Hi. We are in Canada. We placed order for our GEL 53 last Saturday and just got an update on the delivery of our GLE 53 from our dealership as follows: "Hi, we got word on your order, it will be a June allocation meaning that you will receive it in July or August(this may change due to any future shutdowns or unforeseen circumstances). The good news is that it will be a 2021 model year and you'll be one of the first to owners of a 2021 GLE 53.I would need you to come in and go over the options one more time since the packages have changed for the 2021 model year.". I went to dealership to complete 2021 configuration and unfortunately it came with the surprise, which I did not take well. It turned out that the option "465 - AMG Active Ride Control" is No longer available on GLE 53, but will only be available on GLE 63. The dealership says that GLE 53 still come with "AMG RIDE CONTROL+".
To me it is a real deal breaker as our 2012 ML and 2014 GL had one huge problem. Both of them have Huge Body Roll while cornering even with "Sport" setting of airmatic.... It is so bad and we were so looking forward to get "465 - AMG Active Ride Control" which would have electro-mechanical means to stabilize the roll..........Now it is not available. I understand that the remaining "AMG RIDE CONTROL+" is just a same thing as AirMatic which allows you to select softer and stiffer suspension setting and lift the car a bit. We are SO DISAPPOINTED and thinking to cancel our order for GLE 53... What do you think? Does anybody know how bad the Body Roll is while cornering on GLE 53 which is Not equipped with option "465 - AMG Active Ride Control". Sorry for long post. I am thinking to create a new Thread about it to get more feed back from people. I took a day off to make a final decision whether or not I shall cancel our order. Please let me know if you have any suggestions. Thanks!!!

 

here in Asia they sell the version without active ride control as the base version, but have not seen or test drove it. I have the version with it and there is 0 body roll.. I do suspect this to be the culprit to a noisy suspension mentioned in another thread while driving in slow speeds

 

I love the active ride control, I did some fast corner with it. It’s pretty amazing. If the noise is coming from it but in perfect working condition I am willing to sacrifice a bit.

 

Why not buy a GLE580 with e-Active Body Control? That’s a better product in my opinion and will also eliminate body roll.

 

I didn’t think the 580 was an option in Canada. But I do agree that the 580 is a better buy after all the research I’ve done. (Minus the horrible diamond grill vs the 53 grill.)

 

Might as well ask AMG why they are not using body control in both 53 & upcoming 63 Models.
Most likely slower to react and weight.

 

Thanks to you all for your input! I gather that you are enjoying "Active Ride Control" and it is much better to have it. I am Not sure what to do now. GLE 580 is not available in Canada. Top dog GLE63 will be much more expensive (no pricing in dealer yet).
We can get GLE450 with E-active Body control but I am not sure I want to do that as we were so excited to get all those nice features on AMG in 53.... No idea what to do...

 

Get the 450. Or import a 580 from a US dealer. If you don’t like the diamond grill just have a dealer swap it with a Panamericana grill.

My wife switched from a 2018 E63S to the 2020 GLE450. I don’t miss the power. It’s a different type of car and the power of the 450 is plentiful for an SUV. The e-ABC is Mercedes beat suspension system because it will give you a flat ride plus good ride quality. The GLE53 would have been too stiff. This is why I didn’t buy a GLE53.

 

Very interesting. Thanks. My wife actually likes diamond grill better than Panamericana grill... go figure... Sorry, are you saying that e-ABC is the best system?

 

That’s exactly what I am saying. E-ABC is the best suspension system.

 

For bouncing like a Gangsta!

 

I personally will go with E ABC also with the 450. But my 450 order was taking forever and the 53 arrived early. 53 is a lot stiffer than EABC.

 

How stiff is it? Is it to the pint of being annoying/uncomfortable? Like X5 BMW stifft? Do you have the option "465 - AMG Active Ride Control" ?

 

Yes I optioned the 465 active ride control. Its “stiff” in a way of not any mean of uncomfortable. 53 approaches is to let the driver feel every movement of the suspension and how the weight of the car is transferring. I personally don’t find too much of difference in comfort and sports + other than ride height and suspension geometry change. When in comfort mode it kind of just filters out the sharpness of the turn in and damping down. 450 with E ABC must be the best for both world, maybe the members with EABC can elaborate a bit more. If you go drive a Porsche Cayenne or Macan I think the 53 has very similar feeling. The chassis is a big improvement from W166 I think.

 

I see. Well for us right now the questions is whether we shall get
- 2021 GLE 53 without "465 - AMG Active Ride Control"
OR
- GLE 450 with E-ABC

We can get both configurations loaded and the price difference is Only approx. USD 7,000 (CAD 10,000).
Not sure if we will be having a lot of Body Roll with 2021 GLE 53 (due to absence of Option 465). We did not get any feedback as no one in this forum has GLE 53 without this Option.

 

My sense is that if you think an X5 is too stiff then an AMG is not for you. While this was not historically the case, with their more recent models, AMG has the stiffest ride among premium models. When I bought my 2018 E63S a couple of years ago i cross shopped it against the BMW M5 and the Porsche Panamera. The AMG had the stiffest ride of the group. The same is true of the GLC63 versus the X3M.

I don't know how they tuned the GLE53 but if they follow the recipe of newer AMG models then it will be stiffer than its BMW counterpart.

