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Both my wife and I find that long drives in our 2016 E350 are not comfortable due to the seats. I know it will break the bank but I would like to update the seats. So, My first question is are the seats in the E550 noticeably more comfortable than the E350? My second question is where could I look for seats from 550 models? Lastly are there any other seats from other MB models that could be used for this purpose. I do not have the massaging seats-or the ones that flow AC through the seat. The car is in every other respect very good-especially the Distronic and Adaptive Lights.
Opinions vary on the comfortability of the seats. I'm over age 65 and overweight (without back issues) and drove 20 hours straight from the N. Carolina coast to the Dallas TX area overnight in 2018. I had no problems from the seat in my 2016 that I wouldn't have sitting for 20 hours in a posh, living room recliner. Sit in any chair for hours on end and you should expect some minor stiffness that goes away with stretching.
Further, the car has so many seat adjustments, one should be able to shift seating positions while driving at any time desired.
I can't see how substituting seats from a 550 would provide any difference. AFAIK, 550 seats are the same as the 350. They certainly look the same.
Not trying to be insensitive on this. But I simply don't expect any car seat -- even in a luxury car -- to be equivalent to a memory foam mattress. Even memory foam mattresses give some people back aches. Certainly, if anyone has back problems, they should not fault (any) car seat designed -- by necessity -- to please the majority of average people without back issues.
Sorry to be off topic. Someone else can help solve the seat mystery. Good luck.
Yes, it’s very subjective. My last three MB E class have been in the 500 or 550 and Dynamic. Leather over MBtex and having active bolsters and massage make all the difference. I do have back trouble and love these seats. Good luck working it out as that can be miserable.
Yes, it’s very subjective. My last three MB E class have been in the 500 or 550 and Dynamic. Leather over MBtex and having active bolsters and massage make all the difference. I do have back trouble and love these seats. Good luck working it out as that can be miserable.
Active bolsterrs and massage can make a difference, I suppose, if they don't put you to sleep at the wheel.
However, I do take issue with the "Leather over MBtex" comment. I've owned more that 30 cars, many with leather seats. IMO, the MBtex is just as comfortable. Guests sitting in my car who don't know the seats are "pleather" often remark how "comfy my leather seats are." They are always surprised when I disclose they are not leather.
Keeping a car long term (10+ years) and you will appreciate the durability of MBtex. The front seats in my 19 year-old C-Class wear pull-on seat covers today, because the ventilated leather inserts are worn to tatters, while the MBtex bolsters look practically new. Ask any European MB Taxi driver.
Not proud to show this, but the difference (leather vs MBtex) is like night and day. And I do take care of my interiors... look how pristine the floor mat is.
Ha, yeah not going there. I have been buying Mercedes since the early 90's and have never had one with vinyl yet, so not the one to judge. I will say I have never seen leather wear like that though on any car that is not a super high miler.
Both my wife and I find that long drives in our 2016 E350 are not comfortable due to the seats. I know it will break the bank but I would like to update the seats. So, My first question is are the seats in the E550 noticeably more comfortable than the E350? My second question is where could I look for seats from 550 models? Lastly are there any other seats from other MB models that could be used for this purpose. I do not have the massaging seats-or the ones that flow AC through the seat. The car is in every other respect very good-especially the Distronic and Adaptive Lights.
It's not the seats, it's the car.
As has been noted above, changing the seats will have no effect. Nor would having leather instead of MB-Tex. It's the suspension system, the wheel size, the tires and a whole range of factors that effect how a vehicle rides.
My 2010 has the comfort (Luxury) suspension and 17" wheels and rides more comfortably than the comparable Sports model. I tested both extensively before getting the Luxury version.
You can purchase leather seat covers if you want, but don't expect any improvement. Incidentally, all seats are covered with seat covers.
Have had loaners with active bolsters and ended up turning them off. Very annoying, especially on curves and turns.
You really want a more comfortable ride? Get a Lincoln Continental or a Lexus or a Toyota Avalon.
Ha, yeah not going there. I have been buying Mercedes since the early 90's and have never had one with vinyl yet, so not the one to judge. I will say I have never seen leather wear like that though on any car that is not a super high miler.
126,458 miles, a/o today.... For a 19 y-o car, 6,600 miles per year is not high mileage. Garaged all but the last year, several years after the leather started to fail (year 8-9 IIRC). My adult daughter drives it now.
You might talk to a shop that does interiors for cars. I've talked to people in the past that have had the foam in the seat replaced with memory foam/Tempurpedic material and said they were wildly happy with it. Food for thought.
We routinely drive 8 hr in our cars with single stop, unless we have dogs with us to make more stops.
When I found MB seats very comfortable, it is the same position that will get you tired after few hr. We have Ford dually that we use as RV and we can seat in it for 12 hr and bench seats don't get us tired.
Main reason is that in pickup you have wide bench and lot of legroom, so you can change positions in big variety.
So coming back to MB, I have 2 positions in seat memory. When 1st is for relaxing, more reclining position, the 2nd raise front of the seat to max high and back rest to more vertical position. That gives me less leg cramps on long drive.
I still change the position every couple of hr. Try it.
Here is my vinyl seat at 185,000 miles.I had vented leather on W211 and had to replace it at 140k miles.
It's not the seats, it's the car.
As has been noted above, changing the seats will have no effect. Nor would having leather instead of MB-Tex. It's the suspension system, the wheel size, the tires and a whole range of factors that effect how a vehicle rides.
My 2010 has the comfort (Luxury) suspension and 17" wheels and rides more comfortably than the comparable Sports model. I tested both extensively before getting the Luxury version.
