bigh123

I found out today that the e350 we are looking to buy is two inches lower than tue honda civic my wife drives (4.1 vs 6 inches). I was surprised by this finding (does it have to do with perforkance or safety?) Anyhow my wife tends to hit curbs. We are gettin gb parktronic which should help a bit. Otherwise, any tips here for her to avoid damaging the undecarriage (short of her not driving it )?

oggie

Easy.....time to trade in.......the wife :-). Jk

BenzV12

I found on the net W212 has 16 cm ground clearance . I see no problem but still go slower than I could drive w/ a GLK just in case . It's not nightmare
I hit once over a speed bump but that was my fault I should have used my brakes lol

hyperion667

yeah: just buy the honda.......

bigh123

Can someone explain why the honda civic is higher?

BenzMan369

Are you looking at an E350 with the Sport Package?

If so, and if the sedans are the same as the coupes/cabs in this one aspect (I don't know for certain since they are different chassis), then the Sport Package lowers the car by approx. one inch, vs. the Luxury package sedans.

Sometimes, when dealing with the wife, every inch counts!

bigh123

Lol. We are getting the luxury model. Is that te one tat is 4.1 inches?

BenzMan369

Astonishingly, a check of mbusa.com could not locate any measurements for the E coupes or sedans! Maybe they're there, but they are not readily
accessible the way they used to be.

Equally amazing, I could not find mention of ground clearance in the actual owner's manual for either body style.

As to why a Honda Civic sits higher off the ground, Im guessing it's a combination of intentional styling (low is "cool") and perhaps aerodynamic quality enhancement when combined with the lower tilt of the car's stance toward the front. There is probably more clearance at the rear of the car, as is the case with my coupe.

Perhaps someone else here can address these questions more knowledgeably.

I do know my coupe - which has the Appearance Package including the lower sport suspension) sits awfully low. Which makes me look "cool," of course.

(I'll bet Hyperion has a better word for it than "cool." )

K-A

Never a problem with ground clearance here, but I've had actually lowered cars so I know how bad TRUE low ground clearance is.

The E's clearance does seem low for what the car is, however, definitely a style and aerodynamic thing (a good thing by all measures, if you can drive it accordingly). I took side by side pics with a CLS recently, and even though the CLS has a lower roofline, the E actually sits closer to the ground by a pretty wide margin. The ground clearance of an E is lower than the ground clearance of a CLS. Also, the E350 Sport sits lower than the E550 Airmatic. Also, the 2010/2011 E350's seem to sit slightly lower than the 2012 E350's.

mnje350

So far, knock wood, I have not had any problems with my 2010, sport package. I had an Audi A6 that got hung up on all kinds of things and was worried about the same thing here. So far, 25k miles, so good.

BenzMan369

Great observation K-A, re the CLS vs. E Sedan ground clearance. Surprising.

To the OP:

I think you are wise to be aware of the car's ground clearance. Many drivers have to be taught that the hard way. Hopefully, you can reinforce this with your wife.

My own experience: My last car - Brand new Benz - 4 days old - Home Depot parking lot - defective strip with its anchor rod stuck 6" above the strip itself. Need I say more?

I will, despite my therapist saying I have to let go of the past.

Found the perfect parking spot way off in a corner with no other cars around. Car slipped forward over the strip and unnoticed steel rod without a whimper. Shopped - returned - backed up. That was my second "mistake." As the low front spoiler slid over the parking strip I heard an anguished cry from low up front and felt sickening resistance to the accelerator. Then I heard sounds as though things were falling on the ground.

They were. The entire lower front spoiler assembly on the right side and right front had been ripped from its mountings. Metal and shredded fiberglass parts were lying everywhere. The right front fog light and its mount and misc. wires were in pieces amidst the debris.

Long winded way of agreeing that it's always smart to keep these cars' ground clearance tolerances in mind when parking, etc. And, of course, ditto with the wheels.

K-A

Yeah, it surprised me too when I looked at them side by side! That's definitely one of the playing factors as to why the E is a lot more aerodynamic than the CLS.... considering how when looking at both, the CLS's lower roof and swoopy-er look gives the illusion of better aerodynamics.

bigh123

Thanks to all for their responses. Does anyone know if parktronic will detect parking cement blocks/barriers on the ground?

ttoE550

It does, but not reliably. If it does warn, it is usually best to get out and check. Most times it will get you to about an inch of the stop, but occasionally it will put you pretty far out. I have also had it not give me a warning - it was close, but I remembered BenzMan's issue from a post long ago, and used my airmatic to raise the car before backing up.

In my messy garage, my car exactly fits into its space with stuff surrounding it about an inch away (really). I notice I am exactly in my spot when I see read exclamation marks on the Parktronic display. I would never do that on a parking stop. I'd stop about the second round red light.

EDIT: Oh, I have airmatic and it is 99.99% of the time at its lowest setting, which I believe is lower than the non-airmatic. Consequently, the parktronic may be able to better see the park stops because the car is lower.

bigh123

Thanks. I did some research online and on here about parktronic and parking stops. Most said it didn't work in 2011 to older posts. Maybe they've improved it? Anyone with a 2012 notice it detecting parking stops?

Arrie

My partronic seems to see them but when you get too close the sensors lose them obviously as they are low and can't be seen by the sensors any more.

Arrie

Get an E550 with airmatic. You can raise the car up and you will not hit any parking blocks.

bigh123

Can't afford it.

Arrie

Get a low mileage 2010 - 2011 model with CPO warranty and get the extra warranty on top of that.

Price will be close the same as new E350 or less.

bigh123

Don't need the power or the low gas mileage of e550. Plus I want to put all the first scratches and dents on the car (always wanted a new car.)

YYZ-E55

Drive past the spot to inspect for issues, then always back in. Use the camera to snuggle up to the curb.

BenzE350

I guarantee you that your wife will bang up the spoiler.

Next time you are in a parking lot at a nice mall or shopping center take look at a few of the E350s. Judge for yourself.

bigh123

Damn. I guess parktronic will help a little. Most of her serious damage is actually at the level of were the sensors are. But if the front of the car is two inches lower, there could more gashes. Any suggestions of what to do here BenzE350?

BenzE350

Keep a low deductible on your insurance policy, or learn to accept some automotive road rash.