Hydractive C5 vs E class Airmatic

mooseshaver · Post by **mooseshaver** » 14 Apr 2011, 16:56

Which is better in terms of comfort? I know the Merc can be expensive to fix. But is the C5 the best comfort we can have without going to older cars such as the XM?

mooseshaver · Post by **mooseshaver** » 15 Apr 2011, 09:12

Not a subject to bring up then?
I've read somewhere that someone found their C6 was less comfortable than a Merc. I keep toying with the idea of straying away from Citroen, and I need comfort for my wife who finds car journeys painfull, but can travel for longer in the C5.

DickieG · Post by **DickieG** » 15 Apr 2011, 10:21

Not much help to you but the only car I've driven which has a smoother ride than any Citroen is the new Rolls Royce Ghost, it might cost a little more than you wish to spend though

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 15 Apr 2011, 12:20

I think you would be hard pressed to find a more comfortable modern car than the C5 really. If you and your wife find it comfortable then why change it?

I cant really think of a car which ive been in/driven which offers more comfort within the same class of car. Some cars are not bad but worse than the C5. Plus coil sprung cars dont have the self leveling and adjustable height advantages of the big Citroens.

A family friend runs two E-class mercs, the last shape ones on 05-06 plates. One is an estate with air on the rear, it rides ok but its stiff, seems set up for for sportiness. The saloon one is all on air and does ride quite well, but its not been a reliable system, costing £1200 for one lot of repairs to its suspension airbags. After he went in our C5 estate he wondered why he bothered with the Mercs!

Rover 75s are supposed to ride reasonably well, but they are older than C5s and im not sure id like to own a car from a company who no longer exists. They do seem slightly prone to issues too.

Things like S-class mercs etc ride well, but they seem a bit extravagant for an every day driver. Not to mention potential repair costs etc.

Id stick with the C5, if your wanting a change, why not get a C6?

I must admit the later 'real' C5s dont ride quite as well as the earlier models, our 52reg is noticeably softer and more absorbent than both our facelifted C5IIs. Though I would still class them as very comfortable and very hard to beat for ride quality.

mooseshaver · Post by **mooseshaver** » 15 Apr 2011, 13:25

The ones I was thinking of have airmatic all round rather than just the rear, and can be adjusted for comfort.
A C6 is no good as we need an estate to put the disability scooter in.

I think my MkII is less comfortable than my mkI too! Someone else comented it wasn't as floaty. I thought it might be the larger wheels the VTR has.

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 15 Apr 2011, 13:36

The saloon which they have is all air, its not a bad ride and the car is loaded with options, radar guided cruise control and the likes. For some reason its a 3.0 petrol .. the estate is a diesel.

I think quite a few revisions were made to the C5s along the way. The later ones handle better and feel more direct to drive but with a slightly firmer ride. It is around town where they feel at their most firm.

You could always sample some comfort spheres on it ...

One of ours (the 52 reg) had them on, it was very soft and floaty. No good if your a spirited driver though, I took them off.

KevMayer · Post by **KevMayer** » 15 Apr 2011, 16:33

I've been in a couple of Merc E220 CDI saloons over the past couple of years and they are extremely comfortable.

The E class is a very comfortable ride as long as it hasn't got sports suspension.

I've had a look at a couple of E class saloons around 4 to 5 years old and around £10k. An E220 CDI would be very nice.

A friend of mine recently had a BMW 320D saloon as a company car and I had a go in it. I was very surprised how comfortable the suspension is. I've driven Audi A4s, one with sports suspension and my teeth fell out. The other with normal suspension and that was good.

Any normally sprung car will have an optimum ride where it's loaded just right to give the best comfort. If it's lightly loaded it will be bouncy, If it's heavily loaded it will roll more. The beauty of the C5 hydropneumatic suspension is that it's good no matter how the car is loaded and that is what Citroen aim to achieve and is why they use it. The Activa system is the ultimate combination of comfort and sports handling.

XMV6 sadist · Post by **XMV6 sadist** » 15 Apr 2011, 21:34

Hi

I'd say that they are quite different systems. The Merc sytem is very good (airmatic rear suspension) but in Avantagrade not Sports. A smooth a ride as any non citroen. A lot of the sport problems are due to the really low profile tyres they run on. Also all e-class after the '06 revamp are much more reliable. I have a 320cdi as well as the XM.

The C5 system makes more compromises to comfort vs handling than the Merc but the Merc system is as close any German car can be to Ctiroen comfort.

It a pity the C5 took so long to get the 3.0l diesel or I would have had one.

Citroenmad · Post by **Citroenmad** » 15 Apr 2011, 23:31

The same family friend I mentioned above had the previous shape E-class before this one, that was another diesel estate with air rear suspension and in the Avantgarde spec. He actually removed its alloy wheels (normal Avantgarde wheels) to fit it with steel wheels as he was unimpressed with the ride (owned from new) and the noise from its tyres. That car also had to have 2 sets of doors under warranty due to rust issues.

Im still yet to be convinced by the quality of a Mercedes. Even small things like trim bits but bigger issues like rust problems - that really bugs me.

Another friend is obsessed with Mers, they have two SLs, one 1995 S Class and a 2000 E-class estate. All are as rotten as a pair around the wheel arches. Though he has found the cure, stick on hideous chrome wheel arch finishings, it was fine until the rust started to creep around those ...

I think the later ones have overcome those rust problems now, but they are still no match for the Citroens suspension system.

Ive lent my parents my C5 this evening to take out the above mentioned people, ill see what they think to it!

Our C5 estate is a working car, always loaded to the brim with very heavy boxes, paperwork and the likes. Ive never worked out the weight of what goes in but its heavy. We stuck half of it into a LagunaIII Tourer and it was flat on the floor with no more suspension movement. Totally useless. To drive the C5 estate full is like driving an empty car, you can't tell its laden. For this reason its impossibly to find a replacement car, something large which offers a good ride, 45-50MPG and self leveling suspension. We have looked at the C5III Tourer but the load capacity is much smaller. Ours will have to carry on until something else can match it for its abilities.

I know a few people who drive XMs and C5s due to their suspension for many reasons. Some due to health who need a very comfortable car to travel around in, others who require the self-leveling suspension and the control it gives due to the increased stability.