You can purchase leather seat covers if you want, but don't expect any improvement. Incidentally, all seats are covered with seat covers.
Have had loaners with active bolsters and ended up turning them off. Very annoying, especially on curves and turns.
You really want a more comfortable ride? Get a Lincoln Continental or a Lexus or a Toyota Avalon.
I'm in agreement with this. Much of your seat comfort has to with seat bottom to floor height. In other words, if your **** is way too close to the floor like you are sitting in kindergarten kids classroom, your lower back pays the price no matter how comfortable seats cushions are.......The e class is so low and swoopy these days, the engineers have no choice but to mount the seats lower.......
Active bolsterrs and massage can make a difference, I suppose, if they don't put you to sleep at the wheel.
However, I do take issue with the "Leather over MBtex" comment. I've owned more that 30 cars, many with leather seats. IMO, the MBtex is just as comfortable. Guests sitting in my car who don't know the seats are "pleather" often remark how "comfy my leather seats are." They are always surprised when I disclose they are not leather.
Keeping a car long term (10+ years) and you will appreciate the durability of MBtex. The front seats in my 19 year-old C-Class wear pull-on seat covers today, because the ventilated leather inserts are worn to tatters, while the MBtex bolsters look practically new. Ask any European MB Taxi driver.
Not proud to show this, but the difference (leather vs MBtex) is like night and day. And I do take care of my interiors... look how pristine the floor mat is.
Problem with this claim relative to the W212's is that the W212 MBTex seat cushion covers split at the middle seam.
I'd like to chime in here.. the seats in the W212 I would rate as acceptable.
My car has the real leather and the ventilated seats. While I was shopping, I spent a weekend driving a 2016 E350 with MBTex and of course no ventilation. For me, the MBTex seats were more comfortable. I don't think this has anything to do with MBTex vs leather, rather I think the fans built into the ventilated seats have some sort of negative effect on the seat for my body. I still find them OK, but definitely this is not the most comfortable Benz I've owned.
I think it is just this design generation of Mercedes, if you will, that have poor-to-acceptable seats. My W203 and W211, what I would call a previous design generation, were both superbly comfortable with the edge going to my MBTex equipped W211 that I think was the most comfortable. After that, I owned 2 W204s one pre-facelift (2011) and one post-facelift (2014) and those seats were actually not even acceptable. They were bad. For a car of that price range, I don't see how that was passable. Now I own the 2016 W212 and these seats are OK. Not great. Not bad. Just OK. I would have preferred the dynamic seat, but trying to find that and also the color I wanted (designo Cardinal Red) was pretty much impossible.
As for MBTex vs leather, having had leather in 2 (W203 and W212) and MBTex in 3 (both W204s and the W211) I don't see any reason to pay extra for leather. If the car comes with it, fine.. if it comes with MBTex, also fine. It's not like the leather in the W212 is amazing. Had a Lexus a couple years ago with the optional semi-aniline leather - now that was special with a buttery, high end feel like no other car I've owned. The Mercedes leather is, like the seats, fine. Not special.
Last edited by LILBENZ230; Feb 20, 2020 at 02:05 AM.
Hard to make a seat comfortable for all the different people with different weights and body dimensions..
But nothing but the best right? ? ???
Seats from the late 70's through mid 90's were comfy but not sporty...
Sometime in mid 90's when HP wars started and performance more important then comfort the seats changed to hard, form fitting, hold you in place more for performance then comfort.
Seats from the late 70's through mid 90's were comfy but not sporty... Sometime in mid 90's when HP wars started and performance more important then comfort the seats changed to hard, form fitting, hold you in place more for performance then comfort.
I agree with this. You want to feel the road beneath your tires while cornering faster than necessary, so gotta make the seats firmer so the butt-dynomometer gets the feedback it needs. And there are some who still think it's not fast enough.
Can't really have it both ways. So the choice is... want a nimble, 2-ton sporty car? Or do you want a 1960's Land Barge?
1. I have a still functioning 1987 W124 300D with 290K miles and it has Benz plastic so I am aware of the advantages of this over leather. The discomfort that prompts my question is not the kind that the surface material could impact.
2. When I talk about long drives I reference 14 hour + trips Seattle to SFO-or even 6.5 hours to Bandon on the Oregon coast via 101. Much of this is not freeway driving and by the time I get to Bandon I am beat and it takes a few minutes before I can walk normally.
3. I have no back problems under normal circumstances but I do have two metal hips from playing soccer.
4. The motorized , massaging, vibrating seats are what I had in mind. How does one locate same and get them installed. I assume (perhaps inadvisedly that the wiring is in place. The ventilation would be a plus as well.
aWith regards to number 4 and installing the dynamic and massage seats, to the best of my knowledge Mercedes only offers the driver's seat in that configuration, which is no go for whomever is in the passenger seat. My W211 had both dynamic and massage seats for driver and passenger, but both of my W212's only came with the driver dynamic/massage seat. Unless MB changed this for years after 2014, you won't be able to attempt this install. Plus it is not a simple plug and play. The controls are through the COMAND screen now and not on the seats anymore.
Those are the models I always seek on Junk Yard to strip them from parts usable on newer cars.
Rubber grommets used in W163 and W211.
Hose hangers used in W211 and W212.
Seems back in 1987 MB was making plastics and rubber lasting 40 years, when new materials deteriorate in 4.
4. The motorized , massaging, vibrating seats are what I had in mind. How does one locate same and get them installed. I assume (perhaps inadvisedly that the wiring is in place. The ventilation would be a plus as well.
How much money are you looking to spend? I don’t think it is anywhere close to being as simple as wiring.
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