Alright, I'm new to the MB world so I'm looking for some insight from long-term MB observers.<p>By what marketing calculation does the pedestrian C240 get a manual tranny, but the C320 and the C32 AMG get an automatic (however trick/slick it is) only?<p>
Re: MB's manual tranny cannot handle the power....
Yea? Isn't an automatic more complex than a manual by definition though? It's like saying they do calculus well but suck at trig. <p>Ahh well, I'm still set on a C32, and probably will be happy with an auto when I'm stuck in traffic, but would have liked the choice...and I'll hang on to my 330i for those mornings when I decide I feel like shifting my own gears. ;)
"try out an MB manual and see how bad it is."<p>I have driven a C 240 with M6 and the gearbox is just fine, thank you very much, at least equal to a BMW E46 with M5 'box that I have driven, and many other modern cars. The shift throws are short, the engagement is clean and the clutch is nicely weighted. No complaints here.<p>You are probably right about the M6 being at the upper end of its design range, although it's in the SLK 320, a car that's not that much lighter than the C.<p>If you still don't like shifting the M6, wait for the Sequentronic version to be introduced in N. America: no clutch pedal and sequential shifting just like in DTM or BTCC. The basis of the sequentronic is the regular M6 'box. The shifts, done by a servo, are said to be twice as fast as a good driver could do with a regular manual. Just the ticket for the guy who insists on stoplight racing in his C 240 ;-)
: Alright, I'm new to the MB world so I'm looking for some insight from long-term MB observers.<p>By what marketing calculation does the pedestrian C240 get a manual tranny, but the C320 and the C32 AMG get an automatic (however trick/slick it is) only?<p><p>The reason is, that in America, the request for an auto vs manual tranny is 10:1, ie. bottom line = sales = profits. <p>
will this sequentronic only be offered on the 240?<p>So if i understand correct it is a 6 speed stick minus the clutch? not an auto that also lets you shift?
Sofar the seqetronic is just offered in the T-model and the Coupe. (In Sweden anyway). Guess it will be optional for the sedans later on. In that case it should be offered on the 240. <p>The sequetronic is in fact an auto. You can put it in auto-mode and it will do all the work for you. What I have read and heard is, that it doesn't shift as smooth as the regular auto though... <p><br>: will this sequentronic only be offered on the 240?<p>So if i understand correct it is a 6 speed stick minus the clutch? not an auto that also lets you shift?<p>
The Sequentronic gearbox is definitely not an automatic gearbox in the conventional sense. It is an M6, has no torque converter and only one clutch. Servos actuate the clutch automatically and shift the manual gears for you. So in this sense it is very different than BMW's Steptronic, which is in fact a regular automatic with a unique type of gear selection control.<p>The Sequentronic may be either shifted manually by the sequential gear lever, or an "auto-shift" program may be employed in which all gears are selected automatically. There's no way this "automatic" mode could be as smooth as an automatic gearbox with a torque converter, but for the lazydriver it might be a useful mode from time to time.<p>Sequentronic is available in the C 240 wagon in Europe, so it should be made available in the C 240 sedan soon too. Whether Mercedes-Benz intends to certify this gearbox for the North American C 240 is unknown, but I hope they do as it would be an interesting alternative to the less efficient conventional automatic.
Still, if they want to go toe to toe with BMW in the entry-level luxury/sport sedan market (and isn't that what they're trying to do with the new C class?), competing with the 330i or the M3 if it ever comes in sedan form, they need to offer a manual tranny, or else they are turning away alot of folks who'll never purchase an automatic.
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