Here we go again..........
GLE350 with Airmatic?
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From: Germantown, MD/Rehoboth Beach, DE
2024 GLS450
GLE350 with Airmatic?
Hello all.
I'm currently in microchip and COVID related delay hell with an order for a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and am considering bailing and coming back to Mercedes. I just sold my beloved C250 last month in preparation for trading in my Silverado and downsizing (upsizing?) to 1 vehicle.
I am confused because the configurator and DOG say that Airmatic is only available on the GLE450 and GLE580, but the website says it is available on the GLE350. I'm not interested in the 6 cylinder or the V8 at all. Can anyone tell me if they have/have seen/have ordered a 350 with Airmatic?
I'm currently in microchip and COVID related delay hell with an order for a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and am considering bailing and coming back to Mercedes. I just sold my beloved C250 last month in preparation for trading in my Silverado and downsizing (upsizing?) to 1 vehicle.
I am confused because the configurator and DOG say that Airmatic is only available on the GLE450 and GLE580, but the website says it is available on the GLE350. I'm not interested in the 6 cylinder or the V8 at all. Can anyone tell me if they have/have seen/have ordered a 350 with Airmatic?
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From: The Palmetto State
19 E63s, ‘24SQ8, wanting another gas guzzling V8
I don’t think I’ve ever seen one but I’ve never looked too hard because I didn’t consider the 350. Call that dealership in Germantown. They have always been knowledgeable and helpful when I was getting quotes.
I will say this. The other day when I had the 2020 GLE350 loaner with 21 tires, my wife and I both commented about how much smoother it rode than our 2021 GLE580 with 22 tires.
Good luck.
I will say this. The other day when I had the 2020 GLE350 loaner with 21 tires, my wife and I both commented about how much smoother it rode than our 2021 GLE580 with 22 tires.
Good luck.
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From: Scottsdale AZ
2015 CLS 550 2015 ML 400 Previous 2020 GLB 250 2019 A 220 2005 ML 350 1989 300 E 2001 SL 500
Hello all.
I'm currently in microchip and COVID related delay hell with an order for a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and am considering bailing and coming back to Mercedes. I just sold my beloved C250 last month in preparation for trading in my Silverado and downsizing (upsizing?) to 1 vehicle.
I am confused because the configurator and DOG say that Airmatic is only available on the GLE450 and GLE580, but the website says it is available on the GLE350. I'm not interested in the 6 cylinder or the V8 at all. Can anyone tell me if they have/have seen/have ordered a 350 with Airmatic?
I'm currently in microchip and COVID related delay hell with an order for a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and am considering bailing and coming back to Mercedes. I just sold my beloved C250 last month in preparation for trading in my Silverado and downsizing (upsizing?) to 1 vehicle.
I am confused because the configurator and DOG say that Airmatic is only available on the GLE450 and GLE580, but the website says it is available on the GLE350. I'm not interested in the 6 cylinder or the V8 at all. Can anyone tell me if they have/have seen/have ordered a 350 with Airmatic?
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2007
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From: Germantown, MD/Rehoboth Beach, DE
2024 GLS450
Damnit. Regardless, I am changing my tune a bit on the 450 the more that I read on it. The better half is trying to talk me out of my Suburban order and into the GLE - and I think it is working for me.
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From: Boise
2024 GMC Canyon Denali..... 2018 Audi SQ5
The GLE 450 won't tow as well as the GLE 580 or Suburban with the 6.2 but gets the job done with "not so great" fuel economy. Other than that the Meredes is just a far better vehicle. I haven't towed with the new GM 10 speed but it should make a decent vehicle tow even better. IMO, the Suburban is still just a truck while the GLE is a great luxury car that can tow 3-4,000...might be pushing it for long distances at heavier loads.
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From: Colorado
'21 AMG53 wDPP & ARC, 19 GLC300 - Former-03 C240,2 ML BlueTecs,20 GLE450 E-ABC,15 Cayenne D,17 Macan
The GLE 450 won't tow as well as the GLE 580 or Suburban with the 6.2 but gets the job done with "not so great" fuel economy. Other than that the Meredes is just a far better vehicle. I haven't towed with the new GM 10 speed but it should make a decent vehicle tow even better. IMO, the Suburban is still just a truck while the GLE is a great luxury car that can tow 3-4,000...might be pushing it for long distances at heavier loads.
But our W164 and W166 Diesels (ML350's) were a LOT better at towing our 7,000# RV than the GM offerings under 1 Ton, because of better chassis, modern suspension and real brakes.
