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I am trying to convince my wife to get a GLE. She test drove a 350 and liked it. However, the power is a bit underwhelming. So I suggested we try out a 450. After weeks of trying to locate a 450 at a dealership to drive, I found a used one. Unfortunately, it had the big 21 inch wheels and the ride was quite stiff. The handling felt a lot sloppier in the 450. This turned my wife off of the 450 and questioning the GLE entirely.
A soft, smooth ride is really important to her. She drives a Lexus now, which I absolutely hate. However, it does have a very soft ride.
I was hoping to locate a 450 with Airmatic suspension, but that is almost impossible. It seems to be a very rare option. Does anybody have it on their GLE? Does it make the ride softer?
I have it - I only have 100 miles but it was a non negotiable for me. I test drove a GLE on springs and it wasn't for me. I suggest you test drive one with airmatic and try the different configurations.
I am trying to convince my wife to get a GLE. She test drove a 350 and liked it. However, the power is a bit underwhelming. So I suggested we try out a 450. After weeks of trying to locate a 450 at a dealership to drive, I found a used one. Unfortunately, it had the big 21 inch wheels and the ride was quite stiff. The handling felt a lot sloppier in the 450. This turned my wife off of the 450 and questioning the GLE entirely.
A soft, smooth ride is really important to her. She drives a Lexus now, which I absolutely hate. However, it does have a very soft ride.
I was hoping to locate a 450 with Airmatic suspension, but that is almost impossible. It seems to be a very rare option. Does anybody have it on their GLE? Does it make the ride softer?
Read up on 48V problems before buying or leasing an MB with the system.
You might also want to check the tire pressure of the vehicle you test drive. Mine (450) came from the factory with all four tires at 50 PSI. The recommended is like 31/38 I think. I brought the pressure down to 35 and it rides MUCH better.
Airmatic could be the tricky one currently. It seems to be the main reason causing delays with my GLE53 (ordered Nov'21).
P.S: Brand new Porsche Cayenne e-Hytbrids are running with CEL due to some battery/charging issues. Yet, that model is still the one with the most demand (wait time of 1yr+).
You might also want to check the tire pressure of the vehicle you test drive. Mine (450) came from the factory with all four tires at 50 PSI. The recommended is like 31/38 I think. I brought the pressure down to 35 and it rides MUCH better.
I always have a tire gauge with me when I go test driving. I either ask for sales person to check the tire pressure before I get there, or check it myself.
I will adjust to the gas flap pressure before I make a ride / handling comparison.
I am trying to convince my wife to get a GLE. She test drove a 350 and liked it. However, the power is a bit underwhelming. So I suggested we try out a 450. After weeks of trying to locate a 450 at a dealership to drive, I found a used one. Unfortunately, it had the big 21 inch wheels and the ride was quite stiff. The handling felt a lot sloppier in the 450. This turned my wife off of the 450 and questioning the GLE entirely.
A soft, smooth ride is really important to her. She drives a Lexus now, which I absolutely hate. However, it does have a very soft ride.
I was hoping to locate a 450 with Airmatic suspension, but that is almost impossible. It seems to be a very rare option. Does anybody have it on their GLE? Does it make the ride softer?
Airmatic should make a world of difference with 21s (I have same with E-ABC and find ride very good), and go with 20s if ride quality is top priority. Checking tire pressure is good advice.
Interesting how one person's comfortable is another person's stiff. I myself have grown to appreciate a more comfortable ride as the years pile up. Coming from a Lincoln, I was a bit concerned about the GLE's ride, but my 450 on the 21's feels just about perfect to me with the standard steel springs. Based on some of the reviews I've read/watched, I honestly don't think I'd like the air springs.
I am trying to convince my wife to get a GLE. She test drove a 350 and liked it. However, the power is a bit underwhelming. So I suggested we try out a 450. After weeks of trying to locate a 450 at a dealership to drive, I found a used one. Unfortunately, it had the big 21 inch wheels and the ride was quite stiff. The handling felt a lot sloppier in the 450. This turned my wife off of the 450 and questioning the GLE entirely.
A soft, smooth ride is really important to her. She drives a Lexus now, which I absolutely hate. However, it does have a very soft ride.
I was hoping to locate a 450 with Airmatic suspension, but that is almost impossible. It seems to be a very rare option. Does anybody have it on their GLE? Does it make the ride softer?
