Whats the difference between Comfort and Sport mode?

[gring]

Hi, I have been trying to work out what the difference is between selecting sport mode and comfort mode on my CLK. I cant seem to notice anything?? Does anybody know?

Also I notice on my widscreen there is a line that goes up the middle of the screen and across the top of the drivers side, does anybody know what that is?? (CLK 280 2007)

Thanks for any help.

 

[whitenemesis]

Sport (or Standard) car moves off in 1st and shifts later

Comfort (or Winter) car moves off in 2nd and shift sooner. Car also reverses using a higher gear.

 

[gring]

ahh thanks, the dealer told me that s was for sport and gave te car more power! Obviously doesnt know his product! Your answer makes sense. Thanks!

 

[hawk20]

ahh thanks, the dealer told me that s was for sport and gave te car more power! Obviously doesnt know his product! Your answer makes sense. Thanks!

In a sense he is right. You start in 1st gear and get more acceleration as a result. Even wheelspin. And as you go up through the gears, the box changes up at a time that gives more performance. So S does give a sportier drive.

BTW on some models in some years S has stood for Standard. Sometimes for Sport. But the effect is the same.

I think most drive in S most of the time to get the quicker response. Most threads conclude there is little effect on economy. Then use C for comfort or W for Winter as it is sometimes called only when conditions are a bit slippery. Starting in second reduces the chance of wheelspin.

 

[Legoman]

on the older w124 's they have 'E' and 'S' im sure mine still pulls away in second in either , the only way to get first is to manually shift down the box then back into drive when stationary. i guess this is a normal w124 trait?

 

[verytalldave]

Using C mode does give better fuel economy. Most reckon it to be about 5-10%. Not a great deal, but measureable. I ALWAYS use C mode. Not because of the economy factor, but because I prefer it over the S mode. It gives a nicer, smoother delivery. But of course, thats just my opinion. If you do want to deliver full power for an F1 getaway, just floor the pedal and it will kickdown into S mode anyway.
BTW, I drive a 2004 W203 200K.

 

[David Nock]

Hi, I have been trying to work out what the difference is between selecting sport mode and comfort mode on my CLK. I cant seem to notice anything?? Does anybody know?

Also I notice on my widscreen there is a line that goes up the middle of the screen and across the top of the drivers side, does anybody know what that is?? (CLK 280 2007)

Thanks for any help.

Haven't a clue what the line on your windscreen might be. Anybody else know? I don't mean to be insulting here, but it's not a showroom specification or shipping ticket mark is it? Can't think of anything else.

 

[television]

Also I notice on my widscreen there is a line that goes up the middle of the screen and across the top of the drivers side, does anybody know what that is?? (CLK 280 2007)

Thanks for any help.

I think it could be a built in antenna

 

[television]

on the older w124 's they have 'E' and 'S' im sure mine still pulls away in second in either , the only way to get first is to manually shift down the box then back into drive when stationary. i guess this is a normal w124 trait?

Yes correct, on these cars these cars the shift points are higher in S as the change down points. in both modes they can be kicked into first

 

[Xtractorfan]

yes antenna

 

[hawk20]

Using C mode does give better fuel economy. Most reckon it to be about 5-10%. Not a great deal, but measureable. I ALWAYS use C mode. Not because of the economy factor, but because I prefer it over the S mode. It gives a nicer, smoother delivery. But of course, thats just my opinion. If you do want to deliver full power for an F1 getaway, just floor the pedal and it will kickdown into S mode anyway.
BTW, I drive a 2004 W203 200K.

I cannot for the life of me see how it can be 5-10% but I'd be delighted to be convinced. On a run, the gearing when at cruising speed is the same in C and in S (at least on the Merc cars I have driven). You can tell this by checking the rev counter at any given speed. So the economy gain can only come when starting off and around town when the lower shift points may give some marginal gain. Of course, one problem in testing this is that round town doing say 30mpg, a saving of 5% is only 1.5 miles per gallon. Hard to judge and hard to get exactly common conditions. Can't find anything in the handbook to give a guide on this.

