Edude

I have '11 E350 P2 SPORT with 700 miles on it. The most annoying thing is that my car ALWAYS starts in the E mode and I have to manually switch it to S every time I restart the car. Is this part of the break in period and will go away after X amount of miles? Or may be there is a setting that I don't know of that will permanently start my car with S mode ON.

Cheers,
E-Dude

BudC

I'm on my 3rd E-Class in 7 years and I never use S mode. I've tried it with an E320, an E350 and E550 and in every case I go back to E and leave it there.

Of course I'm at the age that if I wanted a performance car, I'd get one with a manual transmission.

To answer your question, I don't believe there is anything you can do to change the default other than ask a dealer if it can be changed by the service department.

ngerstman

Yep. There is nothing that you can do. A vast majority of the people on this forum find that extremely annoying as well. To me it is especially insane that it defaults to E in an e550!! Regards. Ned.

220S

It's something new they started with the W212, iirc. It didn't used to be like that. If you put it in S mode, then it stayed in S mode.

No doubt it has to do with getting the proper EPA fuel efficiency ratings for CAFE conformity. And the latest cars with stop and go systems can be shut off when put into S mode, but they also default every time back to 'efficient' mode.

It would bother me, too.

Edude

Ditto!!! I had multiple cars with similar option and on all of them I was able to permanently set specific driving mode. Very odd indeed. I will reach out to my dealer to see if this can be reprogramed. If not, I'm teaching my dog to press the damn button every time I start my car

hyperion667

doesn't bother me one bit.....the button is right there and plus it's more efficent for fuel right?

220S

Yeah maybe slightly more efficient, but it's no fun. Does the W212 E63 do this, too? I'd hate that. It's a performance car and wasn't exactly meant to be about fuel efficiency.

Anyway why can't the owner/driver decide if they want fuel efficiency (which is really minor between the two modes anyway) or all out performance? You really shouldn't have to be resetting the car all the time.

ngerstman

I totally agree. I don't need to be spanked back to E all the time. I would also like to be able to reset the learning tranny to performance at the touch of a button. Regards. Ned.

AMGTTV8

Although I agree with you guys on the principle of starting in E instead of S (since I'm a driving purist), I have to take sides with the reality of the situation...

To pay taxes (fines) on fuel efficiency that would ultimately be passed-on to the consumer if it wasn't for a single push of a centrally located button is mindless.

For those MB owner's who have 63's, I would like to think that they would much rather have to push a button once every time they want to drive the car sportily, than to have to pay almost $3,000 in gas guzzler taxes. As a result of the transmission default to E, and in conjunction with the turbo's, direct injection, ECO Start/Stop, dual clutch transmission and electro-mechanical steering, there is no longer a gas guzzler on the 63's.

Beyond that, I bet there's about 50% (if not more) of the MB owner population that actually likes the default to E.

Think about it like this instead - every time you have to push the button you are saving yourself (or someone else) a dollar. That adds up quickly.

It's all relative.

220S

That's fine for the very latest E63s, i.e., the 2012 version that's not even here yet. There's no gas guzzler tax primarily because they are using the 5.5TT motor now, and not so much because of the other techno efficiency tricks. Although that other stuff certainly does help add up the total efficiency numbers, I agree. And it specifically helps Daimler deal with the CAFE rules across their entire fleet (they've been paying millions in CAFE fines for years.) And hopefully they'll pass those savings on to the consumer somehow (maybe, maybe not.)

But again, it's the FI smaller displacement 5.5 motor that's doing the big job here in fuel efficiency. In the meantime, the people who bought W212 E63s for the 2010 and 2011 MY had to pay the gas guzzler tax and still have to "push the button." But with my W211 E63 (the last W211 model, a 2009 MY), I paid my tax and yet get the "privilege" of not having to "push the button." There is no default that reverts back to non-sport on my car. That all began with the W212 E63 models and yet they had the gas guzzler tax, too. So I guess I'd say they kind of had the raw end of the deal by paying the tax and yet getting the new 'default to eco' set up.

I agree 100% with what you're saying, but more specifically as it applies to the 2012 W212 E63 5.5TT since there will be no gas guzzler tax with those cars. So, yes I would certainly put up with having to "push the button" in that context.

