MCF

Have had our 2011 E350 Luxury with leather multi-contour seats and have finally admitted it is by far the most uncomfortable vehicle I have ever owned. I am 6'4" but have plenty of leg room and head room but the drivers seat just sux. Can never get enough lower back support and if it is anything over 80 degrees outside no matter what the AC is on my entire back is sweating within 10 minutes of driving the car. I am no where near fat either. Quite the opposite in fact. I would rather have my '96 Pontiac Trans Am back. Two Tahoes, a a Jeep Cherokee, a Trans AM and a 325Ci were all waaaaay more comfortable and my back never got soaked while driving. Oh, and none of them smelled like mildew every 9 months. Seriously thinking of a RX350 or X5 for the wife. She even admitted she can't get nearly as comfortable in the E350 as the 2002 325Ci. The E350 just isn't a very Comfortable car. I will take my 2007 Tahoe any day of the week. It may have a rattle or two but it smells clean and I don't sweat in it or have to continuously fiddle with the seat position. Haven't touched it in 6 years. In the E350 it is a constant tweaking of the seat during every drive over 20 minutes (which usually by that time my back is wet with sweat).

hyperion667

well, off you go!

good luck

K-A

I'm tall enough to where my head it almost touching the roof at even the lowest seat setting, yet even I think this E is one of the most comfortable cars to drive.

"Most uncomfortable ever" is just too much hyperbole, but hey, we all have different builds and desires, so one persons luxury couch can be another persons steel bench.

raymond g-

generally, when people shop for a car, they try it on for size/comfort. did you not have this opportunity?

bigben320e

Good analogy.

I know another activity that analysis is done for....

mnje350

I have found this car to be the most comfortable vehicle I have ever sat in. In fact the more I drive it the better it feels.

Perhaps you should go for one of those big new Ford F-150s.

K-A

Actually, I must say, driving my E lately, it feels unthinkably smooth (except for rough patches which turn violent quick). I was cruising yesterday and was in awe of how smoothly gliding and quiet it was.

My only issue is too tight of headroom for my height/torso especially considering the cars more Sedan-upright nature (you'd expect much better use of vertical space considering the cars dimensions).

norcal_cyclist

Actually the seats and ride in my f150 are pretty good. However it's apples and oranges time folks.... Tahoe over a Benz?

MCF

Ride comfort is great. Especially with the luxury and 17" wheels. Seat comfort is horrible. I am just "squeezed" in the seat which results in lack of circulation and lower back support sux no matter how much I fiddle with the mult contour seat adjustments. They both seem to do the same thing. And yes, I have the active bolsters turned off and to the widest position. The seat is simply uncomfortable and hot.

Regarding Tahoe vs Benz, I would love to see who would walk away from a 30mph head on between an E350 and a Tahoe. Ill take the Tahoe.

K-A

On the flip side, the E-Class has a much lower fatality rate than a Tahoe (or Escalade, via statistical reports). Just 'cause it *might* fare better in a rare head on collision with a lighter/smaller car, doesn't make it a safer car. Not to mention, accident avoidance in itself is far more attainable in an E-Class.

Live Oak

MCF, do you not adjust the lumbar support?

BM2BZ

mcf, i can't say anything about the comfort level as everybody has different taste but have you turned on the seat ventilation and/or turn the ac to max/auto ?

alanme123

I am not a tall person, but I have to admit that the driver seat in the w212 doesn't have very great lumbar support. On long rides, my back tend to get a little sore. And yes, I have adjusted the lumbar support.

BenzV12

W212 is the most comfortable car I have ever driven along with BMW 7 Series

I am fine with headroom , legroom better than most other cars but there is something odd because me and my dad's seat settings are same in all other cars so neither he nor me do have to fiddle about the seat buttons but my dad feels uncomfortable in my W212 seat adjustment so he says he needs to raise the seat but this time he is complaining about headroom

It took some getting used to finding a decent driving position for me but once I found my ideal position I have been very happy since then

Arrie

What makes it little difficult to me to find a comfortable seat position for a 4 - 6 hour drive is that the gas pedal is too close to the seat. On a long drive I want to keep my legs straight but the gas pedal position does not allow for this. Moving the seat back does not help either as the steering wheel does not come out far enough.

For shorter drives it is excellent though.

WEBSRFR

Not sure what you are complaining about the AC system. It is VERY good.

I can understand the seats somewhat... They are really not as comfortable as the seats in my Volvo S80. The Volvo seats are much better designed ergonomically IMHO and support my back (and even my neck!) much better. Having said that the W212 is a very comfortable car and I'm surprised you did not realize the "deficiencies" you are complaining about when you test drove the car.

In any case, good luck!

hyperion667

in defense of test driving: it's kind of tough in that instance to REALLY get a long term feeling of the car.......there's the euphoria of the 'test drive' haha, the salesman yabbing
at your ear about 'this and that' haha, the fact that you're constantly comparing the ride and build quality to the 'window sticker' haha, and about 41 other things that we all can think of.....
seems we all agree the seats are not the cars best feature.....hell, I agree with websrfr about the volvo seats......my 01 s40 had KILLER comfortable seats.......
very not-like the seats in our W212's.....

but I'd still rather have that beaut out there than my s40 lol
AND, the seats in my cls are really nice and comfortablethey got it right with that one....

Nuru

So far, for me, they have been fine.

BM2BZ

i don't know why car manufacturers don't learn from volvo about their seats. i don't recall if i've ever sat in an s80 but got an v70 as a rental one time. can't complain. i still remember back in the old days my dad's 760 turbo is one heck of a car ! spacious and comfy seats, even the back seats. i still like that body style .

MB-JIM

I did test drive a 2011 E350 before ordering my 2012 E350. The seats felt fine, in the test drive, but I'm not happy with the compliance in the seat cushion on my 2012. Maybe, the problem is that my car has vented seat where the fans take space used for cushioning in the standard seats.
My wife loves the E350 so I have no plans to replace it. At the same time, I had a GLK350 loaner for several days and I felt that the ride was much better in the GLK and there was less road noise than in my E350.

MCF

Is it just me or do the two buttons that are supposed to adjust lumbar support on the multi contour seat (one for up and down and one for in and out) seem to do pretty much the exact same thing?? I never really feel that I get the support to raise or lower, only stick out in the middle of my back using either of the two buttons.

Dema

Maybe MB designed cars for Japanese customers? Try Lexus.

K-A

Yeah those buttons really make no sense. I've figured them out I think but it's annoying. Try sucking the air OUT of the seat, i.e pushing it "backwards", then when it's sucked in, simply push it the arrow that points completely forward (no down), let it push as far as it can into your back, THEN push the button in the down/forward motion, and you should feel some extra lumbar.

Or, you can do it in reverse. Suck the air out, then push it DOWN and FORWARD/DOWN (try both and see what brings the lowest part of the seat forward) till you get the max amount of lower-lumber support. THEN push it completely forward, where you'll feel the low-mid section come out to support your back a lot.

mnje350

I don't think so.

Live Oak

In my car, they are somewhat subtle in operation, and you need to let them run through their full operation, and then repeat it for each one, to understand what they are doing.