Ride in a W126 vs. a W124: Which is better?

[Sorry Pete]

Just putting feelers out on this one; I thought the ride in my old 300SE was great at soaking-up the bumps, and nicely planted on the motorway. All in all, no complaints. Once in a while though, over potholes or the odd imperfection on tarmac, the back used to thump. I guess I also felt there was more 'rumble' from the rear than in my 300D. Having been a passenger in the back of both, I honestly feel that the w124 is smoother: am I imagining things? I know that there's about 5 years of development between the two models, but even when I had the old w126, I wasn't stupidly impressed with the ride. I certainly expected more from an S-Klasse!

Perhaps I just had a duff one, I did have the rear anti-roll bushes (?) replaced (erm... I think that's what the mechanic said they were, they looked like plastic hooks with rubber ball-joints at each end and cost £7) but subjectively, and it was a long time since I've parted with the old w126, the w124 just seems to ride much better. Smoother certainly, I couldn't say sharper, I've never tested either to their limits, they just don't seem to be those type of cars.

For what it's worth, I just love the w126, it still looks to me to be one of the most majestic cars on the road. Good ole Bruno Sacco . I remember (being 21, and upgrading from a VW Beetle) how it settled-down and felt planted just under 90.

Anyway, I don't want to open a can of worms here, just would like to know what ya think?

All the best

 

[grober]

The W 124 has the 5 link rear suspension developed first for the w201 ( 190 ) which is superior to the older trailing arm design of the W126--at least in roadholding/handling terms. This 5 link design was so good that it continued almost unchanged to this day in the W203 C class and has been copied by many other manufacturers.

 

[219]

The 126 has a softer , more insular ride than a 124 , but does not handle as sharply as a 124 .

 

[jaymanek]

I agree, I prefer the W126 as i do more motorway journeys... the W124 is better on country lanes though..

 

[The Boss]

w126 ride is for more relaxing than the w124...

however, i prefer the w124, as it is more refined, is actually more responsive than the w126 and overall, plays a big part in better handling..

w126 as already stated, handles less so than a w124..

either or, u will have a great ride though lol

 

[Sorry Pete]

Ha! That just reminded me of the comment of a friend of mine when I gave her a lift in the 300SE.

"Wow, it's got a very comfortable ride. Nicely cushioned."

I think that sums it up rather well. As a personal choice, I prefer the w124, for the reasons The Boss put up. BTW, I wiki'd W124: there's a picture of a nice cabriolet in the main article!

 

[Roger Jones]

I have both and like both, but I agree that overall the W124 has the better ride. My perception of that is filtered through the Sportline suspension on both my W124s, first generation on one and second generation on the other, the former being much stiffer. The rear-end occasional thump in the W126 is, ahem, a feature. If it turns into a clunk/clonk, that's something else, which I did experience once, but the vendor couldn't explain it.

 

[del320]

BTW, I wiki'd W124: there's a picture of a nice cabriolet in the main article!

Are there no depths to which he will not plumb?

 

[buccal]

Are there no depths to which he will not plumb?

Looks strangely familiar

 

[Bill_33]

Looks strangely familiar

Full marks for enterprise - you have to admire the guy