Have you considered a custom order? A GLE 450 with Air Suspension will be as soft or softer than a Lexus and you have options to improve handling by changing from Comfort mode to Sport mode. I found my GLE 450 with 20’s and air to be too soft for my taste.
My wife recently owned a Lexus RX350 and I can tell you they are not comparable vehicles. The Mercedes is in another Class from Lexus. Go Mercedes and she will never go back.
we have a 350 on springs and 19” wheels. Been a smooth ride even with run flat tires (run flat is also a huge factor in ride comfort).
Then we got new tires of the exact same tire model last week. It was awful. So bouncy and harsh on bumps.
I was concerned, but noticed they were at 37 psi vs the recommended 32psi for low load. I put them down to 33 psi and it’s a world of difference. Much easier drive with just 10% psi difference.
Now, I would never get a gle with 21” wheels. They’re stupid wide for a 4-cyl suv. I see them all the time in my area and it looks ridiculous and disproportional. I have 315mm width tires on my 434hp cayenne where they belong, but it definitely has a negative impact on snow traction.
You might also want to check the tire pressure of the vehicle you test drive. Mine (450) came from the factory with all four tires at 50 PSI. The recommended is like 31/38 I think. I brought the pressure down to 35 and it rides MUCH better.
Agree, my wife's 450 with 21" rims was delivered with 50 psi also. Not only a terrible ride, but noticeably rough and excessively noisy. The gas cover states 31 psi under normal conditions so i am running 33 psi and it made a significant difference. I find the ride is smooth without being loose.
We got a new 2022 GLE 350 a month ago. We needed the car so we didn't have much of a choice. We avoided the third row seat because we were concerned about the ride of the run-flat tires. It appeared the the third row seat deleted the spare and you ended up with them.
We also avoided the 21" wheels because we noticed that the rear tires were a different size from the front and we wanted to be able to rotate it tires front to back. As a result we ended up with the 19".
Finally we avoided the air ride because we want to tow. We'll balance the load with a weight distribution hitch.
Bottom line is this combo has a beautiful soft ride that corners very competently. We're running 33psi. The car came with 30 but we like the cornering better at 33. I like a comfortable ride with sure-footed handling and this car has the magic for me. We lucked into this combo and we like it.
My wife recently owned a Lexus RX350 and I can tell you they are not comparable vehicles. The Mercedes is in another Class from Lexus. Go Mercedes and she will never go back.
After three generations, my wife is no longer excited about the new coming RX350 that will debut end of this month. But she may go back if this new Mercedes gives her issues. Never had an issue with all three generations. Back to the topic... IMO 21" on GLE is fine. It has more wall then X5's 21". And the design is the best of all.
We got a new 2022 GLE 350 a month ago. We needed the car so we didn't have much of a choice. We avoided the third row seat because we were concerned about the ride of the run-flat tires. It appeared the the third row seat deleted the spare and you ended up with them.
We also avoided the 21" wheels because we noticed that the rear tires were a different size from the front and we wanted to be able to rotate it tires front to back. As a result we ended up with the 19".
Finally we avoided the air ride because we want to tow. We'll balance the load with a weight distribution hitch.
Bottom line is this combo has a beautiful soft ride that corners very competently. We're running 33psi. The car came with 30 but we like the cornering better at 33. I like a comfortable ride with sure-footed handling and this car has the magic for me. We lucked into this combo and we like it.
You may know this, but for others' benefit, the 20" wheel option has tires almost 2" larger OD than the 19s, resulting in sidewalls 0.4" [edit] taller, hence more cushioning. IMO, the 19s look seriously puny on such a large vehicle. A secondary benefit, especially if towing, is the 20s have a higher load capacity.
Last edited by GregW / Oregon; May 27, 2022 at 11:40 AM.
You may know this, but for others' benefit, the 20" wheel option has tires almost 2" larger OD than the 19s, resulting in sidewalls 0.2" taller, hence more cushioning. IMO, the 19s look seriously puny on such a large vehicle. A secondary benefit, especially if towing, is the 20s have a higher load capacity.
Fully agree. (Sidewall with 20s is actually almost 0.4" taller vs. 19s, above must be a typo, guaranteeing even better ride with 20s over 19s).
Nice to know. We took what we could get (the 19s) in the current situation. We wanted to rotate front to back so we were happy to avoid the 21s since that was the only alternative at our dealer. The 19s look nice on the car to us but it's our first Mercedes SUV so we're not totally grooved in to the expected look.
