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>
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><p>You are wrong. C240 gets manual tranny just<br>because they have to cut the price on<br>something. And 2.4 V6 versus 3.2 V6 with<br>only different head is not the best thing to<br>cut the price on. Talking about 10:1 ratio,<br>i can only tell you that it was not intended<br>for american market. In europe, where over<br>50% of cars still are bulit with manual trannies,<br>2.4 is manual, 3.2 is auto. Surprised?<br>Remember that: MB no longer *builds* cars for<br>US. They *export* them to US. <br>
Ok now i am really confused, that just sounds like the autostick thing in the c32? dosent the c32 have an autostick or is it just the plain ass automatic?<br>
Not that strange. These are German cars. In Germany, manuals are for entry level cars: everyone drives a manual. Only expensive cars have automatic transmission. <br>
The C 32 has a plain automatic transmission with torque converter, 5 speed. Mercedes may make a version of this automatic 5 speed autobox available with steering wheel mounted shift buttons (a la BMW Steptronic).<p>But don't confuse that with the Sequentronic 6 speed sequential manual.<p>The 6 speed Sequentronic (sequential manual transmission) is only available on the C 230K Coupe, C 240 and lesser-engined cars. Not on the C 320 and certainly not on the C 32. Because the Sequentronic is basically the regular 6 speed manual, it cannot handle the torque of the C 32.<p>Did that help?
(sequential manual transmission) is only available on the C 230K Coupe, C 240 and lesser-engined cars. <p>So you're saying the sequentronic is no better than the standard auto?
<p>So you're saying the sequentronic is no better than the standard auto?<p>No, I am just trying to explain the difference between the Sequentronic MANUAL-based 6 speed gearbox (without a power-sapping torque converter) and the AUTOMATIC 5 speed gearbox (with a power-sapping torque converter) that is fitted to the C 320 and C 32.<p>Because the Sequentronic is in effect a manual gearbox, the acceleration and fuel economy should be better than an equivalent car with the 5 speed automatic. In fact, in performance, a Sequentronic car should be faster than a regular 6 speed manual, as its computer-controlled clutch and shifts are way faster than a human driver could do (according to M-B).<p>I've no idea whether Sequentronic is a more pleasant gearbox to use, or how smooth or rough it may be if you let the Sequentronic ECU do all the gear shifting for you ("automatic" mode). It seems to me that in "automatic" mode (where the driver does not touch the sequential shift lever), the 6 speed Sequentronic gearshifts should be more coarse and unrefined than the 5 speed automatic, as there's no torque converter to soften the shifts. The Sequentronic may also shift more coarsely tha a well-driven manual gearbox. I don't know, I live in Canada and I've not been able to test drive a Sequentronic car yet.<p>I am not judging one gearbox over the others, simply trying to point out the differences between them.
Guess who won the recent comparo between M3 vs. C32 vs. RS4??....THE C32 !!! nt
: 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.<p>
Re: Guess who won the recent comparo between M3 vs. C32 vs. RS4??....THE C32 !!! nt
Yea, I read the article, but I'm not sure I'd say the C32 'won'. I believe the final paragraph stated that the M3 was in their opinion ultimately the more satisfying purchase, since it was the more challenging car to master.<p> I personally looked very hard at the M3, but am going with the C32, mainly because I want a sedan. I still wish MB would offer a manual tranny for it though, no matter how good the automatic allegedly is...<br>
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