C Class 5 Speed auto box

[Ubi]

Can onyone tell me how the gearbox mode selected?

Let’s say I have selected S1 for a roundabout. I hit the gap, nudge + to select S2 and I’m in the traffic flow. At that point I’m done with manual over-ride and I just want to revert to fully automatic mode.

How would I then go from S2 to full auto? Do I have to nudge through + three times to get to D? Or is there another mechanism that will take me there in one move?

Thanks.

 

[jberks]

One nudge moves up or down a cog. Hold the lever for a second or so on the downshift and it will select the lowest gear appropriate. Hold it in the upshift position for a second and it will drop back into D.

 

[Ubi]

Great, thanks.

 

[verytalldave]

I dont know why you bother. The whole point of having an auto is to do away with all that manual rubbish. The auto box is SO good I just leave it to get on with doing what its meant to do.
In about 8 months of MB ownwership I have yet to feel as though any manual input is required or would be beneficial.
But thats just my personal opinion.

 

[jberks]

I dont know why you bother. The whole point of having an auto is to do away with all that manual rubbish. The auto box is SO good I just leave it to get on with doing what its meant to do.
In about 8 months of MB ownwership I have yet to feel as though any manual input is required or would be beneficial.
But thats just my personal opinion.

I'm with you. I only use the tip shift to tell the box to go back into 5th after a spate of overtaking (where it's holding 3rd/4th expecting me to tear off again). There are some excellent manual override auto gearboxes on the market (Audi DSG for example) and whilst I'd put the MB box at the top of the tree for fully auto capability, the manual side is crap IMO. The delay between knocking the lever and anything happening is too long and the lag too unpredictable to be of any real use.

Plato was driving the clk63 black series on 5th gear this week and that was one of his major gripes.

 

[Ubi]

It may that there is little need to bother with manual changes in the Merc.

My current car is an A6 Quattro 2.8 Tiptronic. Because the engine produces quite a bit of torque it attempts to scale even steep hills without a down change. This can result in the engine running below 1500rpm, which I use as the low rev limit. I’d rather drop one cog and run the engine at 2000rpm even though I don’t necessarily want a change in road speed. I call it mechanical sympathy but it may just be a personal idiosyncrasy.

It’s obviously going to be a big change in dynamics to go from the Audi to the C Class, hence some of my questions. I obviously don’t want to down an expensive dead end and discover that I can’t live with Merc style driving.

Past my 50th year already I thought I’d outgrown all that boy racer stuff but the test drives have reminded me that I still hanker after sporting driving occasionally.

 

[verytalldave]

The first thing you must do is stop making driving comparisons between your Audi and a Mercedes. You will of course still make comparisons in other departments - as we all have done when stepping up to Mercedes ownership.
You will find driving and owning a Mercedes is an altogether "different" experience. I have found its a much more relaxed and civilised mode of transportation. And one that your driving technique will adapt to quite quickly.
I have found most other road users give you a degree of respect that simply didnt exist before. And because of this, you give back to your fellow road users in return. Driving seems less of a challenge or battleground and turns into a peaceful mellowed out environment. Somewhere nice to be. I dont feel threatened or intimidated but sit happily with my other road users in harmony and the world is a better place.
All very subjective I know, but thats how Mercedes ownership has made me feel.

You may very well find your "boy racer" days are over as you enter a more mature and comfortable phase of your motoring life.

 

[Splatt]

I find the sport steering wheel (mit flippers) quite useful. Bombing down a hill with a bend at the bottom a quick flip with the left finger and it goes down a gear, hold the flipper for 1/2 second and when you release it goes down 2 gears. Power round the bend and right flipper and your back in D. I bet an expert could really smoke it.

 

[Rory]

Let’s say I have selected S1 for a roundabout. I hit the gap, nudge + to select S2 and I’m in the traffic flow. At that point I’m done with manual over-ride and I just want to revert to fully automatic mode.

I saw the other comments about using tip function to go up and down hills and that's fair enough, but I agree with others that there should be no need going into roundabouts - in fact if you're "hitting a gap" then it's one of the places where you really want to have both hands on the wheel.

I would suggest you ensure you're driving it with the box in S mode - C starts in 2nd and can seem very lethargic, although if you floor the gas pedal on take-off it will still shift down to first.

 

[Ubi]

..in fact if you're "hitting a gap" then it's one of the places where you really want to have both hands on the wheel.
QUOTE]

You're quite right actually and for the record I achieve this at the moment by using the gear change buttons which are mounted on the steering wheel.

 

[jubhi]

I find the sport steering wheel (mit flippers) quite useful. Bombing down a hill with a bend at the bottom a quick flip with the left finger and it goes down a gear, hold the flipper for 1/2 second and when you release it goes down 2 gears. Power round the bend and right flipper and your back in D. I bet an expert could really smoke it.

Yes I find this paddleshift function great too on my CLK320 CDI, used it yesterday when having a play with the 350Z!!

I find the 7G-Tronic gearbox in manual mode quite responsive actually, especially compared to my Dad's 5 Speed Auto on his C-Class.

 

[Ubi]

Is the 7 speed GTronic a true tiptronic? ie Explicit gear selection as opposed to maximum gear limiter.

Maybe this is all getting too complicated and I should just buy the thing!