Isn't the air suspension on the W220 series very problematic? I once thought about "upgrading" to a W220 (one of the V8's) until I read about the air suspension and how expensive it is to fix. I think sacrificing reliability for temporary comfort is always a bad call.

The 00-02's are supposedly more problematic than the later years of that series. I haven't had any issues...

How is the comfort then, compared to a standard MB suspension? Is it a big difference?

The only Merc I can compare to is my 29 year old 300TD wagon.

Pitch and bodyroll are nearly absent in hard cornering, almost on par with my 740i Sport.

Some S430s didnt have airmatic, and had a conventional suspension.

The hydraulic suspension, ABC, is very problematic. I had lots of issues with mine. When it works, it is an amazing system. The ABC suspension makes the car handle better than something of that heft should ever be able to do. If you haven't had issues yet, you will and it is oh so very expensive to fix. One component fails and the rest start to domino.