SolidGranite

I think I am mistaken at the fact the E will be getting MBC but the removal of the airmatic is a cost saving practice. I assumed that MBC was going in as replacement of the airmatic without any real benefit over it.

I have never and will never own a Mercedes outside of the factory warranty period so the cost to maintain an airmatic suspension is of no concern to me. I think the same applies to most of us on this board which makes me wonder why so many are happy to see it removed from the E. Living in downtown Chicago, the ability to adjust my suspension at the push of a button is invaluable.

WEBSRFR

It's because of resale value and cost of maintaining it. A bunch of us actually pay for the car in full and buy it and might want to use it for 5-8 years or more. We might want to hand the car over to another family member (such as a child) after using it for a while. During all this time, most of us don't want to have to face repair bills costing thousands for a part like the shocks when the car is worth less than $15K.

Don't get me wrong, I have Airmatic and I love it but I feel the cost of maintaining it is crazy if it goes bad. They should not have eliminated it but substituted a better system that is adjustable and is more fiscally practical to maintain.

Oh and don't think just because you lease or use a car for a handful of years this does not affects you. It affects you in the form of low residuals which you pay for.

A bunch of us just don't like the concept of an E class becoming a 100K mile disposable car due to the cost of maintaining it...

emilner

At the end of the day an adjustable suspension is a mandatory option in the segment the car competes in...

SolidGranite

I hear ya. Makes more sense now. I have to think though the residual on a Mercedes regardless of the model will never be all that good. Heck, the AMG models get absolutely crushed on residual value after 20k miles and it's not because of an expensive to maintain suspension system. Most luxury autos just don't maintain value well unless you're in a more exclusive segment like Porsche. I think your point about it having some affect rings true but not enough to make it matter. I for one would never own any Mercedes outside of the factory warranty period and highly recommend getting an extended warranty if you choose to do so. The thousands you would have paid for that part will even out your cost quite quickly.

park423

What do you think the ratio of E350 to E550 sales are? I would say out of 100, 95 are E350's. There is no need for MB to pay any attention to the E550, therefore offering one drivetrain (4matic) and removing airmatic makes business sense. Plus with the new CLS550, they probably figure dealers can convince E550 shoppers or will on their own choose to upgrade to the CLS. As for the MBC (which looks to be on the next S), the tech looks pretty cool and effective. The 5-7 year repair cost is probably not a factor in the buying decision as the majority of MB's are leased and CPO's cover the used market. Plus with the more powerful E350, there's less of a reason to choose the E550.

ngerstman

I have airmatic and don't love it. I will take a well designed shock/spring system any day of the week. The airmatic system tightens up much too quickly on rough roads and runs out of travel too quickly over sharp ruts or medium potholes. I have experienced this phenomenon too many times to mention. Mercedes says my airmatic is working just fine. I say it is defective on delivery. You are much more at risk of blowouts with airmatic due to lack of travel when you hit a pothole because the suspension doesn't give enough and the tire/rim must absorb more of the impact. More marketing hype than a true advancement. Good ridence!! Regards. Ned.

SolidGranite

Interesting. What mode is your suspension in when you have these poor experiences?

Living in downtown Chicago I experience every possible crappy road you can imagine. Given this fact, I drive around 95% of the time in comfort and only feel the need to tighten up my suspension on highways or other more open smooth roadways. If I were to drive around in sport 1 or sport 2 on the horrible Chicago roads then yes, that "mode" of airmatic is terrible. I have yet to drive a car with great handling abilities that can also glide over bad roads at the same time. With this approach I find my airmatic suspension just right.

SolidGranite

Sounds dead on to me.

RennsportC63

Why the hell is the 550 4matic only. Id this some sort of tactic to match the quattro A6. There should definitely a RWD option. I live in the city and it never snows here there is no need for AWD. the Bimmer 550 does not come with xdrive standard theres no need for the E550 to either!

ngerstman

I have been dissatisfied to the point that I have taken the car to two dealerships to get checked out. Both tell me that the airmatic is fine. I had a double blowout on my way into NYC in February after hitting a pothole. I have since put 17 inch rims on the car. As I said, the airmatic seems to run out of travel too soon after hitting a medium rut or medium pothole resulting in a thud as opposed to a shock absorber absorbing the shock which is what it is supposed to do. I'm convinced that is why so many people have had blowouts with the airmatic system, not enough give, not enough "travel". I use both the sport and comfort settings depending on road conditions and how my 57 year old body is feeling on that day. I find only a modest difference between the two, stiffer on sport, but have experienced the travel issue on either mode, just a little sooner on sport. A shock/ spring system makes logical sense to me in how it functions to control the mass of a car. I don't think the logic was converted properly to the airmatic or the technology is not quite there yet to do the job thoroughly. The airmatic is a rediculously complicated system to do what it does, it just doesn't do it well enough. Regards. Ned.

