rtrimyer, the delayed shift out of first gear when cold is normal. I believe it has to do with warming up the catalytic converters as fast as possible so that they become effective. Just drive the car as soon as you start it and let it rev up to about 3 to 4k revs/min where it then shifts out of first.
The odd shifts at the intermediate speeds you mentioned and low speed bucking are not normal. My car behaves in the way you state. I complained about it before my warranty was up, and the dealer told me it was normal too. I let it go; but I hadn't discovered the treasure trove of info on this and other MB boards. Do a search on this board and other MB boards for the term bucking, the term jerking, and the terms valve body and you will see threads where people got a software update that solved the problem, or they got software plus a new valve body, or even a new transmission.
I learned to live with it. I am at 98k miles. It doesn't get any better over time.
addendum
I forgot to mention some people got the transmission control unit replaced that solved the problem
The odd shifts at the intermediate speeds you mentioned and low speed bucking are not normal. My car behaves in the way you state. I complained about it before my warranty was up, and the dealer told me it was normal too. I let it go; but I hadn't discovered the treasure trove of info on this and other MB boards. Do a search on this board and other MB boards for the term bucking, the term jerking, and the terms valve body and you will see threads where people got a software update that solved the problem, or they got software plus a new valve body, or even a new transmission.
I learned to live with it. I am at 98k miles. It doesn't get any better over time.
addendum
I forgot to mention some people got the transmission control unit replaced that solved the problem