 

That's not necessarily true. The W213 E63S is known for having a somewhat harsh ride. AMGs from that generation in general kinda do. However, AMG seems to be changing that. I bought the FL 2019 C63S Coupe last year and one of the biggest changes of the FL is the overhauled suspension. They lowered the spring rates and revised the AMG Ride Control software. Compared to the pre-FL it is now much more comfortable in Comfort mode, while even more dynamic, but still very compliant in Sport+. It's more comfortable than my previous car which was a 2013 Audi RS5 and since you bring up the X5, I had Xpel PPF installed on my C63 at the BMW Body Shop near me. They are a certified and factory trained Xpel installer. After dropping off my car, they gave me a ride to the train station in an X5. I was rather surprised how not very comfortable the suspension was in the X5. I mean it was not harsh or uncomfortable per se, but compared to my C63 which I just drove on the same roads only minutes ago, the bumps in the road were much more noticeable in the X5 in Comfort mode, and it wasn't even the M. It kinda took me by surprise and I immediately picked up on it. I'm actually rather impressed by the suspension of my C63. It manages to be dynamic and sharp, while still be compliant even in the sportiest setting. I'm curious about the suspension in the upcoming E63S FL. I have a strong feeling that it'll get an overhaul as well.

Having said that, OP you should be aware that an AMG and a regular Mercedes-Benz have different objectives as far as the suspension etc. is concerned. Even if they are not necessarily uncomfortable, AMGs have firmer setups to control body roll among other things. They have firmer spring rates and roll bars, as well as stiffer bushings etc. The focus of an AMG suspension is handling, communication and feel. You will feel every bump in the road, however, that doesn't mean it's uncomfortable. Comfort is very subjective. A regular Mercedes-Benz on the other hand tries to isolate the driver from the environment and that includes absorbing bumps etc. in the road and dulling the feedback from the suspension etc. It all comes down to what you are looking for in a car, and while what I was saying is a generalization, you are best served by test driving the particular cars your interested in. I've learned over the years that it's very hard to get any kind of idea on comfort etc. from a forum like this. Everybody has a different background, preferences and history of cars. What's comfortable to some is too firm to others.

 

BMW X5 are equipped with steel springs as standard and the ride over poor pavement is a bit rough. The "M Adaptive Suspension" option has 2 axle air suspension and the ride is pretty smooth (a bit floaty) in comfort mode. Perhaps the X5 ride (Superswiss post) you experienced was in a standard spring X5. Nevertheless, AirMatic is one of the reasons why I have the GLE53 on my short list of cars I considering for purchase this summer. The lack of AMG Active Ride Control might change that (too much roll?)...only a test drive will tell. My Audi SQ5 has air suspension but not additional assist such as AMG Active Ride Control. the SQ5 handles fine for my taste as a daily driver but that could be because it rides a bit lower than most mid sized SUV and has the benefit of rear axle torque vectoring minimizing the effects of roll. Opps...I digress. Still, standard air suspension on the GLE 53 AMG has my interest and lack of AMG Active Ride Control has my concern. But as many have mentioned, comfort or ride quality is so subjective.

 

I never liked X5. It was too stiff and the steering was too sensitive... every crack on the road is in your a**. Well, TBH in general I never liked BMW as all my friends had so many problems with them... and I do not like the way most of them look....
I am hearing that GLE 53 is stiff by the ride quality is not too bad (not very crack on the road is in your a** : ). I guess we will see...

 

I agree. Comfort or ride quality is so subjective

 

Maybe you want to import a GLE53 from Europe. The Active Ride Control option is available here (checked both in Germany and Romania).

 

Thanks for this info SOSO. This is interesting especially knowing that all GLEs are built in the same Alabama Plant. It might mean 2 things: 1) This was marketing decision by MB to stop offering it in Canada to upsell GLE63. 2) My dealerships stuff missed that option if it got lumped into some package.
Do you know if in Germany and Romania this is still separate Option (465 - AMG Active Ride Control) or part of some Package now?
Now I wonder if is is still available in 2021 for US dealers...

 

Maybe a marketing decision. BMW moved the "Dynamic Handling Package" as a $2600 option available only on the $82K(base price) X5 M50i, the top-of-the line V8 competitor to the GLE 63. Perhaps MB wanted to reserve that option for its top-of-the line offering as well. My short list SUV are the GLE AMG 53, X5 M40i, and the Cayenne S. The availability of Active Ride Control available on the GLE would move that SUV ahead of the others. Maybe in the US they will allow that option for the AMG 53...My timing is this summer so I'm OK to wait and see.

 

FWIW, according to the German Configurator, which I think is still the 2020, so not sure what @soso looked at, the AMG ACTIVE RIDE CONTROL is part of the AMG DYNAMIC PLUS package, but also a standalone option.
The package includes upgraded brakes, DINAMICA steering wheel, and the AMG Drive Unit in addition to AMG ACTIVE RIDE CONTROL. In the USA, the Configurator still shows the 2019 and I don't see 2020 or 2021 order guides posted in the AMG Private Lounge.

 

Yes, that one. The same is valid for Romania, you can have it as a standalone option or as part of the Dynamic Plus package. I talked to the dealer and the Active Ride Control option is available for GLE 53 and can be ordered. When I placed the order at the beginning of January, the Dynamic Plus package included red calipers, now they are gone, so my guess is the configurator has been updated.