Kenneth_kwok

I currently drive a 2005 W211 E500 with 5 litre engine.

The power is more than enough for me.

I like to think of myself as a boy racer, but as I am pressing 40 years old,
I just want safe, comfortable motoring.

The auto transmission bugs me sometimes...
When I downshift with the +/- gear lever,
it takes some time for power to deliver.
Now, I learn to downshift a bit earlier before I pull out to overtake.
But... it's not as fun.
When I drove a small Honda Civic manual transmission, gear change are
more predictable, as I am shifting it myself.

I have never driven a Dual-Clutch auto transmission (DCT), but imagine
that it is better.

Any reason why Mercedes does not have DCT on AMG?
I think it's on B class.

I may buy a E63 AMG second hand in the future.
More importantly, what do owners think about the auto-transmission
on E63? Is it a 7G-tronic? I read about some "multi-clutch" transmission,
which some owners said is not that different to 7G tronic.



Many thanks.

cnolke

The MCT-7 in the E63 is not quick.

Apparently the DCT in the SLS can't take the torque that the M157 puts down.

I've driven an SLS quite a bit. I do like the transmission. Its faster than the MCT, but even in S+ it doesnt whack you like a Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc. Its pretty quirky creeping along in traffic (it sounds to me like its doing a LOT in there).

The MCT acts like an aggressive automatic. It shifts just as slowly as an aggressive auto. If you use the flappy paddles in M-mode, you have to shift 500rpm early, since thats how long it takes to think about it.

Its an awesome car. There's nothing better out there for my purposes. Don't buy it for the transmission.

PeterUbers

Compared to your old e500 auto... The mct is wicked fast ... It is much faster than the 2014 e550 7g tronic IMHO

In s and s+ modes... It's fast shifting
Manual shifting results in some delays but not as bad as you're describing regarding your e500

You'll love it

I think the 7g tronic is garbage... I got rid of two brand new benzs because of that crap gearbox and Benz is well aware of rough shifting up and down shifting issues that have no solution. I feel bad for the many many Benz owners with ongoing and unresolved issues on their brand new 7g "chronic" crap boxes

Chocofishez

More than that in first. I'm grabbing the paddle as the needle approaches 5k in order not to bounce off the limiter.

if you want max acceleration this car works best in one of the auto modes off the line.

but once you're in second the paddles are fine. The torque of the motor means you can shift well ahead of the redline and still get lots of power... you don't have to string this one out like an NA motor that's all top end.

gmeup

The gear box in the e63 is the weak link to what is probably the best drivetrain on the market today. Not that its bad its just not the best out there and is aging as has been out since 2006 in some form or another.

TheOtherEric

There are a lot of factors that make for a good auto-gearbox. E.g. Shifting quickly, upshifting at appropriate times, downshifting at appropriate times, jerkiness of shifts, and responsive paddles. IMHO the MCT excels in every category except the last. So that's really not too shabby for a gearbox capable of >600 lb-ft of tq.

pgordon888

If driven in auto mode only it gets the job done no problem because of the more than ample torque curve of the m157.

I gave up on manual mode when I had my AMG though. The DCT in my e90 M3 and GTR are light years ahead in the manual shifting department but no where near as refined as the MCT in auto mode. Such is the sacrifice with most DCTs maybe except the new Porsche PDK I hear.

PeterUbers

Acura has a dct on the new tlx, but due to the jerkiness of it they added a torque convertor.

HPMan

+1. I had a DCT in my E92 M3 and it performed flawlessly in manual mode when being driven hard. However, it was very fussy in auto mode. A colleague of mine has a Panamera GTS with PDK and it works well in both manual and auto.


I think the MCT gets the job done relatively well considering what the car is and what its typical uses are.

abhatti55

Sport and Sport Plus mode are great. It's really a great tranny if you let it do the work for you. Shifts are plenty fast and I love the rev matched downshifts when slowing down. The paddles are basically for looks, I use sometimes to get an early upshift.

You really appreciate it, when you get back in the previous gen 5 and 7 speed AMG's.