I was expecting the GLE450 to tow as well as the old W166. Looking at the torque curves, the 450 might compete in the power department, and the chassis is is a big improvement. (I don't have the 450 any more, and never had a chance to tow our RV, so I can't make a direct comparison, though.)
I'm not sure if you are thinking the 450 is the one that gets "not so great" fuel economy, but I regularly got over 30mpg on the highway with 85mph cruising. I'd say that's Great!
I'll disagree with your final sentence - I think the GLE450 will excel at heavy loads over long distances. Especially compared to the Suburban, with its WW1 suspension and puny brakes.
The only advantage of a Suburban would be its greater payload, but only IF you want to carry a lot of supplies inside the rig.
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From: Pennsylvania
2024 GLE 450 4matic
Waffling between two vehicles as vastly different as a Mercedes GL and a Chevy Suburban makes me think you should step back, take a deep breath, and re-evaluate what you really want.
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Thread Starter
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Joined: Jul 2007
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From: Germantown, MD/Rehoboth Beach, DE
2024 GLS450
I'm not sure if the OP was looking for towing prowess, but I'll add my impressions. A Suburban is a lot better at towing than the equivalent GM pickup, because is has an actual body, needed to reinforce the otherwise floppy body-on-frame chassis.
But our W164 and W166 Diesels (ML350's) were a LOT better at towing our 7,000# RV than the GM offerings under 1 Ton, because of better chassis, modern suspension and real brakes.
I was expecting the GLE450 to tow as well as the old W166. Looking at the torque curves, the 450 might compete in the power department, and the chassis is is a big improvement. (I don't have the 450 any more, and never had a chance to tow our RV, so I can't make a direct comparison, though.)
I'm not sure if you are thinking the 450 is the one that gets "not so great" fuel economy, but I regularly got over 30mpg on the highway with 85mph cruising. I'd say that's Great!
I'll disagree with your final sentence - I think the GLE450 will excel at heavy loads over long distances. Especially compared to the Suburban, with its WW1 suspension and puny brakes.
The only advantage of a Suburban would be its greater payload, but only IF you want to carry a lot of supplies inside the rig.
But our W164 and W166 Diesels (ML350's) were a LOT better at towing our 7,000# RV than the GM offerings under 1 Ton, because of better chassis, modern suspension and real brakes.
I was expecting the GLE450 to tow as well as the old W166. Looking at the torque curves, the 450 might compete in the power department, and the chassis is is a big improvement. (I don't have the 450 any more, and never had a chance to tow our RV, so I can't make a direct comparison, though.)
I'm not sure if you are thinking the 450 is the one that gets "not so great" fuel economy, but I regularly got over 30mpg on the highway with 85mph cruising. I'd say that's Great!
I'll disagree with your final sentence - I think the GLE450 will excel at heavy loads over long distances. Especially compared to the Suburban, with its WW1 suspension and puny brakes.
The only advantage of a Suburban would be its greater payload, but only IF you want to carry a lot of supplies inside the rig.
I have no qualms about how my current Silverado tows as well - more that I have little need for a truck bed now and want more passenger comfort.
Last edited by MDMercedesGuy; Feb 18, 2021 at 03:35 PM.
Thread Starter
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From: Germantown, MD/Rehoboth Beach, DE
2024 GLS450
At the end of the day, I am a huge GM fan and a huge Mercedes fan - they are all I have owned. Quite frankly, GM has been catastrophically inept at the order and build process for an $85K vehicle (being placed in and out of production repeatedly, getting a call that my order was cancelled out from under me only to get a followup call that they put it into production minus the $6,000 option group with things like the towing package, air suspension, adaptive cruise) and expecting me to take delivery of a vehicle that wasn't what I ordered. Microchip shortages and COVID are out of their control, but when my order gets cancelled because the floor mats are not available and I get put back at the end of the queue when I tell them to pull the damn mats from the build is just absurd.
I ordered my C250 right after the Tsunami hit Fukishima and had to deal with repeated parts shortages for things like ILS, and every step of the way Mercedes (and my local dealer) communicated it, and in spite of a 7 month wait I got the exact car I paid for with no issues. It was night and day from the debacle I am dealing with now.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Jul 2007
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From: Germantown, MD/Rehoboth Beach, DE
2024 GLS450
Super Member
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 776
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From: Pennsylvania
2024 GLE 450 4matic
It's not really waffling. This is definitely a want more than a need - and while the Suburban is large, that much passenger space is a nicety and not a necessity (as the better half has pointed out to me).