SolidGranite

Each to his own I guess. I had an Audi S5 for 3mos before getting a blowout. Have had my current E for almost 2 years without a single tire issue thus far. And I bought the wheel/tire protection package so go figure! Had a Lexus GS350 before that for about a year which also produced a blow out. Had a C55 before that which produced 2 blowouts. All these cars without an airmatic suspension. I notice a distinct difference in all 3 modes and only find it useful during spirited driving on smooth roads. Driving around on the "stiff" setting on bad roadways is just way too much wear and tear on my car and kidneys.

In all honesty, you might just want a car with a softer and more forgiving suspension like a Lexus LS. Just be prepared for additional body roll. I really feel if you drove a similar BMW 550 that the results would be the same or worse as far as comfort over a bad road goes. The German autos are just tuned in a more sporty fashion and are built for the autobahn.

Now that you have 17s, what tires did you choose? My GS350 which you would think is way softer and quieter than an E is anything but true. It had run-flats which are hard as a rock and that suspension is junk since the GS is supposed to be sporty. My E is way more forgiving over holes, bumps etc but can out handle the GS any day when the airmatic is dialed up.

Tjdehya

I understand what you are saying but it doesnt make sense to just "give up."
MBUSA is willing to lose customers to others is not smart business.
I am sure that previous owners of W211 E550's that are ready to trade are not going to buy an E350 or CLS550 if its not what they want. I guarantee you that they will head over to BMW, Jag, Audi etc
Exactly!
I wouldnt care if the Airmatic was "replaced", but it was just "removed."
That is what I dont understand.

ImInPA

The 550i is one of the worst riding cars on the road when it comes to bumps and road surface irregularities in my opinion. It is just bouncy and unsettled to me. personally, the only 5 series I could live with would be the 528i, and then I would not be happy with the power. All that "vehicle communications and road feel" is what floats the boat of BMW fans and rightly so. That is why BMW fans tend to pan the MBs for being too soft. I think air suspension belongs as a load-leveling technology for vehicles that get loaded with luggage, gear, and passengers. I bet if you take your Airmatic equipped E550, put 5 folks in it, and their luggage, I bet the ride is pretty close to perfect. If you need an air suspension, go rent a U-Haul truck for a day.

Jakpro1

Bi Xenon headlights are still an UPGRADE!! Come on Benz!!

Should be standard feature.

park423

Agreed, or at least add $500 to the P1 and make it part of the P1 package, instead of having to get the P2

wireless200

They should include keyless entry as either a stand-alone option or put it in P1. That's the only option I want in P2 but not for the price of the whole package. For that matter I don't want Nav (smartphone is more than adequate) but unlike the C class you have to take it in the P1 package.

park423

I agree with you, just trying to make sense of it. But MB was also the only one that made a manually adjustable suspension standard on the E550, I believe even on the 550 and A6 Premium, they are still options (although I suspect their suspensions work better i.e. offering 3 setting levels). Nevertheless, the airmatic was a very big selling point for me. If I was looking for a 2012, would probably not even consider the E550 now as the E350 has more power now and the two cars are visually identical inside and out.

threeMBs

For those thinking that '12 E350 wll effect sales of '12 E550 due to power increase to over 300hp on the former:

1. E550 gets a sagnificatly much larger incease in both horsepower and torque

2. for the a vast majority of how US public drives, you want more tourque, which 2012 3.5 engine will luck almost as much as the current one - anytime A/C is on, car is underpowered IMO(I read a lot about people equating '12 E350 to E500 of yester years - yes same horsepower, but new 3.5 does not come close to 5.0 liter's torque of 332).

SolidGranite

Agreed. The bump in V6 power is nice but absolutely nothing compared to the n/a V8 and of course the new turbo V8. Not to mention the improved gas mileage of the turbo'd V8 to go along with it.

BudC

The estimated fuel mileage for the U.S. version 2012 E550 4Matic is 16/24. This is just 1 MPG better than the 2011 M273 V8 (15/23).

I believe in the real world, owners of the turbo engine will have difficulty keeping their foot out of the throttle so the difference may not even exist.

As for the V6, it has higher peak HP and slightly better torque but the torque curve on the 2012 V6 is not as flat as it was on the 2011 M272 engine (2,400 RPM vs. 3,500 RPM).

park423

I'm not saying the new V-6 is comparable to a V-8, I love my V-8. But I was only speaking for myself who was on the fence btw the E350 and E550, but choose the E550 as I got a great deal on my E550 as my sales guy hooked me up because after driving the E350, the power was not to my liking and I was then strongly leaning toward the 535i. Now that the new V-6 is somewhat on par to the 535i and really, who needs 400hp and all that torque for daily driving, it becomes even more appealing to people on the fence like myself (assuming the extra HP/torque in the V-6 does make a difference). If I was only in the market for a BMW, I wouldn't even consider the 550i as the 535i seems ideal.

SolidGranite

Did MBUSA publish those numbers? I didn't know they had.

RennsportC63

whats the max output of power on the 4.6L?

park423

I believe 402hp and 443 lb torque for the E class, more power/torque for the S/SL/CL

BudC

It was in a set of slides called the MY 2012 Dealer Ordering Guide that is somewhere on the Internet. That's where the Info about AirMatic being deleted came from.