Mercedes vs Porsche ride quality
04-19-2018, 08:20 PM
#17
Pro
For Benz C300 the Luxury trim option will be smoother than most other C300 out there (majority have the sport trim, I dunno why...C300 isn't a sport car). One of my cars has the Luxury trim option, it is smooth.
04-19-2018, 08:23 PM
#18
Rennlist Member
I have a BMW 5 Series with the whole M Sport package - including suspension. It's significantly sportier than the standard suspension in the bimmer. Significantly more "tuned" in the M Sport and way less comfortable.
Just took the 991.1S on a 400Mile jaunt this week. For a sports car it was fantastic and people that say it is a GT don't have experience in a real GT. As great as it was.... it was not even close to the comfort of the "sport" bimmer - which is in turn likely better than a C class but way harsher than an E class.
That is an assessment anyone could have predicted. The 991 is great for a sports car but will never have the comfort of a lux sedan; nor was it ever intended to.
Just took the 991.1S on a 400Mile jaunt this week. For a sports car it was fantastic and people that say it is a GT don't have experience in a real GT. As great as it was.... it was not even close to the comfort of the "sport" bimmer - which is in turn likely better than a C class but way harsher than an E class.
That is an assessment anyone could have predicted. The 991 is great for a sports car but will never have the comfort of a lux sedan; nor was it ever intended to.
04-19-2018, 11:14 PM
#19
Rennlist Member
04-22-2018, 01:55 PM
#21
There isn’t a brand out there with a sloppier ride to handling combo than Merc. My E Classes exhibited exaggerated floatiness while going over harsh surfaces far more crudely than my lowered 911 on 2” bigger wheels and comparatuvely rubber band tires does, and they handled terribly. My moms new C is not much better (extremely sloppy chassis delivering no level of driving dynamics), A Classes are brutally bad, and even the (at least early) new S has had lots of complaints in suspension/balance when going over harsh surfaces.
Imo, nobody designs a worse chassis/suspension combo than M-B. And I really mean that, and say it from experience. My BMW was far better, and Porsche is literally the BEST at it. Nobody designs better poise and comfort over all surfaces while mixed with handling prowess. It’s incredible how comfortable their track ready sports cars are.
EDIT: True, M-B’s with “comfort” suspension will ride smoother than their bad joke of “sport” suspensions, though will be even floatier and more synthetic. I can’t criticize how lost in plot and lacking in nearly every manner M-B “sport” suspensions are. AMG’s don’t count. But M-B engineers to this day are far from figuring out how to do a proper sport suspension / chassis.
Imo, nobody designs a worse chassis/suspension combo than M-B. And I really mean that, and say it from experience. My BMW was far better, and Porsche is literally the BEST at it. Nobody designs better poise and comfort over all surfaces while mixed with handling prowess. It’s incredible how comfortable their track ready sports cars are.
EDIT: True, M-B’s with “comfort” suspension will ride smoother than their bad joke of “sport” suspensions, though will be even floatier and more synthetic. I can’t criticize how lost in plot and lacking in nearly every manner M-B “sport” suspensions are. AMG’s don’t count. But M-B engineers to this day are far from figuring out how to do a proper sport suspension / chassis.
04-22-2018, 02:49 PM
#22
Interesting results and as you said, not exactly surprising. What is surprising to me is just how well the 991 platform rides in general - especially for a low slung sports car with giant wheels and low profile tires. My daily is a new Mercedes E63S AMG and I have to say that despite my 911 being a GTS with SPASM and the Merc being a 2 ton bruiser with air suspension there's honestly not a lot in it in terms of ride quality between the two cars. I think Mercedes has overcorrected on the ride/handling balance for AMG cars. I actually enjoy a stiff ride and find the E63's handling to be amazing for such a big, heavy car but I can see how the previous owner traded it back in for a S550 after just 2 months of ownership.