 inch rims even with the airmatic suspension. The e350 luxury is a great luxury cruiser that reminds me of a scaled down "s" class. It drives like a bigger car than it is. I don't mean that in a bad way. More than enough power, feels like a tank, and very quiet ride with the Michelin tires. The Conti tires are noisier, IMO. I can't comment yet on the ride of an e550 with 17 inch rims yet, although i will be able to in a few days when i get my car back from Mercedes with 17's and Michelins. I had 18's on the car but am switching to the 17's to avoid blowouts and soften the ride. I will let you know my opinion if you care. I would still imagine that the e350 luxury is for you.Regards. Ned.

K-A

In my experiences, I found the E350 Sport to ride the sportiest (and roughest) of all the E's (E63 not included of course).

If you want the most comfortable suspension'd E350, then go for the "Luxury" model.

If you want the most comfortable W212 available period, go for the E550 (comes with Airmatic, of course) Luxury model.

newyorker

I have S-class current model, with airmatic, had pot hole damage, it was big pot hole in NYC, then repair cost was very very high. It had 19 AMG wheels.

After that experience, I bought E350 luxury for my wife because I was afraid of repair bills with airmatic. When your airmatic breaks down, you have to change both sides.

For your comport, it is really the wheel size. 17 better than 18 .
We have 17 with comfort and I think the ride is almost same as S-class Sport mode.

Another down side of Airmatic is that you choose S mode or C mode.
The suspension and transmission both are changed at the same time. I always wanted C mode suspension + S mode Transmission, but never be able to do that. Starting 2nd gear is kind of slow response in NYC.

scfishnman

I owned a 2008 S550 and now 2011 E550. They both ride the same -- very smooth in C mode and not so comfy in Sport mode. Changing the mode has no affect on the transmission; only the suspension. There is a separate switch to change the transmission from E to S mode. I test drove both the E350 Luxury and the E350 Sport - I was disappointed in the ride of both versions coming from the S550. I picked the E550 over either of the two E350 versions primarily for the suspension. (I also like the V8 engine). The E550 rides as good as the S550 did. Since others seem to have varying experiences in what is a subjective area at best, perhaps the roads upon which the various comparisons are being made differ a lot.

horse1

Thanks, it is the E550 that I am concerned about. The e350 has a setting that controls only the transmission (the "e" ecomomy button causes the vehicle to start off in second gear)

park423

The sport/comfort settings for the airmatic suspension and the sport/comfort button for the transmission are 2 seperate things.

The c/s button that comes with all cars are for transmission settings only (in c mode, transmission starts in 2nd gear, in s mode, starts with 1st gear and I believe holds the revs longer), this meant for fuel efficiency.

The sport/comfort button that comes ONLY with the airmatic adjusts the suspension, the car lowers with sport setting and raises with comfort setting.

horse1

I would definitely appreciate any feedback about the wheel and tire size as to how it relates to ride comfort. I am doing some research because I now own the e350 sport sedan but I am looking to replace it with the 2012 4.6 twin turbo later this year. I think that I will try the coupe at that point.

park423

You can't compare the E sedan and coupe, they are built on different platforms, the E coupe is built on the C platform. I love the C, it feels solid and tight in the corners (with the 18" wheels) and found that the E350 coupe also drives tighter and quicker than the sedan, I imagine an E550 coupe with an even better suspension and much more power is an awesome sport car to drive.

K-A

Yeah, the Coupe and Sedan are totally different (obvious linkages aside).

The Coupe is a C-Class underneath, so it'll drive like one, with suspension and dampening, etc. R&D put into it to appropriate it better to the "E" name.

horse1

Thanks for the info. I checked the specs of the two and you are absolutely correct. That is fine with me, but I am concerned now with the headroom in the front seat with the coupe since I am 6' 2" tall. Any ideas on this.