 

[television]

I cannot for the life of me see how it can be 5-10% but I'd be delighted to be convinced. On a run, the gearing when at cruising speed is the same in C and in S (at least on the Merc cars I have driven). You can tell this by checking the rev counter at any given speed. So the economy gain can only come when starting off and around town when the lower shift points may give some marginal gain. Of course, one problem in testing this is that round town doing say 30mpg, a saving of 5% is only 1.5 miles per gallon. Hard to judge and hard to get exactly common conditions. Can't find anything in the handbook to give a guide on this.

This is also a how much power you have Hawk, all economy test are done by getting the car into top gear as quickly as possible, The gain is more significant on a larger engine, and driving in town with a large engine (P to W ratio)gains can be made due to the lower revs

 

[Mark H]

Wish I had joined this forum sooner - I'm learning new stuff on a daily basis! My salesman told me that C and S on my W203 box stood for "city" and "sport"!
I have been driving around for a year under the wrong impression. Having read this thread, I checked my handbook and sure enough, it says S means "standard" and C is for "comfort" - I hadn't quite clocked it pulling away in second gear (so much for my driving skills!)
Thanks for the enlightenment!

 

[hawk20]

This is also a how much power you have Hawk, all economy test are done by getting the car into top gear as quickly as possible, The gain is more significant on a larger engine, and driving in town with a large engine (P to W ratio)gains can be made due to the lower revs

Yes, I accept in town but not on a run surely. I drove my S class 320cdi in both modes for prolonged periods and really tried to establish a difference, but if it was there at all it was tiny. Trouble is, of course, no two trips are ever quite identical. What I did find was markedly more response in S. Oh yes. And a hefty tyre bill to go with it!

 

[whitenemesis]

I'm with hawk20 on this one. I have driven my car in both modes each time over a period of 1 month on my commute to work, both summer and winter.

I detected no significant difference in economy. There was a difference between summer and winter, almost 10mpg

I also tried it with and without aircon, still nothing, well except for misty windows during the winter trial!

 

[television]

Yes, I accept in town but not on a run surely. I drove my S class 320cdi in both modes for prolonged periods and really tried to establish a difference, but if it was there at all it was tiny. Trouble is, of course, no two trips are ever quite identical. What I did find was markedly more response in S. Oh yes. And a hefty tyre bill to go with it!

On a run it is the same, I like the tyre bit, W does let me pull away without thinking about it

 

[television]

I'm with hawk20 on this one. I have driven my car in both modes each time over a period of 1 month on my commute to work, both summer and winter.

I. There was a difference between summer and winter, almost 10mpg

I )

Yes that difference makes a big difference, I have to drive 5 miles in Winter to get the consumption near normal thats when mine says 13.9 mpg, and that slowly creeps up to 25 depending on how far i drive, but killed by that cold start

 

[lakeside]

Yes correct, on these cars these cars the shift points are higher in S as the change down points. in both modes they can be kicked into first

Later W124s (post facelift) start in 1st (no kicking) in both E and S. Just the change points are different.

 

[hawk20]

I also tried it with and without aircon, still nothing, well except for misty windows during the winter trial!

Yes, isn't that odd. Could someone technical explain why some few years back turning off the aircon made a big difference to consumption and now on models over the last few years it is hard to detect any significant gain? And what a difference in misting up etc as Whitenemesis says.

 

[verytalldave]

5-10% of 30mpg is only 3-1.5 mpg difference. Hardly a big change and could easily go un-noticed unless you were doing a fairly comprehensive economy study over a fairly long period of time and miles.
I have read quite a few reports from others that do quote these kind of savings when comparing the 2 modes. I can easily feel and hear the difference between the two modes. When you know what to listen and feel for, then it becomes easy to spot.
The most most obvious giveaway is that when pulling away in S mode, the box will change up fairly quickly, whereas in C it will take longer to shift up. This is all pretty obvious stuff really as you only get one change before you get into 3rd in C mode, whereas in S, you have 2 changes.
Also, and this is the reason I use C mode 99.9% of the time, the FEELING when pulling away is much smoother and far less harsh. I am not into traffic light GP starts. If somebody wants to give it welly, then so be it. I dont.
I prefer a gentler approach and like to think it suits the MB badge as well as me.