Mercedes has been offering a designated Sport mode in many of its models for almost 15 years now. But only the most recent Mercedes models come with a specific feature called Mercedes-Benz DYNAMIC SELECT, a feature that enables you to choose between multiple specific driving modes depending on your mood.
The newest version of Mercedes DYNAMIC SELECT comes with at least 3 modes, Comfort, ECO, and Sport. Some models might even offer an Individual mode that enables you to completely customize the setup. Furthermore, some sportier models come with a Sport+ mode that further tightens up the car.
The fastest, most extreme purpose-built AMG models offer a specific Race mode. This mode is only reserved for true Mercedes supercars like the AMG GT lineage.
Some SUVs also offer specific driving modes such as Slippery, Off-Road, and Off-Road+, depending on the specific model in question.
Comfort mode
Comfort mode or as it is sometimes referred to as ‘’Mercedes Mode’’ is your standard driving mode that offers the most comfortable suspension and steering set-up. Furthermore, this mode also loosens up the transmission to offer a seamless gear-shifting experience for maximized fuel efficiency.
In this mode, your Mercedes is also the quietest as it can be as your engine tends to stick to the lower RPM range. The newest Mercedes models also offer a brand new ‘’sailing mode’’ that disengages the engine when the driver lets of the accelerator at speeds exceeding 37MPH.
This function is aimed to further save fuel by coasting using the car’s kinetic energy. The system engages the clutch again whenever the car starts losing kinetic energy, or the driver touches the pedals. The sailing mode function when engaged is shown in the instrument cluster depicting a sail yacht icon.
Comfort mode also takes advantage of the ECO Start-Stop system that turns the engine off to save fuel at every stop.
Sport and Sport+ mode
A dedicated Sport mode is the exact opposite of the aforementioned Comfort mode because this mode makes the suspension a lot stiffer, the gearbox is a lot faster, and tends to keep the gears in higher RPM ranges. The steering is also more responsive and a lot sharper, and the throttle response is also significantly dialed up.
The steering becomes a lot heavier as this enables the driver to place the car a lot more accurately, and even all the minor steering adjustments will still move the car. The exhaust becomes a little bit louder but still fairly restrained.
The Sport+ mode on the other hand is the most extreme performance driving mode in most AMG models. Sport+ is mostly tailored for faster highway driving that prioritizes safety and stability and sacrifices comfort and efficiency.
In Sport+ mode the exhaust is completely opened, the ECO Start Stop and Sailing functions are completely disabled. This mode is mostly made for enthusiasts, but even so, many people are not big fans of the way too stiff suspension setup on some AMG models when the Sport+ mode is engaged.
Individual and Race mode
The Individual mode setup is the most impressive one of them all because it enables you to pick and choose all the different aspects of the driving experience. You can choose a sportier throttle response and gearbox, but a comfortable suspension and steering set-ups.
This is extremely beneficial because a lot of Mercedes AMG models like the outgoing E63 had incredibly stiff suspension setups, which kinda ruins the daily ability compared to a regular E-Class. You can also open up the exhaust whenever you wish too, or make it quieter as well.
A specific Race mode is only available with the Mercedes AMG GT cars, as these cars are purpose-built supercars. The top-of-the-line AMG GT Black Series offers as much as 720hp and is completely set up for track driving. So Mercedes decided that a specific track mode is necessary for you to be able to completely exploit the car’s dynamic capabilities.
FAQ Section
Which Mercedes models offer a designated Off-Road mode?
All Mercedes SUVs either offer some kind of an off-road mode, or they are already set up for mild Off-Road usage. But the bigger SUVs, the GLE, and the GLS also offer a Bouncing mode that virtually turns your Mercedes SUV into a fancy lowrider.
The purpose of this feature is to unstuck the car if you end up in deep sand or snow, but Mercedes knows that this feature will most likely be used for Instagram or Tik-Tok show-off purposes. Even the Maybach GLS offers this function, and let’s face it, no one is going to take a chrome-fest Maybach Off-roading.
Which car brand offers the most configurable driving mode?
A configurable driving mode has become a standard in all of the premium German luxury cars. Both BMW and Audi also offer this function for a while now, but BMW is the one that offers the most adjustability when it comes to all the aspects of the driving experience.
BMWs let you adjust all the regular parameters such as throttle response, suspension stiffness, steering weight and precision, gearbox speeds, etc. But where BMW has an upper hand is the ability to adjust the brake feel as well. Furthermore, many BMW models offer multiple levels of gearbox adjustment.
Does the Sport mode make the car safer when driving fast?
It kinda does, and it kinda does not. When u engage Sport mode, your Mercedes will offer more dynamic capabilities, which means that the entire powertrain will be more responsive to your inputs, and you can make smaller steering adjustments. Some models will also become lower, which lowers the center of gravity for better handling characteristics.
But it is also worth mentioning that the Traction Control is also loosened up in Sport mode, and especially in Sport+. This means that the car will not react as fast as it would in comfort mode if it senses the car losing traction.
This is so because car enthusiasts enjoy a more playful car, but it also does mean that the car will not be as stable because the traction control is being limited.