CR just reviewed an E350 BlueTec with Luxury (comfort) suspension. They gave it an 89 overall which is pretty good for them for non-Asian cars. Somewhat impressed with MPG, but mostly impressed with the "supercomfortable ride." Interestingly, in Feb. 2010 they reviewed the 2010 E350 with Sports suspension, 18" wheels and low profile tires (Pirelli Pzero Nero 245/40R18F & 265/35R18-R.) They gave it a 79, pretty much for ride not as good as the car they tested in Nov. 2007 to which they gave an 88. That one probably had comfort suspension and had Michellin Pilot 245/45R17 F&R.
The current tested car had Bridgestone Turanza runflats, as there is no spare in the BlueTec model. 245/45R17 F&R.
One problem with CR is that they seldom give the year designation for tested cars.
QUESTION. I have a 2010 with the Luxury (comfort) suspension, wheels and tires (Michellin MXV Primacy 245/45R17 F&R) and while fairly comfortable, I would not consider the ride as being "supercomfortable." Excessive rebound on dips and crests in pavement with somewhat sudden stops, but not really going to limits. Dealer says WNL.
Has M-B made changes to the Luxury/comfort suspension between E350's built in late 2009/early 2010 and now?
Any other changes that would affect ride?
Overall the CR rating was pretty good, especially compared to 2010 review. New Audi A6 came in tops in class at 93 points.
Thanks.

 

Their Reviews might be speaking relative to the cars Tested. I.e, the A6 is winning all kinds of Tests VS the 5-Series, etc. as it's deemed the Sportiest in Class, and as we all know, most Magazines are very one track minded in that they gauge how good cars are only via how Sporty they are, doesn't matter if it's a Lambo VS Ferrari or Toyota VS Honda.

CR might be saying the E has a supercomfortable ride due to it being more comfortable than the A6, which is said to be the least luxuriously riding of the 3 German Mid-Sizes, with reports of excessive road noise in the cabin, etc.

 

I ignore everything from that publication. Their bias toward certain models skews their reviews on every other vehicle.

 

I don't fully agree. While they are very subjective and tend to be skewed in the direction of gas mileage, safety devices and emergency handling, their reliability statistics are usually pretty accurate. BMW's 5 series "much worse than average" reliability certainly matches information from most other sites as does the MB "average" reliability certainly seems spot on too - especially when one considers that "average" is pretty high these days.

 

I'm inclined to think that "practicality" is at the heart of Consumer Reports' automobile reviews.And given that practicality is something that's more important to buyers of Chevys and Hondas than buyers of higher end vehicles I think that their reviews of cars like ours miss the intangibles that seperate these two classes.

And for the record I very much enjoy the ride of my "luxury" Bluetec but I'm not sure I'd classify it as "supercomfortable".

 

On smooth roads I'd say my Sport E is "Supercomfortable". I take 600 mile round trips in this thing 2-3 times a month and it's an absolutely sublime ride.... as long as the roads are smooth.

 

I agree...I envision their testers as lab coated eggheads rather than dyed in the wool car enthusiasts. As far as their reliability ratings they are compiled from owner survey questionnaires. I believe owner expectations play a major role in final outcomes. Do I expect the same quality from a Hyundai as I do from a Mercedes...ah no! So I would tend to overlook some things from Hyundai that would be entirely unacceptable in a Mercedes.

 

You envision wrong. I know people who work in Consumer Reports and they are NOT lab coated eggheads. And the test drivers that drive the cars around their track are far far from that. The things their drivers do to those cars takes *****. Huge *****.

 

I'm curious...where are their test facilities located and what exactely do they do that takes such hugh *****? Handling characteristics, acceleration, braking...scary stuff indeed.

 

Nothing scary about testing vehicles for defects that might kill someone. Like the Toyota tests that showed certain maneuvers would cause rollovers. Gotta have faith in the equipment, man.

EDIT. The Toyota rollover problem was discovered by CR, in case you were unaware.

 

http://news.consumerreports.org/cars...oses-favs.html

http://www.leftlanenews.com/a-day-at...est-track.html

 

I have exact feelings with you . I do drive Chevrolet Cruze , some parts are piece of crap but let's not forget this is a cheap car which means cheaply built and it's good car for a price you would pay to own one . Some reviews flak Cruze for being poorly built , yup correct but it's not a Mercedes so I can overlook its defects .
BTW, I am glad C Class is getting more quality interior in face lift models
However, everyone is not same they offer a car that works flawlessly and built like a tank , you can't have it all once .

 

I am aware that Consumer Reports did follow up testing after many reports of Toyotas involved in rollover accidents. The tests were even broadcast. During CR's testing the vehicles were equipped with outrigger wheels so that no vehicles were actually rolled. I commend CR for taking action to protect the public.

 

Yes, I have to say that I trust CR more than any of the other auto mags out there (where the writers get invited to fancy premiere events.... b/f the recession, my impression was that these events were all-expenses paid....). For years MB used to complain that its customers were more picky than those who bought, say, a Subaru and that this was the reason its reliability ratings were falling. Uh, no. As someone who has had MB cars in their family for the last 30 yrs, it's b/c their reliability (relative to Lexus and Infiniti, esp) *was* pretty bad during the 1990s. And lots of people who own an MB also own a Toyota, Honda, etc., so we really *can* make direct comparisons. But I think MB's turned a corner and is now producing cars with respectable reliability.

