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Lexus SC 430 Vs. Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class

12K views 41 replies 15 participants last post by  Shinigami 
#1 ·
And we score again!

http://www.forbes.com/2005/09/08/Lexus-Mercedes-convertibles-cx_dl_0908show_ls.html
 
#27 ·
AshleyF - 9/18/2005 6:58 AM
2. A few weeks later.Started the car in C mode. Maybe, I touched 'something' but the car would not shift automtically . Had to use the gear paddles. Stopped the car at the shop, started it again. No problems . May have to rtfm again.
If you accidentally touch one of the shift buttons while in C or S it prevents the gearbox from shifting up beyond the gear you selected, in a sort of manual mode.
 
#28 ·
steve-p - 9/18/2005 4:17 AM

AshleyF - 9/18/2005 6:58 AM
2. A few weeks later.Started the car in C mode. Maybe, I touched 'something' but the car would not shift automtically . Had to use the gear paddles. Stopped the car at the shop, started it again. No problems . May have to rtfm again.
If you accidentally touch one of the shift buttons while in C or S it prevents the gearbox from shifting up beyond the gear you selected, in a sort of manual mode.
Actually, it'll upshift at redline, if you're in C or S. If I'm doing some twisties or a sharp fast corner, I'll often flick down to 4th or 3rd. There's one place where I do that and there's a stop sign at the end. I almost invariably wind up wondering why the car isn't upshifting "normally", and the reason is that I've left it in 4.

Shifting manually all the way up to 7 (D) will get the car back in full auto mode. Just hold the stick to the right until it spins up. I don't know if the buttons will do it as well or not, since I don't have buttons.
 
#30 ·
malibuite - 9/18/2005 7:39 AM

I can't get the hang of shifting manually. Do I just need to tap the gear shift to the left or do I need to hold it to the left until the gear changes? Can I shift down as well as up?? (Sorry, I have already packed my manual for my move tomorrow[:I])
Unless your driving a SLK55 in M mode, then manually shifting is probably not what you think it is.

For example:
In the slk55 in M mode:
-you're in 4th and you shift down via paddles or gear shifter; you will shift to 3rd (provided the car wont redline)
-you're in 4th and shift to 5th, the car will shift to 5th gear.

In the slk350 with C or S mode:
-you're in 4th and you shift down via paddles or gear shifter; you will shift to 3rd (provided the car wont redline)
HERE'S WHERE IT"S DIFFERENT- the gear you select is the highest gear your car will use unless you redline. Meaning, if you are driving in 2nd and your car has 4th selected, it will continue to drive in 2nd, then 3rd, then 4th until redline where it WILL upshift to 5th. The only thing that truly forces a change in gears is when you downshift.

Lastly, when you hold the downshift, the car will go to the lowest gear possible (without redlining) to give you optimal power for passing, etc.

I hope I made sense. Having owned a 350, I am positive about it's behavior. From what I've read, the 55 behaves as mentioned above.
 
#31 ·
malibuite - 9/18/2005 10:39 AM

I can't get the hang of shifting manually. Do I just need to tap the gear shift to the left or do I need to hold it to the left until the gear changes? Can I shift down as well as up?? (Sorry, I have already packed my manual for my move tomorrow[:I])
Tap it once per gear up or down you want to change. I just give it a little wrap with the side of my hand.

If you hold to the left, it will downshift to the optimal passing gear.
 
#32 ·
Thanks guys, I guess have hit the paddle accidentally whilst in C.
Will remember to shift up to 7'th gear if it happens again, or if I decide to play boy racers whilst in C.

Almost as embarrasing as when I complained to the dealer that I couldn't get AM on the radio and he pointed out (without laughing out loud) that that was what the MW was ...
 
