syswei

I was a little surprised to read this in a review:

"the E-class...puts the company’s S-class to shame in terms of ride quality and comfort"

evo review

Streamliner

We have a 2015 S550 sedan and a 2016 E350 Luxury sedan. I'm quite sure the new E will have a much better ride than our E, with the once again available AirMatic, but as for riding better than my big W222, I just can't imagine that.

BenzV12

W 205 C also available with Airmatic but I don't think neither W213 nor W205 would surpass W222's ride quality ,MB engineers would not let this happen otherwise you could crease the unshakable fleet image of the S Class in to the bucket

MTrauman

Ok. I want to remain open minded since I have not driven the 2017 E class.


But come on. The new E Class puts the S Class "to shame in terms of ride quality and comfort."


I have learned along time ago to not believe everything you read. But since I have not driven the new E I will just say sure anything is possible.

PeterUbers

"Puts to shame" suggests that the new E class ride quality is leagues of improvement over the current s class.... That's not possible

That would also make the e class ride quality better than most $100k cars and $60k+ cars on the market by a huge amount ...

Wait till the next head to head with the w213 e class vs the competition and you'll see more sobering statements

Nonformulaic

I took extensive test drives on both the '17 E300 and the '16 S560 last week. The E300 does everything well but I could not get beyond the "four cylinder-ness" of the small maxed out 2.0 liter engine. Coupled with a 9 speed transmission, it's buzzy, shifts hyper frequently and "thunks" at times. The ride is excellent, but a very different experience than the mighty S. The S is always composed....cannot say that about the '17 E300. It took me all of an hour to decide on the S. My take.

WEBSRFR

Is the new E no longer offered with a V8?

With the same V8 in the S Class the E should be more lively/enjoyable to drive but the ride quality as it related to the suspension is only part of the story. Something I've always enjoyed when being inside an S Class is the better seats and the noise isolation that is better than what is available in an E Class. Doesn't the S class ship standard with dual pane side glass?

To me the noise isolation and seats makes a big difference so I find it hard to imagine for the E Class can exceed what is offered in the S Class even if somehow the new E Class is offered with a more sophisticated suspension system.

I have to say that that I am glad that Mercedes is paying more attention to the E Class. It used to be more than the staid model it became as of late and this upcoming update with refinements and technology is much needed.

I'm really interested in seeing how they migrate Drivepilot technology to the S Class and if it can be accomplished to the existing S Class fleet with a software update. From what I've seen the E Class Drivepilot is a lot more capable than Distronic Plus.

Wolfman

There is no software update to retrofit the current S to the updated DrivePilot. Reason is the software requires a faster data bus and the system moves to a 48Volt system (more data, faster network & processor).

Wolfman

The new E-Class rides better (more competent & luxurious) than the prior E but nowhere close to the S.

The EVO guys are thinking in different terms when describing ride quality. When you say luxurious, they say soft and mushy.
They prefer a tighter more dynamic suspension setup...

WEBSRFR

Would it also have a 48v battery instead of a 12v?

RJC

It must mean the new E is getting non-ROF tires...lol

syswei

Makes sense as an explanation, thanks.

Mitch Alsup

Higher Voltage == Lower Amps -> less power wasted in wiring.
Higher Voltage -> smaller motors (door locks, windows, door closers...)
Higher Voltage == less ancillary weight.

WEBSRFR

I understand that but I was wondering if the new E Class is going to a 48V battery system from a 12V battery system.

konigstiger

12V

konigstiger

Axle/suspension details.

Wolfman

To my understanding, there will only be a 48V battery for hybrids in 2017.

WEBSRFR

Is that primary or backup? All EVs I know of always have a backup battery for emergency situations where the primary battery pack is offline.

I guess for hybrids the primary and backup battery are the same as it backs up the combustion engine.

Mitch Alsup

To a good first order (quoting Miliken and Miliken "Race Car Vehicular Dynamics") ride quality is

A) low friction high stiffness bearings and suspension members
B) Springs and shocks balanced wrt chassis weight
C) Compression/rebound balanced to wheel weight versus vehicle weight
D) linearity in shock actuation (think Olins)

Now with that out of the way::

I can easily conceive of a way for the new E to have a better ride than the current S.
Just put non-Run-Crap tires on it !

Keadog

I'm not a big fan of my S550 4matic (my first and probably last Mercedes), but the ride is pretty damn nice, aside from the crappy tires and clunky transmission (ever driven a PDK?).

Wolfman

Agreed on the tires but who in their right mind would want a PDK in a luxury sedan?

Keadog

Someone who enjoys smooth shifting of gears without a "thunk".

Streamliner

I've never had a problem with the transmission in my 2015 S550. It always shifts smoothly. I never use the paddle shifters and find them a bit ridiculous on a huge sedan. All that said, we are at the end of the cycle here, with the new nine speed right around the corner, which, along with the updated electronics we expect to to see in the 2018 model, should put the W222 squarely atop the luxury sedan food chain. Can't wait!

beckerkumm

The downshift from 6 to 4 is where i notice the transmission the most. I'll be interested to hear if the nine speed does a lot of two down shifting. I do use the paddle shifters but mainly when I'm getting ready to pass and want to bring the rpms up some to help the turbo. Without a manual mode, they aren't much use as they don't hold. Dave

syswei

I get some rough shifts in mine. Pretty disappointing given how mature the 7-speed is.