Kenneth_kwok

Many thanks for all the great responses.

As I am likely buying a used E63, could you kindly comment on
the (auto) transmission quality (quick shifting, quick response, smoothness/jerkiness)
for the various generation?

As I currently drive 2005 W211 E500,
I believe I would most likely be looking at W212.
Please comment on W211, W212 (both before and after facelift)
Are they all Multi-Clutch Transmission (MCT)?

I somehow read that the (current) facelift W212 E63 is Dual Clutch Transmission(DCT).
Is that wrong?

gmeup

Also I forgot to mention the bad thing about the E63 gearbox is when your at the traffic lights and you take your foot of the brake and dab the gas paddle you have a moment of jerkiness from the gear box till you start moving properly. This also happens when your crawling in traffic it is best described as an unrefined feeling not the best for such an expensive car but it is the sacrifice you pay for having no torque convertor.

robl45

The tranny is plenty fast in sport + or manual mode. In comfort mode it is slow. Yes a DCT is faster, but I really can't complain about the transmission. You can hold down the paddle and drop multiple gears quickly and about the only major issue is sometimes it decides the lowest gear isn't really the lowest gear it can drop into.

Celicasaur

This ^^^

Also I find that Sport+ is just plain ol' annoying and only suitable for a drag race or 0-100 sprint. It takes forever to change gear and happily sits at 5000rpm while trying to cruise sometimes
Sport mode....it's ok i suppose. I dunno maybe I'm getting older, but I like my E63 to just give me a smooth ride with the occasional burst of power. Sad, but true.

TheOtherEric

Wrong. The MCT (such as in the 2014+ E63) is not a DCT.

unagi1

I know it's the wrong car, but I really want the 507 redline in the e63

Sport+ is good for upshifts and when you want to call like two gears down. Manual is horrible for upshifts near redline (have to call it about 500rpm before), but very good if you are going up and down one gear at a time. Comfort is good to tool around town like normal.

lanab

I went from BMW M5 E39 and bought a E63 AMG MY10, i really love the car but the gearbox is a letdown, in comfort mode the gearbox is so slow, for an example when you drive up a hill it doesn't gear down fast enough.

Is there any solution to this? and i really don't like the adaptive thing either.

If they had sold the E63 with a real manual it would have been great...

Celicasaur

Totally agree with you on the proper manual thing.

As for comfort...I think it's near perfection for normal driving tbh. For faster downshifts you need to drive in sport. Sport+ lol clearly is for drag racing. Useless for normal road use.

unagi1

PeterUbers

My thoughts exactly ... My morning start procedure is sit in seat, start e63... Switch to s+ ... Drive kids to school then drive to work

Celicasaur

No way, really? Damn...maybe I need to speak to the MB techs then. i find that it hangs onto the gears wayyy too long to make it practical. Like, I could have half throttle on the accelerator from first gear and it will go up to around 5k and beyond on each gear before it shifts. Sometimes even just chilling in 5th gear on the highway doing 70mph and it'll take forever to go into 7th. I just figured it's part of the character of the mode. My car is going in to MB tonight so I'll mention this to them and see if anything can be done.

unagi1

For better or worse, drive this car like it's weaponized

dingmah

I find that gear changes in Sport or Sport+ mode work plenty fast. Pull the paddles and it's damn near instantaneous to me. Sure it may only be 20ms, and not 10ms like a dual clutch, but those who say it is slow are really exaggerating.

aoschadlin

With the general consensus on the transmissions, I've been considering the following upgrade http://weistec.com/all/e/e-63/2014-p...u-upgrade.html

Should provide stronger line pressure and slightly faster shift speeds.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Positive or not. I sort of look at it as 'only' $1,500 and a day on the weekend under the car.

looney100

I'm not sure this will fix the issue that most have with the transmission.
There are two things at play here, 1)The time between the pull of the shift paddle and the start of the shift, and 2)the time between disengaging one gear and engaging the other.
It is 1 that most seem to complain about with the MCT. 2 is quite fast.

The weistec kit would likely tighten up 2, but I suspect fixing 1 is in the software.