We just wanted to point out that the ride seems great to us with the 19s and the springs but maybe we don't know any better. The 21 run flats seemed ok ... maybe a little stiff. We didn't try 20s because our dealer didn't have them but if you say they're better then maybe that's the way to go. We didn't try the airmatic but we read enough to shy us away from that.
For the record the 19s without airmatic works great for us. We got the car for a utilitarian purpose but it also looks very beautiful to us too!
Nice to know. We took what we could get (the 19s) in the current situation. We wanted to rotate front to back so we were happy to avoid the 21s since that was the only alternative at our dealer. The 19s look nice on the car to us but it's our first Mercedes SUV so we're not totally grooved in to the expected look.
We just wanted to point out that the ride seems great to us with the 19s and the springs but maybe we don't know any better. The 21 run flats seemed ok ... maybe a little stiff. We didn't try 20s because our dealer didn't have them but if you say they're better then maybe that's the way to go. We didn't try the airmatic but we read enough to shy us away from that.
For the record the 19s without airmatic works great for us. We got the car for a utilitarian purpose but it also looks very beautiful to us too!
Lisa and Ken
As long as your happy that is the most important thing. BTW, the 21s are not run flats. I love Airmatic, personally.
Just took delivery 3 weeks ago of a GLE450 with Airmatic. and that ride is super smooth. in Comfort, and even in Sport mode is still very comfy ! I'm impressed and very satisfied with this Airmatic.which gives you a choice of height and smoothness.
I also tested another GLE450 with the Steel springs and it felt floaty and I could fell the smaller bumps a lot more...I was not impressed.
I also have a GLC63S with 21'' and airmatic, this one rides much stiffer but still acceptable.
2016 E350 Wagon w/AMG, 2018 GLC300 Selinite SUV w/AMG Night(sold) 2021 GLE450 AMG Night
I have 22" wheels on my 450 with Airmatic. It's floaty in comfort and comfortable in sport with 33 psi front and 36 rear. 31 psi all around gives it a very comfortable ride in sport without the floaty feeling. It really needs a sport plus setting for highly spirited driving.
The tire pressure range for the front is 31-38 psi and 31-44 for the rear so there is room to sort of fine tune the ride quality.
I have 22" wheels on my 450 with Airmatic. It's floaty in comfort and comfortable in sport with 33 psi front and 36 rear. 31 psi all around gives it a very comfortable ride in sport without the floaty feeling. It really needs a sport plus setting for highly spirited driving.
The tire pressure range for the front is 31-38 psi and 31-44 for the rear so there is room to sort of fine tune the ride quality.
E-ABC has a Sport+ mode, which is great for fast driving in the twistiest, but too stiff for normal use.
I ordered a GLE 450 in the fall with airmatic, tow package, the usual...priced out @ $70,500 ish
The car arrived mid April at the dealership. No upcharge
Beautiful car and I passed on taking it.
The car arrived about 7 months to early in my planning. My fault on ordering too soon.
I plan to re-order the same vehicle on a 450 build slot mid July for a December delivery.
..... wanted to be able to rotate it tires front to back. As a result we ended up with the 19"....
FYI even the 19" have different offsets front and back, so you can't really rotate them without removing the tires from the wheel.
Actually what's funny is that the other day I saw a GLE which looks to me had the wheels rotated, so the rear is so much into the wheel well while the front is sticking out. It was going the opposite direction so I can't snap a picture of it.
FYI even the 19" have different offsets front and back, so you can't really rotate them without removing the tires from the wheel.
Actually what's funny is that the other day I saw a GLE which looks to me had the wheels rotated, so the rear is so much into the wheel well while the front is sticking out. It was going the opposite direction so I can't snap a picture of it.
Most owners and even tire shops will not know this. An odd decision on M-B's part - a case where the engineers are given free reign without enough practical input, I think!
Last edited by GregW / Oregon; May 28, 2022 at 06:00 PM.
FYI even the 19" have different offsets front and back, so you can't really rotate them without removing the tires from the wheel.
Actually what's funny is that the other day I saw a GLE which looks to me had the wheels rotated, so the rear is so much into the wheel well while the front is sticking out. It was going the opposite direction so I can't snap a picture of it.
With 19s you would not be able to discern that visually. The R26s are only 2mm, less than 0.1", different front to rear (why on God's earth did they do this?), and the 15Rs are the same. The 20" 50Rs and RZVs are more like 13mm difference, which would surely be noticeable.
Last edited by GregW / Oregon; May 28, 2022 at 12:49 PM.
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