And if you look at which cars top the ratings in other categories, CR has highly rated the few Porsches they've tested and used to consistently rank the pre-US-only Passats pretty well (although they sometimes didn't recommend them, depending on reliability).

Wish I could answer the OP's question, but I can't since I don't have a current E-class. The change of the front suspension to struts would presumably lead to a worse ride, though. And you may also wish to consider that MB might have tweaked the Bluetec's suspension to compensate for the run-flats.

I've been less than impressed w/ the ride characteristics of our 2 C-class sports ride (don't know how the luxury version rides), although I wasn't that impressed w/ the last-gen E-classes luxury ride, either. Since the suspensions might be similar btw the C- and E-class, I presume the Luxury version might have a somewhat busy ride but will ultimately have well-controlled body motions on the freeway and be more comfortable over large surface irregularities than most competitors would be.

 

When I still had the RunFlat tires on mine I would agree with this; however, since ditching the RunFlats, I have to say my Bluetec is the best riding car I have ever owned.

 

I expected the same quality and reliability from my '97 Ford Taurus, '02' Toyota Camry and '07 Hyundai Azera that I expect from M-B. Have had more problems with M-B in <10k miles than had with other three entire time I owned them.
I do expect less technology, creature comforts, etc., from some cars, but NEVER less reliability/quality.
I do agree that CR's survey base affects its results, but it is the best one out there.

 

Correct. We should expect the same reliability from all cars. What we shouldn't expect is the same high quality materials, fit and finish, or attention to details is less expensive cars. That said, we certainly should expect the Mercedes to live up to the quality and reliability of cheaper cars.

 

I never expect a Luxury car to be as reliable as a cheaper, appliance car The more "stuff" they pack in these cars, the more complex, the more chance things will break, and the less longevity you might get out of then (without forking over $$$$ to fix). As core cars, i.e body structure, drivetrain, fit and finish, materials, etc., yes a Mercedes should and will exceed and outlast most all cheaper cars on the market, but talking all around reliability of all the parts and namely electronics that it is made up of, not so much.

However, in terms of how quickly M-B have been climbing in the charts, and how far ahead of their closest competitors that they are, I think they're doing a pretty good job.... however, note that they have less "stuff" than BMW packs into their cars, which might turn off some shoppers, but when you compare our problems to the 5-Series' problems, it's not even close.

When I had my '08 Chevy Malibu which lived with my '06 E350 and then my '10 350, and for a short bit, my '11 E350, I used my Malibu for the rigorous stuff, as I expected it to have less reasons to go to the shop than the Mercedes'. However, I also expected the Malibu to start having fit and finish elements that would "fall apart" after such hard use, and I expected things like the rigidity of the structure to possibly not hold up as well.

 

Test drove a 2012 E350 Blutec with sport tonight while not supercomfortable and maybe a tad busier that one qould expect from a E Class, I did not find the suspension objectionable. Given KA's and CR's complaints I was looking for something to complain about. For reference I think that the C coupe suspension is unacceptably stiff.

 

Keep in mind, the Bluetec Sport and Luxury both come with 17 inch wheels and a different suspension tuning to accommodate the additional weight of the diesel engine. Also, the Bluetecs have a completely different steering system than the gassers. The bluetecs have what MB calls parameter steering. The gassers have what MB calls direct steering. With that in mind, it is almost an apples to oranges comparison.

 

As far as changes to the Luxury suspension to make it softer or firmer, there have been none during the current E-Class. As others have said, CR is likely speaking objectively compared to competitive models. Having spent a lot of time in the E-Class, I personally prefer the ride of the car on 17" wheels. However, living in the northeast clearly clouds my judgment given the condition of the roads.

 

I had mixed feelings about the steering. It seemed more direct than my old E3504matic but lighter. I liked the increased directness but not the loss of heft.

 

I'm pretty much the same as you. I stopped buying CR when i started buying Benzes. I drive all makes of cars all the time, being a car salesman. I believe that there are other mass market cars on par (Audi, BMW) with MB, but CR's reviews are generally terrible on all 3, IMO.

I think they should put the tester's name and list of previously owned vehicles at the bottom of each review. That would tell me a lot.

I'm not a fan.

 

They review all 3 car makes terribly? Huh? Is that why they ranked the A6 as the top of its class a few months ago? (after commenting how the 5-series and E-class are also typically highly rated)
http://news.consumerreports.org/cars...2-audi-a6.html

The German cars are usually pretty highly praised but don't necessarily get recommended b/c of subpar reliability.

 

So let me try to understand this. You used to subscribe / buy / read Consumer Reports and then one day you bought a Mercedes. And then Consumer Reports published something about your car that you didn't like. So after that you stopped reading Consumer Reports.

I would have done the TOTAL OPPOSITE of what you did! If I bought something as expensive as a luxury car, I would like to know EVERYTHING about it - both good and bad. But especially in your case because you are a car salesmand and knowledge of cars is key for your.

I would like to know both the good and the bad things that way I would be aware of every little negative feature about the car and be more informed when my customer comes to me and discusses it. The negative information about the car will still be there whether you read it or not and to be unaware about the negative points puts you at a disadvantage don't you think? You already bought the car so you've pretty much committed to own it for at least a short period. Some consumers only like to know the positives, while I like to know everything. If there are more or alternative publications and reviews about the car aside from CR, then I would like to read those as well.

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