markaj1

Can I get your advice please? I’m single, only have one car, 2017 GLC43 that I had for 7+ years. I’m debating trading it to a new base 53 or a new GLE 450 pinnacle. Keeping budget at about 90k. I know horsepower is kind of similar and fuel economy slightly worse for 53. Not sure if resale value holds better for the 450. But what would you choose if this was your only vehicle for the next 7 years at minimum. Drive about 15 k a year. Thank you for your replies.

suby01

I think the questions you need to ask yourself and why you want A and why you want B.

No Pinnacle on a AMG...Do you need HUD?
Do you want AMG tax on service?
Do you care about ride quality?
Do you want a quieter ride?
They are similar but also different. If 20 people respond here. HA sorry if 4 people respond here you will get 3 different replies and they are not the ones that will be stuck with the choice.

markaj1

thank you. And that is my concern. Is the 53 too stiff. Will it wear you out to use daily? Would the air ride control compensate? Many have 53 as one of the cars in garage. But not the only one for 7+ years.

W205C43PFL

Actually, with the 53, you can option Ride Control, that can be very close to the ride comfort of the GLE 450.

Don't forget dealerships overinflate the tires to help prevent flat spotting when sitting on the lot, that also contributes to the stiff ride.

suby01

All decisions you need to make. My idea of still is different than yours and again all other members. If we tell you stock AMG 53 ride is very comfortable because we think so. You drive it and you hate it. Our opinions meant nothing.

Personally I lowered my 53 and put 22" wheels with thin tires and it is still fine to "me", if I get my dad in my car he will complain .5 miles down the street.


My point is you need to ask yourself what is important to you in the features and looks and ownership of both cars and decide there.

All your questions are subjective and vary person to person.

mikapen

I owned a 2020 GLE 450 and now a '21 AMG 53.

First, there is no difference in service schedules for the 53 compared to the 450, except perhaps a transmission fluid change at 60,000 miles. The V8 s are more expensive with their fluid changes.

While the seats in the 53 are very comfortable, the 450 seats are extremely comfortable. I'm hooked on the massage function.

The 53, with AMG ARC, is much more comfortable than a 450 with or without air suspension. It rides significantly better on horrible roads.
Take away the ARC (I don't think it's available except on a 63 anymore) and the 450 ride is too floaty for me, at least with the air suspension. In some ways I prefer the steel springs because that eliminates the floaty feeling.

If you like driving, get the 53. I enjoy my track days as well as carving canyons.

My quick summary is that there's no wasted motion - when you turn the wheel it turns without hesitation, when you hit the go pedal or the stop pedal it does that without hesitation. It's like driving a car, instead of piloting a seat.

The tire pressures make a really big difference on a 53. Running 2 lb under the gas flap pressure gives you a pretty cushy ride, but with less immediacy to its response.

Would I buy a 53 without ARC?
No.

W205C43PFL

Wait a minute, no : ( since when did they removed ARC from the 53?

markaj1

are we talking about the standard adaptive damping system with ride control ? Or the optional active ride control?

W205C43PFL

ARC, yup the active one.

If they did remove it from 53 models, was it because of low take rate because if it is then it is strange, the ARC transforms the ride given how sporty the 53 is.

sickk23

I went back and forth between a GLS 450 and a GLE 53. Ended up with the 53 and kind of regret it for all of the daily quibbles such as;

stiff air suspension. It rides well but over certain bumps or turning into places off of the street, it’s definitely rough. I have 21” wheels.

The throttle is very poky/sensitive and the transmission behaves like it’s in Sport+ while in comfort for medium to hard acceleration.

But the most annoying day to day nuisance is the AMG fart sound exhaust. Navigating school pick up lines or anywhere you’re driving down the road with light acceleration, it makes the most annoying fart sounding drone. WOT sounds nice and fun.

If I could do it again, I would’ve went with a 450. I just crossed 1k miles and am overall happy, though.

W205C43PFL

Does it have ARC?

sickk23

They come with “AMG Ride Control+” as standard equipment.

I do not have AMG Active Ride Control for $2,800.

W205C43PFL

Interesting, learned something. What are the differences between the two setups?

mikapen

I don't think you have ARC.
"Adaptive shock absorbers" are standard, not ARC.

