Dogbash

Hi everyone, new member here. I currently drive an E46 M3 but I am looking to upgrade to a C63 AMG. I had a test drive at the weekend and fell in love but I drove a nearly new car with the MCT gearbox. Unfortunately I can only afford one of the older cars with the 7G-Tronic gearbox.

My question is, is the gearbox noticeably worse? Does anyone know the shift times for both boxes?

Thanks,
Andrew

Jycke

The MCT is unfortunately quite much faster. The MCT shifts at 100 ms. I can not find any info on how fast the 7g-tronic is but it is slower. Maybe someone else on this forum has better knowledge on the matter.

Higgs Boson

are you racing the car on a track or using it to go to the coffee shop and to work? because if it is not competitive track use, who cares, really..... I race cars and shifter karts, etc etc and it is really silly to compare shift tmes for a street car, IMO.

emericr

This is really a valid point. You seem to be smart enough to know what you can afford and the 7G transmission is slower but it really does not make a big difference. Both transmissions are slower than the DCT in the M3.
If you love the car, go buy a used one, you won't regret it. Post some pics and welcome to the forum.

Dogbash

Hi guys, thanks for all the replies. I suppose I am worried as the car I drove had the MCT gearbox. I am trying to get the dealer to get me in an older car to try out. I am worried if the gearbox will be as smooth as I have read reports of jerkyness etc.

Thanks,
Andrew

JimmyR

Are you coming from the E46 M3 with SMG? If so I would not be worried at all about a bit of jerkiness with the MCT

Sheep

Think about it this way, the MCT is faster than the 7tronic but much worse than the rest of the competitions. Also the the 7tronic has been proven to be one of the best, if not the best, automatic in the industry. I really think you should save your money and get an older one instead.

Sheep

Dogbash

Hi again, the M3 is a manual and I have always had manual cars. I suppose I am being over cautious as I have never had an auto before.

I'm going to get the local merc dealer to get me one in for a test drive. I am sure it will be fine.

Thanks for the help.

Andrew

Dogbash

Also, another question I forgot to ask... The car I drove had 4 transmission settings - Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and Manual. What settings does the 7G-Tronic have? Also, how are these operated? There was a little round dial which you turned to control it on the car I drove.

Thanks,
Andrew

khmergod

7G and MCT aren't too big in difference. Pull the trigger already and prepare to have mind blown.

bmoney12

No Sport+ with the old transmission.

emericr

The 7G has C, S and M. It is a button on the center console. C (comfort) is subtle and smooth like an automatic (I rarely drove in this mode), S (sport) is fast and sporty. M (manual) is obviously manual mode where you shift from paddles or shifter.
I had an E46 SMG and the 7G is far superior. No jerkyness from it.

Even Money

I've driven/owned both. The MCT is much better. Why would you buy older technology? But if you can only afford the 7G, it's still a good tranny.

JumpinJim

There isn't a whole lot of difference between the 7G and the MCT. The MCT isn't a real dual clutch as many think. It's just the 7G without a torque converter.

It was discussed by AMG engineers on the private lounge in response to a question as to why the new SLK used the 7G and not the MCT. There's a number of responses from the AMG engineers over the two pages.

http://www.mercedes-amg.com/privatel...ad.php?t=65732

Bottom line you probably won't notice the difference and will enjoy it either way.

natman316

Don't worry about the MCT it's not that special. It's pretty much the 7g with no tq converter.

The MCT shifts fast, true, but it lags on the paddle shifts its kind of redundant anyways. It's a lot more jerky also. And if you are looking to track, the 7g models might be a better choice as they don't over heat as easily as the MCT models do.

The only thing you are missing out with MCT are race start (which isn't that fast) and popping up shifts.

The only reason I decided to get a newer one was because of the interior and I heard there was suspension improvements

Dogbash

Hi, thanks for all of the excellent replies. I am based in the UK and a 2008 car with around 20-30,000 miles is selling for approx £28-£30,000 which I believe is around $45,000.

What are prices like over in the US at the moment just out of interest?

Thanks,
Andrew

Merc63

I drove both and the MCT shifts faster but I didn't like it.

I don't like the jerkiness it has and also it eats up more power then the 7G.

They are constantly getting MCT cars in at the shop with problems, it's very finicky.

I drag race and road race the cr and the 7 G shifts fast enough for me.

Jycke

Why is everyone talking about "the jerkiness of the MCT"? Mine doesn't jerk..drives just as smooth as the 7G i had

Rsquad911

MCT also saves a lot more on gas. It's much more efficient.

I love my MCT transmission. No jerkyness at all. In M mode the shifts are pretty much instantaneous.

bmoney12

Same....I'm not sure what all these issues folks are talking about. I wasn't a fan of the 7G which was one of the reasons why I upgraded from a 2010 to a 12.

ghiaguy

Just what I was thinking. Either way, smart man coming to AMG!

bushburninc63

I would get the MCT, the shift response is much more crisper and responsive. I love how my wife's e63 mct shift compared to my c63 7g. Unless you get a tune on the 7g, i heard it change the shift response for the better.

ghiaguy

Is it true newer C63s are more prone to dropping into limp mode when flogged? I have read about this in the recent Automobile mag review- if this holds any truth, it could be more of a determining factor than the transmission.

bmoney12

Yep(2012+) it's due to high oil temps but only happens if you're tracking your car. I did read on AMG Private Lounge that they have a fix for it by raising the temperature threshold. Apparently they set it too low???