Sport vs. luxury?
 

Anyone know the height difference between sport and luxury? Trying to figure out how much lower the sport is. Thanks for any input:y

Saw a post that stated a 10mm difference, less that 1/2" seems lower than that...

Other than the height difference, and the sport suspension being 'stiffer', does anyone know of other differences between the two set-ups?

10mm seems like a small amount, that would be just slightly over 3/8 of an inch.

Here is a good thread with some differences listed:

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...ry-models.html

And a front view comparison:

http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a.../IMG_8442c.jpg

Thanks for the link. This is very informative for someone who is new to MB's, like me. :nix:

I'm just as new as you, had my car for almost 2 weeks now. :hay:

Thanks for the link, that is where I saw the 10mm difference in heights, which can not be right

For the 2014's I was told the difference in height between the Lux and Sport versions was closer to 1/2 inch, but I can't find verification in the owner's manual or on MBUSA :nix:.

Front/Rear comparision pictures for the 2014's are also vastly different:

try not to refer to most pics/renderings, because they illustrate the cars without any wheel gap to make it look more attractive to potential buyers. it's one of the annoying advertising tricks out there.

the luxury looks like a 4x4 and the wheel gap is atrocious due to the 17" standard wheels and the long springs for comfort. and it is quite comfortable indeed. the sport trim both increases the wheel size by at least 1" (2" if you elect those optional wheels) and decreases the spring length.

the other difference is the dampers - the luxury uses selective dampening and the sport uses stiffer pre-set dampers. obviously, the body kit is different. on facelift luxury models there is no exhaust tip showing, they are turned down. on sport models, there is a white-face gauge on the speedo.

a safe bet would be 10-15mm difference for estimation.

My E350 Sports data card SA code 677 shows "AVANTEGARDE/STANDARD SUSPENSION". The 18" tires on the Sport models are the same outside diameter as the 17" non sport models due to the difference in aspect ratios which give the "stiffer springs" feel. The only difference I can tell between Sport and Luxury trim that accounts for the reduced clearance is the front air dam hangs lower on the Sport.

some luxurys comes with that really nice wood steering wheel, otherwise for me the extra 1 inch bigger wheels, slightly sportier grill made all the difference.

Thanks guys, appreciate the input!

Thanks for the pics, gosh its reallly difficult to tell the difference:confused:

I spent several hours researching this when I got my E350 last year, I think I found it on a foreign site that has what looked to be MB official ground clearance specs and the difference between sport and lux was 0.6 inches. I can't find that site now and don't have the several hours to spare to try to find it again.

But based on what I've observed with my E350 sport, on my drive way, which is very steep, my car will lightly scrape the front air dam when I go up. but on a loaner E350 lux, it does not scrape. so about 1/2 inch (or 0.6 according to that site) sounds about right.

Thank you!!

One difference is that Luxury version has all season performance tires whereas Sport has high performance tires with narrow sidewalls. Despite the smaller wheels, this helps Luxury stand taller.

Not sure where you are located but here on the US west coast, all E's I've seen regardless of sport/luxury come with grand touring tires in 17 or 18 inch sizes. most of the time it's been continental contiprocontact. Which is a common OEM tire among many brands.

I think there is a 19" option that is available on the sport that comes with summer performance tires.

But regardless, the type of tire doesn't make the luxury stand taller. The suspension setup is what makes it stand taller.

Partially true. The diameter of the 17" Lux and 18" Sport tires is the same. And as near as I can tell from my data sheet they share the same springs in the front. The difference in clearance is attributed to the air dam which hangs lower in the Sport. The "stiffer" ride with the Sport is due to the lower profile tires.

Actually no
 

In the US, the 17" wheels on Luxury version have all-season performance tires with a larger sidewall. The 18" wheels on the Sport version have ultra-high performance tires with a smaller sidewall. That's why the tire sizes are different. That's why if you look at the tires side by side, you can readily tell the difference. An old MB hand in California told me this and he is correct.
Not just the taller tires, but that is part of it.:zoom:

In the US, the last 100 or so 2011-2014 E350's I've seen on dealer lots all had Continental ContiPro Contact which is an all season touring tire (check out tire rack). this is both lux and sport.

Also the 17" wheel have larger side wall because the wheel has 1" less diameter than the 18" The overall diameter of the tire/wheel is the same between the 17" and 18" rims. Also on some E series with the sport pkg, 17" wheels are standard and 18" are optional. (i.e. E250, E400 etc).

So wheel size in this case does not make the car taller or shorter as the tire side wall is reduced on the 18" rim so overall diameter is the same.

most likely it's the body work, and lowered springs that make the sport a little bit lower. (the body work makes it appear lower, while the springs actually lower it a little bit)

Same springs on both models (at least for my year).