#33 ·
bloflin - 9/10/2005 2:13 PM
On rear seating, yes I did cram 4 adults in, more than once, but only as an "emergency".
How far forward was the front seats? I was totally unable to sit in the back when I tried the SC430 at the Geneva car show, and I'm not a very big person. Even with the seats pulled quite far forward, I barely fit in (and my friend, same size as me, was unable to comfortably sit in a driving position).

In the top gear review of the SC430, they even demonstrated how ridiculously small the seats were... Well, anyway, you did mention it was only for emergency, so I guess one could carry 4 adults for a short trip. Hey, a friend of our drove me and my GF (on my lap) in his Miata!!! And the top was up too! We were... cramped [;)]
bloflin - 9/10/2005 2:13 PM
The MB has 70+ buttons, and dials, etc. on the dash (count them), it looks very busy, and yet with all the buttons, many thing are not easy to access or intuitive (TO ME).
True. But then you said:
bloflin - 9/10/2005 2:13 PM
Hitting 3 buttons to switch from FM to CD or CD to CDC, etc.
...so would you rather have 3 different buttons, each giving the user the chance to choose either radio, cd or CDC? This would increase the button count, so apart from increasing buttons or making shortcuts, what other way would be there to do it? (of course, CD will activate from radio if you place a CD into the drive, but how did the SC430 let one choose from each other?).
bloflin - 9/10/2005 2:13 PM
On the cruise control, I understand this is a MB standard, but I truely don't understand how some lawsuit happy person/lawyer hasn't sued. Way to easy to mistakenly set it on, in a turn.
Yeah, some people don't like the MB cruise control stalk because they accidentally hit it, but it hasn't happened to me. I guess it might be due to the way I rest my hands on the steering wheel.

But having experienced cruise control in many other cars, I by far prefer the MB method for rapidity of use. I absolutely loath how they do it in French cars for example...
bloflin - 9/10/2005 2:13 PM
No RDS on radio.
Definitely sucks that they've not enabled it for some markets... it works in my car [:(]

Sometimes the mind baffles when you try to understand these things. It's just impossible to make a car that works 'just right' for everyone. I also have my smalll niggles with my SLK, but I've yet to have found "the perfect car".
 
#35 ·
Shinigami - 9/19/2005 2:22 PM
In the top gear review of the SC430, they even demonstrated how ridiculously small the seats were... Well, anyway, you did mention it was only for emergency, so I guess one could carry 4 adults for a short trip. Hey, a friend of our drove me and my GF (on my lap) in his Miata!!! And the top was up too! We were... cramped [;)]
Well... some years ago I had four adults including me in an MGB roadster, which doesn't officially have any rear seats at all, over a 120 mile round trip to the coast. It only really got tricky on the way back in the dark with the hood up, when two of them had to sit in the passenger seat as there wasn't enough headroom for two in the back. I bet it was uncomfortable for the others but the driver's seat was OK. It's amazing how you can do stuff when you are young that you just wouldn't even consider anymore [:)]
 
#36 ·
Shinigami - 9/19/2005 2:22 PM
bloflin - 9/10/2005 2:13 PM
No RDS on radio.
Definitely sucks that they've not enabled it for some markets... it works in my car [:(]
Does yours display RDS Text though? I don't think COMAND does that, or I haven't noticed it in the manual anyway. A lot of car radios don't, even though it's been around for 15 years, but the Becker unit in my E does.
 
#37 ·
bloflin - 9/10/2005 2:13 PM
On rear seating, yes I did cram 4 adults in, more than once, but only as an "emergency".
How far forward was the front seats? I was totally unable to sit in the back when I tried the SC430 at the Geneva car show, and I'm not a very big person. Even with the seats pulled quite far forward, I barely fit in (and my friend, same size as me, was unable to comfortably sit in a driving position).
The girls were in the back, the one behind me (behind the drivers position, sat sideways with her feet in the lap of the other girl.