At the end of the day, I am a huge GM fan and a huge Mercedes fan - they are all I have owned. Quite frankly, GM has been catastrophically inept at the order and build process for an $85K vehicle (being placed in and out of production repeatedly, getting a call that my order was cancelled out from under me only to get a followup call that they put it into production minus the $6,000 option group with things like the towing package, air suspension, adaptive cruise) and expecting me to take delivery of a vehicle that wasn't what I ordered. Microchip shortages and COVID are out of their control, but when my order gets cancelled because the floor mats are not available and I get put back at the end of the queue when I tell them to pull the damn mats from the build is just absurd.
I ordered my C250 right after the Tsunami hit Fukishima and had to deal with repeated parts shortages for things like ILS, and every step of the way Mercedes (and my local dealer) communicated it, and in spite of a 7 month wait I got the exact car I paid for with no issues. It was night and day from the debacle I am dealing with now.
At the end of the day, I am a huge GM fan and a huge Mercedes fan - they are all I have owned. Quite frankly, GM has been catastrophically inept at the order and build process for an $85K vehicle (being placed in and out of production repeatedly, getting a call that my order was cancelled out from under me only to get a followup call that they put it into production minus the $6,000 option group with things like the towing package, air suspension, adaptive cruise) and expecting me to take delivery of a vehicle that wasn't what I ordered. Microchip shortages and COVID are out of their control, but when my order gets cancelled because the floor mats are not available and I get put back at the end of the queue when I tell them to pull the damn mats from the build is just absurd.
I ordered my C250 right after the Tsunami hit Fukishima and had to deal with repeated parts shortages for things like ILS, and every step of the way Mercedes (and my local dealer) communicated it, and in spite of a 7 month wait I got the exact car I paid for with no issues. It was night and day from the debacle I am dealing with now.
I hear ya with the GM thing, my prior 4 cars were in order, a Chevy Tahoe, Buick Enclave, another Tahoe, and another Enclave. So as you can see, I have bounced around a bit myself. The first Tahoe was a 2003 and fell in to the "I'll keep this thing forever" category. That held true since I kept it 10 years and put 200k miles on it. When my mechanic had the talk with me roughly explaining there's a fine line between trade in value and salvage value, and that I was on the edge, we traded it and decided to give the Buick a try. kept that Buick about 12 months and while it was nice, I missed the truck feel of the Tahoe. We traded that on a used 2013 Z71 Tahoe and it was a huge disappointment. as far as comfort and ride quality. I looked at what Cadillac had to offer and they didn't inspire me so we got a 2016 Enclave. It was a nice car and I'd have probably been content with it for the long haul. My wife didn't like it though and when I compared a 2020 Enclave with the 2020 GLE 350, it seemed the Mercedes was more car for about the same price. I'd never owned a German car before and it's a different driving/ownership experience I was not expecting. AT first I hated this car and was planning the right time to dump it without a too painful financial hit. During that time, I got more accustomed to the car and discovered some logic in things they did that at first seemed stupid to me. Now here I am 13 months later and the GLE has brought me back to that "I'll keep this thing forever" level of satisfaction.
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From: The Palmetto State
19 E63s, ‘24SQ8, wanting another gas guzzling V8
Myself and a few others that commented on this thread have had quiet a few discussions about towing. I was just remarking on how it went to a towing discussion when originally you didn’t directly ask it.
And for the record, I almost bought a high country Silverado over the GLE but the interior on it sucked. I also test drove the new Tahoe but really didn’t want to drive that much bigger feeling of a car and have to park it over the GLE when it didn’t give me that much more towing a ability. (I also tow a boat regularly during the summer in the same size range as you.) Then the suburban was just too huge for me.
And for the record, I almost bought a high country Silverado over the GLE but the interior on it sucked. I also test drove the new Tahoe but really didn’t want to drive that much bigger feeling of a car and have to park it over the GLE when it didn’t give me that much more towing a ability. (I also tow a boat regularly during the summer in the same size range as you.) Then the suburban was just too huge for me.
Last edited by BACnMercedes; Feb 18, 2021 at 04:15 PM.
