No airmatic option on 2010 ML350???
09-08-2009, 10:45 PM
#1
Super Member
Thread Starter
No airmatic option on 2010 ML350???
What gives? Why did they not offer this as an option? I really dislike the standard suspension on my 2006 Ml350 with too much bounciness over bumps and potholes. I want to order the 2010 Ml but am dismayed that it is no longer with airmatic option? Am I wrong or can you special order it?
09-08-2009, 11:36 PM
#2
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ML350
What gives? Why did they not offer this as an option? I really dislike the standard suspension on my 2006 Ml350 with too much bounciness over bumps and potholes. I want to order the 2010 Ml but am dismayed that it is no longer with airmatic option? Am I wrong or can you special order it?
09-09-2009, 10:10 PM
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ML550, F-350
Airmatic
What gives? Why did they not offer this as an option? I really dislike the standard suspension on my 2006 Ml350 with too much bounciness over bumps and potholes. I want to order the 2010 Ml but am dismayed that it is no longer with airmatic option? Am I wrong or can you special order it?
09-22-2009, 10:27 AM
#5
Senior Member
In that case I'm glad I bought a 2009. It was part of the Premium Package. It is absolutely the largest single reason why I got an ML rather than an X5; it is a wonderful suspension system in every respect. Without it an ML is just another SUV, IMO -- nice but not special.
09-29-2009, 10:23 AM
#7
Senior Member
Do you mean "explain why I like the airmatic suspension", or "explain why I think the ML is just another SUV without it"?
Positives: In Auto or Comfort mode, the ML rides significantly smoother than the X5, and I mean significantly, not "slightly". But switch to Sport mode and the vehicle noticeably stiffens up and provides much tauter control in the twisties, more like an X6 than an X5. I owned two X5s over an eight year period and drove a new one and an X6 back-to-back with the Airmatic-equipped ML; the difference was far more than I had expected and instantly sold me on the ML. (I also drove an ML63 but found its normal setting slightly too stiff for my aging bones.) The only other vehicles I have driven that came close to offering the same comfort/control mix are a couple of Cadillacs and an Audi, all equipped with magneto-rheologic shocks.
Negatives: There really isn't a lot to differentiate an ML from an X5, a Q7, a Lexus 350/470, an MDX, etc. other than personal preference. It is scandalous that Mercedes puts plastic coverings on their seats at their price point, service is undeniably expensive, the seat controls are the "before" situation in a re-design competition, and so on. But I think the 550 engine is unconditionally sweet and, as I said, I think the Airmatic suspension is just wonderful. Any up-market SUV would work for me if equipped with those two features!
Positives: In Auto or Comfort mode, the ML rides significantly smoother than the X5, and I mean significantly, not "slightly". But switch to Sport mode and the vehicle noticeably stiffens up and provides much tauter control in the twisties, more like an X6 than an X5. I owned two X5s over an eight year period and drove a new one and an X6 back-to-back with the Airmatic-equipped ML; the difference was far more than I had expected and instantly sold me on the ML. (I also drove an ML63 but found its normal setting slightly too stiff for my aging bones.) The only other vehicles I have driven that came close to offering the same comfort/control mix are a couple of Cadillacs and an Audi, all equipped with magneto-rheologic shocks.
Negatives: There really isn't a lot to differentiate an ML from an X5, a Q7, a Lexus 350/470, an MDX, etc. other than personal preference. It is scandalous that Mercedes puts plastic coverings on their seats at their price point, service is undeniably expensive, the seat controls are the "before" situation in a re-design competition, and so on. But I think the 550 engine is unconditionally sweet and, as I said, I think the Airmatic suspension is just wonderful. Any up-market SUV would work for me if equipped with those two features!
