A recent pub discussion had the consensus of opinion preferring the MB auto box. Years ago I had an old R reg C180, and a L reg E200, both estates, great work horses, both with manual boxes. Never had a problem with them. Strangely only one of my friends owned a MB, a 4 yo SL350 which he rates very highly.
Is it because MB make an especially good auto box, the manual being not slick enough, or because its an MB it should have an auto? Just wondering.
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Received wisdom years ago was the MB couldn't make a decent manual box. I have owned 3 from new, in the late 80s, and I deliberately bought autos and they were fine. I never tried a manual so I can't make a fair judgement.
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Luxury cars meant to be auto.
Manual Mercs don't have good resale value either.
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Looked at an SLK recently with folding tin top. 1998, everything worked, very nice car and I thought a bargain at £2200. Auto though. Would prefer to change my own gears in a fun car.
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>>Would prefer to change my own gears in a fun car
Is it a fun car though? Isn't it still effectively a large saloon that looks like a sports car?
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>> >>Would prefer to change my own gears in a fun car
>>
>> Is it a fun car though? Isn't it still effectively a large saloon that looks
>> like a sports car?
>>
That is exactly my impression of an early SLK 230K I drove a few years ago. It felt just like driving a short C class saloon. Not at all sporty or remotely fun.
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>> Would prefer to change my own gears in a fun car.
With most modern autos you have the best of both worlds. Stick in auto when is lazy mode, or into triptronic mode for the fun times.
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Still amazes me that people think manuals are fun. I should buy a windscreen wiper, lean out of the window and wipe it myself when it's raining. That's fun too?
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Even my bog standard torque converter auto allows me to change gears if I want. So for me, auto is actually more fun because I can decide whether to change gear myself or not :-)
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"auto is actually more fun because I can decide whether to change gear"
From Brogues to stilletos? Boxers to thong?
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Anyone who can operate a foot operated parking brake and do a hill start in a manual MB is a genius.
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You'll be lucky to sell a manual mercedes quickly.
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>>Stick in auto when is lazy mode, or into triptronic mode for the fun times.
I've always fancied a Tiptronic auto but, having had one on the Lancer, it didn't do a lot for me tbh and I much prefer the autobox fitted to my Subaru as it has a hold mode for driving on snow, mud, etc. and a power mode for getting past old mimsers in Chrysler PT Cruisers.
:o)
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A standard auto box with buttons to select gears is not a manual gearbox, nothing like it in use.
I didn't say it was fun to change gears, but autos are certainly not fun, driven briskly.
In general everyday use I prefer an auto.
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Yep, manual proper MB almost impossible to sell.
Auto box is so good why would you want to change gear.
My auto MB is a lot of fun when you want it to be, brisker than some might think.:-)
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I had heard that Mercedes' manual gearboxes were absolutely unbreakable, i.e. 1m+ miles without failure. Handy for taxi drivers, then - although the only cabbie I knew with a Mercedes (W124 E300D) dragged 400k miles out of his autobox before it needed a rebuild.
I delivered quite a few manual C-classes in 1997/8 when working for a Mercedes dealer. The manual 'box was only popular because a solid colour, manual C-class on an R or S plate had a P11D value of £19995, bringing it nicely under many junior managers' company car price threshold*. I found the manual 'boxes very notchy and obstructive though, the (early fuzzy-logic) autos were far more driver-friendly.
*Same price as a boggo 320d, funny that.
Last edited by: Dave_TiD on Fri 2 Aug 13 at 20:05
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Interesting that Mercedes still make their own auto boxes rather than turning to ZF like most of the other premium makers. There must be a reason and I bet it is more than just cost.
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>>Interesting that Mercedes still make their own auto boxes
One interesting (to me at least!) technical detail that shows MB really put some effort into designing automatic gearboxes;
The 722.3, .4, and .5 gearboxes date back to the early 1980's which means they must have been designed and developed in the mid to late 1970's.
Most automatic gearboxes which use band brakes use a system where a hydraulic piston pushes one end of the band to tighten it against the outer surface of the drum. The other end of the band is usually either a fixed stop, or at most an adjustable stop to allow wear to be adjusted for.
This means that the application pressure is a compromise, as in one direction, the self servo effect helps the hydraulic cylinder, and in the other, the servo effect hinders. Therefore, in one direction you get a slightly slushy shift, and i other, a bit of a bang.
The MB band brake did not use a fixed stop. Instead there was a hydraulic valve which with a small amount of free movement would move one way or ther other depending upon the direction of the prevailing motion of the drum.
The output of this sensing valve allowed the hydraulic pressure in the piston applying the force to be increased or reduced as appropriate to counter the effect of self servo - hence allowing the pressure to be correct rather than a compromise. This is one of the technical small hidden details which make these gearboxes outstanding - particularly as they have no electronic control - even GB likes them!
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In Algeria in I suppose the mid-eighties, a rich provincial businessman I met had a brand new maroon Mercedes 300D estate, five-speed manual. I think it was a 5 cylinder engine, but biggish.
I thought it was a terrific motor and longed to get my hands on it for a decent cruise. The owner liked a drink and wasn't a very sympathetic pilot. But it's often like that.
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>> In Algeria in I suppose the mid-eighties ... new maroon Mercedes 300D estate
It's probably still going AC.
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The taxi drivers in the village where I am mostly run Mercedes C & E class. I've yet to ride in one with less than 377,000kms (I make a point of checking the odo when I get in) and they still feel tight with smooth gearshifts and no clunks or groans from the suspension when going over the sleeping policemen.
I still remember my ride in '97 in an E320CDi from Amsterdam out to Schiphol when everything public transport related was at a standstill. That car flew for a diesel of the day. I had at the time a '96 P plate 306 XRdt which could have handled so much more than the 90bhp and 144lb/ft it was given.
Last edited by: gmac on Fri 2 Aug 13 at 20:22
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Mercedes. Manual vs Auto - Meldrew