There is a huge difference. Much more than the $2,800 price.

If you had ARC you wouldn't be complaining about the ride quality. It's superior to a standard 450, which also has adaptive shock absorbers

W205C43PFL

Appreciate the clarification.

sickk23

I’m not sure what you’re talking about but I’m stating facts. There’s also a few credible car reviewers on YouTube that tend to agree, the standard AMG Ride Control+ suspension is on the rough side. And that’s because it’s tuned differently than the airmatic on the 450.


Description of the ARC that comes standard on the 53:





The optional suspension for the 53:




Edit: I’m talking about Ride Control+ which is the air suspension that’s standard on the 53. I now realize you’re talking about the optional Active Ride Control. Maybe my confusion is in MB calling the standard one AMG Ride Control+ and I was interpreting that as what you were calling ARC. Regardless, air suspension is standard. And it’s on the bumpy side.

mikapen

Sorry I misspoke. When I said "Active Shock Absorbers," I should have used the official term that Mercedes uses, which is ADC, AKA "Adaptive Damping Control." They are shock absorbers. And they are active.

But they have nothing to do with ARC, AKA Active Ride Control which is 48 volt control of the active sway bars. Which improve both ride and handling.

Drive them both. You'll see/feel what I'm talking about. Then you can comment on your YouTubers videos and correct them.🙂

Viper98912

Single? One car? I'd be in a 63 all day long.

W205C43PFL

If just want a V8 but not into exhaust note, stiff suspension or driving dynamics, the GLE 580 is a good option to consider.

stktyz33

If you want a cruiser, family vehicle and your roads are not perfect, do yourself a favor and get a 450 with AIRMATIC. You’ll be driving it in comfort most of the time, putting it in sport mode stiffens the suspension and it rides similar to X5 on steel.

mikapen

And the GLE 53 rides even better, with ARC. And most assuredly, handles better than the X5.

sickk23

I feel like you’re missing the fact that every 53 comes standard with AMG tuned airmatic (adaptive AIR suspension). The standard suspension on the 450 with shock absorbers isn’t active, it’s passive. It switches between either firm or soft like a switch.

mikapen

Here's what I think: The air suspension on all GLEs includes ADS Plus. The 350, 450, 53, 63. The air suspension itself is optional on the 350 and 450, for $1,750. It's standard on the 53 and 63.

The ADS Plus's contribution to comfort and handling is Trivial, compared to ARC.
You need to drive one.

It took me 2 months to drive one with ARC and one without, back to back.
I'd be in a different brand if I hadn't finally found an ARC car to drive/own.

My previous one was a 2020 with E-ABC, the King of active suspensions.
It was more comfortable with full width dips and speed bumps, but the 53 ARC is smoother everywhere else. Like potholes. Or railroad tracks in the middle of a corner. Or on Forest Service roads. Or Daily Driving.

sickk23

Air suspension is not an option on the 350. The air suspension that’s standard on the 53 (unsure of what comes on the 63) is the “same” as the optional one on the 450 but it’s been tuned by AMG… hence why I said it’s rough/bumpy. Definitely not bouncy like it is on the 450, though.

Which leads me back to my original post. If OP is going to drive it a lot and keep it 7+ years, I’d avoid the 53. The firm standard air suspension and fart can exhaust noise will become tiresome.

OP isn’t going to get the optional suspension on the 53 if they’re trying to keep the price around/under $90k so all of this talk about the rare optional suspension is relatively useless. What’s relevant is the AMG tuned airmatic that it comes with and that’s why I’ve chimed in.

stktyz33

I wouldn't call it "bouncy". In "comfort", it's plush but it's not static due to the work of the ADS Plus. One of the differences between regular ADS Plus and something like E-ABC is that ADS is "reactive" and not "pro-active" but it's still "active". The suspension, regardless of its mode, dynamically changes damping depending on a situation - bumps, body roll control etc. The examples of its work - taking a sharper highway exit in Comfort will have a noticeable initial dive (body roll), which then gets controlled by changing dampers, so increasing the angle doesn't lead to increased body roll, like you'll have on a static steel suspension. Same goes for bumps, if you continually drive on bumps, it will soften up. However, without the ABC, you do want to ride on a default setting that's most suitable for it and not wait till it reactively adjusts.