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From: Colorado
'21 AMG53 wDPP & ARC, 19 GLC300 - Former-03 C240,2 ML BlueTecs,20 GLE450 E-ABC,15 Cayenne D,17 Macan
My Suburban order is for a High Country Deluxe with the Duramax Diesel and air suspension. Towing is a consideration and requirement (5,000lb boat) - however I am not concerned with that. Your criticism of the platform doesn't apply to the 2021 Suburban, however, which does have IRS/Larger Brakes/4 wheel air suspension (in my case). It's a vastly improved vehicle over the 2020 and down.
I have no qualms about how my current Silverado tows as well - more that I have little need for a truck bed now and want more passenger comfort.
I have no qualms about how my current Silverado tows as well - more that I have little need for a truck bed now and want more passenger comfort.
Since I have been "in the process" of ordering a GLE53 (started on a 450) since September (entered production with VIN this week), I have also been looking at alternatives because of delays and package (un)availability. So we visited a Chevy store last week and looked at / listened to that new Duramax. I like it, and as you say, the improvements at GM have brought their new trucks into the Modern Era. Didn't drive it, but might.
For me, the extra thousand pounds, high entry and just too much metal are disincentives for the GM. I like a car that will respond, can be called "fun to drive," go off-roading, can tow 7,000# with authority, and be easy to park. Also fit in the garage without dismantling the workbench. The GLE fits this bill nicely. (I'm also stuck on the massage seats.)
Good luck, and have fun with your decision!
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From: Boise
2024 GMC Canyon Denali..... 2018 Audi SQ5
I'm not sure if the OP was looking for towing prowess, but I'll add my impressions. A Suburban is a lot better at towing than the equivalent GM pickup, because is has an actual body, needed to reinforce the otherwise floppy body-on-frame chassis.
But our W164 and W166 Diesels (ML350's) were a LOT better at towing our 7,000# RV than the GM offerings under 1 Ton, because of better chassis, modern suspension and real brakes.
I was expecting the GLE450 to tow as well as the old W166. Looking at the torque curves, the 450 might compete in the power department, and the chassis is is a big improvement. (I don't have the 450 any more, and never had a chance to tow our RV, so I can't make a direct comparison, though.)
I'm not sure if you are thinking the 450 is the one that gets "not so great" fuel economy, but I regularly got over 30mpg on the highway with 85mph cruising. I'd say that's Great!
I'll disagree with your final sentence - I think the GLE450 will excel at heavy loads over long distances. Especially compared to the Suburban, with its WW1 suspension and puny brakes.
The only advantage of a Suburban would be its greater payload, but only IF you want to carry a lot of supplies inside the rig.
But our W164 and W166 Diesels (ML350's) were a LOT better at towing our 7,000# RV than the GM offerings under 1 Ton, because of better chassis, modern suspension and real brakes.
I was expecting the GLE450 to tow as well as the old W166. Looking at the torque curves, the 450 might compete in the power department, and the chassis is is a big improvement. (I don't have the 450 any more, and never had a chance to tow our RV, so I can't make a direct comparison, though.)
I'm not sure if you are thinking the 450 is the one that gets "not so great" fuel economy, but I regularly got over 30mpg on the highway with 85mph cruising. I'd say that's Great!
I'll disagree with your final sentence - I think the GLE450 will excel at heavy loads over long distances. Especially compared to the Suburban, with its WW1 suspension and puny brakes.
The only advantage of a Suburban would be its greater payload, but only IF you want to carry a lot of supplies inside the rig.
Some of what you say may depend on the model but I don’t agree that the Suburban is a better tow rig than the GM crew cab truck. For one thing the pickup has over a foot longer wheel base and with an equilizer hitch there is no noticeable flexing. I’ve got way over 20k towing things like...a heavily loaded travel trailer on the Alcan highway to Alaska and back, a 9500+ lb boat five times to the Canadian Coast...Prince Rupert and Port Hardy and several enclosed Snowmobile trailers all over the West. My friend with both a Suburban and GMC Truck preferred his truck. Is there a significant difference with either or the newer 2021’s, probably not!
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From: Westchester, NY
2014 Mercedes E350 4matic Wagon, 2018 Fiat 124 Spyder Lusso manual, 2005 Acura TSX manual
For 2020, the GLE350 4Matic offered air suspension, but they dropped it for 2021. For 2020, the GLE350 rear drive was steel springs only, the 4Matic was base or air, the 450 was base, air, or EABC, and the 580 was air or EABC. For ‘21, all 350s are base suspension only, the 450 offers base or air, and the 580 is air only.
Thread Starter
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From: Germantown, MD/Rehoboth Beach, DE
2024 GLS450
