PHSWOOD

I have a favor to ask of anyone living in Northern Virginia or Washington, DC (including Bethesda and Chevy Chase, MD). If there is an owner of an SL 400, 450, 500 or 550 who has the ABC option in their car, I would very much like to be taken for a short ride so that I might be convinced to order the option in my 2020 SL450. Please PM me if you would be willing to convert a want-to-be-believer. I live near Upperville, VA. Many thanks!!!

Whoa back fellas. I didn't mean to stir up a hornet's nest. This forum has provide ample discussion of the pros and cons of ABC. I was merely asking if there was anyone in the "hood" who might give me a ride if they have it. So far it's a no-go. I'm not asking to be picked up or taken to lunch. Hell, I'll take you to lunch. I just want a ride and a little light conversation about our mutual interest.
Thanks!

tx170754

I'm not so sure if I compare apples with apples but I had the ABC option in my , now departed, R230, I still have it in my CL600 and I don't have it in my R231, frankly speaking I don't see any difference, but that's only me....

Wolfman

Can't compare those unfortunately. R230 SL on ABC rides better than the R231 SL on springs. R231 with ABC rides better than either...

tx170754

Well, it may be the case but I really don't feel it.... maybe the roads where I live ( also Midwest ) are smoother

rmorin49

I test drove a new SL with ABC and I did not think it rode any smoother than one without ABC. I did notice that it may corner a bit flatter but honestly with the type of driving we and most SL owners do, I don't know if the handling difference is worth it. I was also concerned about the high cost of replacement/repair of ABC components once the car is out of warranty. We also have pretty good roads in MD.

Rockinrob

I've had both systems...a 2009 R230 with ABC and 2 2013 R231's without. The ride is definitely better with ABC and it stays uncannily level , until pushed to extremes. The biggest difference is that ABC cars do not have anti-sway bars....the computer handles roll, pitch and yaw. Sway bars add resistance to the suspension system. The car dives less when braking,and squats less upon acceleration with ABC ..as well. On smooth roads, you will not notice as much difference. I see both sides of the issue. I also had an accumulator going bad on my '09 w/ABC and my mechanic said that I was getting ready to drop some bucks in repairs. You could feel the pump pulsing at the gas pedal area. The power steering pump is directly connected to the ABC pump. Long story short..I traded the car and have missed the smoother (improved) ride that it gave. I'm told the ABC has been improved on the 231 , but I cannot verify. Changing the green ABC fluid often is supposed to be key to it's longer life. I regained some of the ride on the springs by switching to 18" wheels and ditching the run-flats on both of my R231's. Just my 2 cents worth -since I've logged close to 30K miles on each system by now.
Bottom line... Enjoy these wonderful cars either way...and having a good extended warranty would let you enjoy the ABC well into the future.

Wolfman

Unfortunately these are academic conversations. The ones that have ABC swear by it, the ones that don’t don’t.
Some people can’t tell the difference between conventional tires and run flats either. For others it is day and night.

All this is fully subjective and can only be answered personally.

Objectively, a fully active suspension simply outperform springs and offer features not available otherwise.
The question is simply if it is important enough to spend $4k on it

places

DC here but unfortunately no ABC. I've had it on several vehicles in the past and could tell some difference. I would not however, not buy a car I really like just because it did not have it. I usually buy standing inventory and as we all know, unless it's ordered, it's not likely to exist.

Streamliner

Boy! Do I really want to wade into this again? I guess I do.

The question you need to ask yourself, is how sensitive are you to ride quality? To some folks, it is just about meaningless, while to others, such as myself, it is EVERYTHING! If the ABC option was $20,000.00, instead of $4,000.00, I would have still ordered it, I consider it to be that much better.

Living here in Orange County, CA, where the roads are in excellent condition, the ride of my 2013 SL550 without ABC was still irritating to me. Even on smooth roads, with gentle bumps, the way the car "bounced," for lack of a better term, was just maddening and so disappointing. This is a $100K luxury grand touring car. It should have the best of everything. ABC is a simply amazing suspension, a jewel of German engineering and an absolute perfect fit to the SL. I know, I'm biased, but to me, ordering an SL without ABC is like ordering a prime steak in a top notch steak house and then ordering a bottle of "Two Buck Chuck" to go with it.

Another thing that I am enjoying, is the ABC ride/transmission selections. From the "Curve" function, which makes the car lean into curves, like a motorcycle, to Sport and Sport+, the ABC in conjunction with the 9-speed is just wonderful and truly LIGHT YEARS better than my 2013, in my humble opinion.

Lastly, we can consider what the downside of ABC might be. Well, it costs around $4,000.00 extra, which on a car the cost of an SL is nominal. Secondly, there is maintenance, which will run a bit higher, having the fluid changed out when need be. There is always the specter of something going wrong with the sophisticated system, but that will all be covered under warranty, until, of course, it isn't. I had my 2004 SL500 with ABC for 12 years. The ABC pump went out after two years and was replaced under warranty. I never had another problem with the ABC system and the current components have been improved and refined.

The SL450 with ABC is a truly sensational car. This is my 8th SL and by far, my favorite. Go for the ABC. Life is too short!

P.S. Fly into John Wayne. I'll pick you up and we'll go for a drive!

PHSWOOD

Streamliner,

It is because of you and Wolfman that I am strongly leaning towards ordering ABC. I feel as you that, if you're going to spend $100K on a car, you may as well go all in.. But, being the empiricist that I am, I want to taste the chocolate sauce before I put in on my sundae. And, thank you for the offer for a ride. If I do fly west, I'll absolutely give you a shout.

BTW I sent you a PM about custom designo interiors last week. Did you get it?