K-A

It is indeed annoying. I used to drive in E (or C in the previous cars)in my last E-Classes, but now always drive in "S". My current car has the peppiest 3.5L of my 2 previous E's it seems, and it really "zips" when in S mode, more of a light-footed feeling than my last E350's. I dig it and feel like the lack of sluggishness helps actually keep the MPG's up, however I haven't tested each enough (nor don't really care to).

hyperion667

yes, it does also start in second, unless you select the 1rst sport mode
it also is not as loud in C mode, but when S is selected.....the noise is great!

Tai230K

I find it really annoying to press the C to S button every single time i get in the car. My previous MB's never reverted back to the annoying 2nd gear winter/comfort setting.

It's also funny how I would prefer the AIRMATIC suspension to revert back to Comfort mode when I turn off the car off but it actually stays in the previous suspension setting whether it be Sport or Comfort. There must be a flash to change these default settings.

AMGTTV8

nope - dealers can no longer fiddle as much as they used to.

ngerstman

I have no problem with the airmatic setting staying put. I always keep it in the comfort mode, which is plenty sporty for me on the crappy NJ roads. The e/s reverting to e makes no sense to me at all. Crazy. Let me set it the way I want it and leave it alone. I almost never want it in e. And if I had an e350 with less power, even less so!!!! Regards. Ned.

samkimg

To E or not to E ... I drive in E mode most of the time. However, I also installed a Sprint Booster and regularly drive with that in the Green setting.

This seems to give me good fuel economy and when some "jerk" really needs it, a way to blow their doors off at a push of 1 or 2 buttons.

BTW - S mode with the red setting of the Sprint Booster chirps my Pirelli's ... and with a V6 no less!

MB37

Is there that much of a difference in E or S mode other than the brainy tranny changes? I guess speed and torque feel is all relative. Coming from a BMW 4.4l V8, the 2011 E350 doesn't move that much faster either in E or S mode. What does the S mode actually do engine-wise, tranny-wise, suspension-wise? My car is still under 1000 miles, so may be I have not discovered something yet. Please share your experience.

BudC

It only affects the transmission shift points. Look at the section in your manual called Automatic Drive Program. It should be around Page 159. I prefer E and others prefer S. If you are interested in economy or driving in snow, use E. Try it for yourself.

ngerstman

There is a big difference in off the line acceleration. Set to E, the car starts in second gear and first set in s. In older e class, it used to be the s/w switch and they only recommended using w in snowy weather for better traction. Personally, I never use it set to e, I don't see the point, it's less fun to drive. The only time I would use e would be in snowy conditions, period. Why would someone want to make a 268hp engine feel like 225hp? Regards. Ned.

K-A

Yeah, it's as simple as starting in 2nd when in "E", and 1st when in "S".

dfordham

Others have said that even if you are in 'E' mode, if you hit the pedal hard, the car will start in 1st gear.

This seems to be borne out in the User Manual (pg 159): "Drive program E is characterized by the following: the vehicle pulling away more gently in forward and reverse gears, unless the accelerator pedal is depressed fully."

Regards,
Don

MCF

Just curious...have any of you guys realized that the car stays in 6th gear most the time when on the highway when in S? I typically only drop put in S when getting up on the highway and merging into traffic, but once I get up to cruising speed I put it back in E because dropping back to 7th gear really does save the fuel when cruising. Maybe it's because my wife drives the car 95% of the time and doesn't even know the E/S button exists and drives it very gently, but when I get in the car and use 'S' it feels like it goes through 1st and 2nd very guickly. Doesn't feel smooth to me, not as in not smooth mechanically, but just bang bang bang through the gears unless you really drop the hammer.

K-A

Hmm, haven't noticed that. Would be pretty tragic if S doesn't switch into gear 7 on the highway as I have done lots of long distance in "S". I'll try E next time and see if there's an MPG difference.

MCF

I am sure it drops to 7 at a certain speed but at around 55mph or 60 seems to stay in 6th. Just get up to cruising speed and hit the E/S and see if RPM drop.

park423

huge difference when accelerating hard between C and S, car darn near literally jumps in S. This thread started got me started driving in S mode again as I have been content for the last 6 months just leaving it in C all the time, it's like driving a whole new car again, sounds and feels much more aggressive.