bloflin - 9/10/2005 2:13 PM
The MB has 70+ buttons, and dials, etc. on the dash (count them), it looks very busy, and yet with all the buttons, many thing are not easy to access or intuitive (TO ME).
True. But then you said:
bloflin - 9/10/2005 2:13 PM
Hitting 3 buttons to switch from FM to CD or CD to CDC, etc.
...so would you rather have 3 different buttons, each giving the user the chance to choose either radio, cd or CDC? This would increase the button count, so apart from increasing buttons or making shortcuts, what other way would be there to do it? (of course, CD will activate from radio if you place a CD into the drive, but how did the SC430 let one choose from each other?).
Overall "human" usability is the issue. My point was even with 5 times the buttons, you still had to have multiple button presses to do common (and simple things). On the Lex, yes you have dedicated Audio selection buttons.

Again, many "user interface" items. Like I will have been told approximatel 75,000 [;)] times I don't have a phone installed over the life of the car, when switching the dash display (same for No Malfunction). Why? Those should be skipped (or option to skip). Another one, if you like to show digital speed (for example), but then roll function over to swith CD tracks, then back, you have to step back down thru the submenu to get back to mph. Why?

Again, these are all small, and easily changes (software), and do NOT detract from the looks, the peformance of my car. But does distract from the "could have been closer to the perfect car" fantasy!
 
#38 ·
bloflin - 9/19/2005 12:08 PM

bloflin - 9/10/2005 2:13 PM
On rear seating, yes I did cram 4 adults in, more than once, but only as an "emergency".
How far forward was the front seats? I was totally unable to sit in the back when I tried the SC430 at the Geneva car show, and I'm not a very big person.
The girls were in the back, the one behind me (behind the drivers position, sat sideways with her feet in the lap of the other girl.
[:0] crash [B)] ouch [xx(] die [V] sad

I certainly don't think the restraint systems would work very well in this case... or that anyone could actualy ride comfortably this way. I'll be sure to add that to my list of possibilities for riding in the back of an SC430, though. It now stands at (1) amputation, or (2) lay legs across seat, (3) if too tall for (2) see (1). [:eek:)]
 
#39 ·
steve-p - 9/19/2005 9:41 AM

Shinigami - 9/19/2005 2:22 PM
bloflin - 9/10/2005 2:13 PM
No RDS on radio.
Definitely sucks that they've not enabled it for some markets... it works in my car [:(]
Does yours display RDS Text though? I don't think COMAND does that, or I haven't noticed it in the manual anyway. A lot of car radios don't, even though it's been around for 15 years, but the Becker unit in my E does.
Yes it does.

Although most channels in Switzerland only display the name of the station, not the tracks they play.

But while I was driving in the UK, some of the channels displayed the track name of the tunes that were playing.
 
#41 ·
taroliw - 9/19/2005 2:27 PM

[:0] crash [B)] ouch [xx(] die [V] sad

I certainly don't think the restraint systems would work very well in this case... or that anyone could actualy ride comfortably this way. I'll be sure to add that to my list of possibilities for riding in the back of an SC430, though. It now stands at (1) amputation, or (2) lay legs across seat, (3) if too tall for (2) see (1). [:eek:)]
Understand the humour, but hopefully your not missing the original point. Your point (and others) was the "back seat" in the SC430 was basically unusable. Having owned one for 4 years, I was trying to broaden people's knowledge. [:D]
 
#42 ·
Slk-Gill - 9/19/2005 5:48 PM

Shinigami - 9/20/2005 10:17 PM

But while I was driving in the UK, some of the channels displayed the track name of the tunes that were playing.
Really? I have never noticed that, all I ever see is the channel name, can you remember off hand which station/s it was?
No, sorry. It was some kinda hippy modern music station, like Kiss FM or whatever it was called. I recognised a few tunes coz I hear them over here too.

The only channel in Switzerland that I know of, which changes the text info, is One FM. And this usually changes to display one of three things, on what seems to be random:
RADIO
ONE FM
and another one I forgot...
 
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