Streamliner

No, just checked and nothing there. Please send again, thanks.

tx170754

Well, you need to eventually drive the car you want to buy on the same roads, or maybe on the kind of roads you will mostly drive, with/without ABC and see how you feel, one think for sure it will not be night and day. On the other hand if it is a must option on this model, as some folks suggest, then why the majority of the folks buying new don't care about, $4000 extra on the new car price it is not astronomical.
Just my .02

Streamliner

It's a very simple answer: Most folks never get to experience ABC, because dealers almost never order a car for stock with the option and most folks do not order their cars, waiting 8 to 12 weeks for it to show up, they buy off the rack.

tx170754

I don't buy it, it seems to me that a lot of folks from this forum, at least, are not first time SL buyers, and, prior to this model, the ABC was standard, so they're exposed to it, however there are not to many SL 400/550 cars out there with it....is it because now it is a $4000 option or just because it is not something that most of the people care about. Again, I had it in my previous SL and currently have it in my CL600 but it doesn't not impress me as something out of the ordinary....

Streamliner

It is definitely something out of the ordinary. ABC is a truly amazing, stroke of German engineering brilliance. However, some folks will not notice much of a difference, while others will. You know, I WISH I wasn’t as particular as I am, but wishing won’t change me. I don’t crave speed or torque, but I do crave ride quality. MB obviously spent untold fortune and developed ABC for some good reason. And, they continue to offer it on their top line cars. The Magic Body Control or MBC, which is ABC with cameras that scan the road, that I have on my S560, is nothing short of phenomenal. It’s a $4K+ option, but it is amazing in how it works, making the huge saloon handle better than most sports cars from the 70’s, 80’s or 90’s.

If you don't notice much of a difference, I envy you. However, if ride quality is very important to you, ABC is worth it’s weight in gold, in my humble opinion.

tx170754

Maybe I should meet you next time I'm in SoCal because ( well not just because of this I'm really interested in the MBC. I have read a lot about it but never had a chance to drive a car with it, I'm looking for a S63 coupe as next car, so that may be a nice experience to meet a MB expert and get some insight.
Thanks for your feedback !

Streamliner

WHOAA! I know some things about the models I am interested in, but I am NO MB expert, not by a long shot! Thanks anyway for the compliment.

igorxxx70

I am looking for the part number for the ABC pump for Sl550 2013. Greatly appreciate it.

jmattioni

I've been looking at 2017 SL550s and I'm wondering if there's variations in the features for ABC on '17 and newer SLs?

Most listings don't mention ABC, but many do mention something called "Adaptive Suspension". Where the build sheet was available for the car I noticed it did have the ABC option. I'm also aware you can tell if they give you a good photo of the shifter area. On an SL w/o ABC the middle two buttons behind the shifter are blank. But, on some cars the right middle button is there and the left middle button is blank. My understanding is that the left middle button is the "lift" option. So it appears in some cases the car has ABC and not the lift option? Anyone have the details on this? Thanks.

Wolfman

https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-class-...l-has-abc.html

Not sure if its worth making it a sticky post...

Streamliner

Very simply, if the button, second from the left is functional, the car has ABC.

jmattioni

Just found a 2018 SL550 with ABC for sale in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. Took a 5 minute test drive. It wasn't enough time to tell the difference from my 2013 w/o ABC running on 18" wheels and no run-flats. Thought I'd put it out there for those in the area who may be interested.

ttdavid

just traded in my 2013 SL550 last weekend for a CPO 2018 SL450 with magic sky, driver assist pkg, and ABC with 5505 miles. My SL550 popped a CEL, quick scan shown it is a P104A. Since my sl550 is also need brake work, transmission fluid flush, and service B and the CEL work done. we decided to trade it in for a facelift model. I was surprise to find a 2018 SL450 with the same major options my car had, magic sky, driver assist, + ABC and CPO, and just 5505 miles!
here is my observation :

• I never owned a mercedes with ABC. but I feel the ride on run flat + ABC on sl450 is much better than my non run flat sl550. it is definitely feel less bounce going over bad road. I am hoping once I change the tires to non run flat, the ride will be even better
• I think the V8 on the SL550 is much smoother than the V6 on the sl450. it seems like there is a slight lag on acceleration on the V6. I will try to reset the transmission this week to see if that helps
• I think both cars have the same dimension, both some how the Sl450 feels narrower? the glove box, door panel pocket all seems smaller
• the exhaust note on the sl450 is much louder than the sl550, even on the comfort setting

Streamliner

Welcome to our very small club! SL450’s with ABC are quite scarce in the USA. Where are you located? I am amazed at the “smoothness” comparison you note. I, too, came from a 2013 SL550 w/o ABC, to a 2019 SL450 with ABC. The V6 delivers turbine like power with remarkable smoothness in my car. Way more power than I could ever possibly need. With yours having only 5500 miles, you might ask the dealer to give it a once over, as that engine should be as smooth as glass. Now, WHERE are your photos???

jmattioni

I've been considering trading up my 2013 SL550 for a facelift model. I test drove a 2018 SL550 with ABC recently and, yes, it was definitely louder inside the cabin. During the 5 min test drive I wasn't able to tell the difference with ABC. On the facelift, SL550 anyway, there were two hood bulges that were very noticeable from inside the cabin. Couldn't decide whether I liked those or not.

One reason for the louder sound inside the cabin is that the facelift models (2017 on) have a sound generator. Not sure how much of what you hear is actual exhaust versus generated sound. I think all the facelift models also have "switchable exhaust" so they're probably even louder in Sport mode.

For now I've decided against the trade up. Hopefully this won't jinx it, but my current SL has been very solid -- no issues. I guess until it starts to act up I'll probably keep it. Otherwise, it's hard to justify a roughly $40K cost just for the SL550 facelift. I might consider a 450 next time too, though I do love the torque with the v8.