renncpe

SEQUENTRONIC. Sporty gear changing without clutch work.
http://www.mercedes-benz.com/e/cars/cl203/facts_g.htm

The new, optional SEQUENTRONIC sequential six-speed manual transmission derived from racing allows drivers to forget about clutch work and to change gear simply by nudging the gear lever forwards or backwards.

This is the first time I have heard of this transition offered on the C coupe. I have to figure out how to get it, and much is it..

Randy

renncpe

That’s just not fair; Europe gets the fun stuff… I’m going to the LA car show next week. I will be working in the Renntech both. I will try and find out about this and also there work on the C32. I heard they got 180 mph from one. Could be rumor but I will find out.

Randy

young

a review from Evo Magazine (pardon any typos)
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Mercedes Sports Coupé Sequentronic
Evo Magazine, #037

Mercedes makes some of the best automatic gearboxes in the world and some of the least tactile manuals, so we weren't sure what to expect of the new Sequentronic system fitted to the Sports Coupe. Hop in and it takes but a second or two to figure out how it works - there's just a manual-style gear lever with the simplest of shift patterns etched into its top. Nudge the nicely sprung lever forward to upshift, back to downshift, nudge left for fully automatic mode and right and back for neutral then reverse. Simple.

Ruthlessly logical and, you soon discover, effortlessly effective, too. As Meaden states, this semi-manual 'blurs the boundary between manual and auto extremely effectively'. Refined progress is what you want from a car that's less overtly sporting than the others here - and that's exactly what you get. While full-throttle upshifts migh not be fantastically quick, they are reasonably damped and fuss-free, and take-up from rest is auto-smooth. Somehow the system provides idle-speed creep so that in heavy traffic it eases along like an auto - no flaring revs as you gently squeeze the throttle, no sense of clutch take-up and no whiff of clutch lining even after a dozen walking-pace advances.

However, the system doesn't allow you quite the control that it should, emulating the protocol of Mercedes autos right through, as Bovingdon explains, 'This is a Mercedes that still nannies; the 'box will change up automatically and, more annoyingly, refuse to select a lower gear when braking into a corner, leaving you without any meaningful drive on the exit.' That's the Mercedes way, although you can't help wondering if the good bits of this system might not make a very sound basis for a more aggressive Merc - an AMG or perhaps the up-coming, McLaren-developed SLR supercar.

As it stands, Sequentronic is a pretty good option for Merc drivers who like to be more involved. As Meaden concludes, it's 'better than a Mercedes Manual and mover involving than an auto'.

Ease of Use: ****
Manoeuvering: ****
Refinement: ***
Extra cost: £650 over manual (£850 less than auto)
Is it Evo? No, but its very good.

renncpe

Young

Thanks for the info! I don't did not like the part about no downshifting under breaking. Maybe in the future they will release a less muted version. Did the article mention anything about 0-60 times or how it would perform under a full throttle launch?

Randy

tommy

Could you please take some pics of Renntech's ccoupe at the LA show? I'm sure that it'll be an awesome car. TIA!

young

hey randy,
no, the article didn't give any times or any other specs that i noticed. i'll look again once i get home.

how about having a Renntech presence at the Philadelphia show? i'll buy something!
young

*** randy, no other info in that article re times, etc. ***

tommy

Young - I'm going on Saturday. I saw that Austin-Healey is going to have a special display there. Thems are beautiful cars!

I want to see the new Civic Si up close and personal. The GTI crowd is already claiming their turf by trashing it as much as possible, kind of a pre-emptive move on their part.

I'm sure that the MB display will be as boring as last year's was, though the ccoupe display got me thinking of it as a possibility early on.

young

holy cow, i didn't realize it was this weekend! i'd like to go on a weekend, but if memory serves, traffic becomes a mess in chinatown during the carshow! so i'll just have to take 1/2 day off on next friday

the new SL should be there as well as the Lamborghini Murcielago (if you're interested). ooh, it says dale earnhart jr will be there friday... who's dale earnhart jr? (sorry, reference to the new pepsi commercial - halle barry, barry bostwick, who's barry bostwick... well, i thougt it was funny )

to be honest, last year, i wasn't even looking at mercedes that much (no way i thought i'd get one). but i do remember looking at the SLK's roof going up & down thinking it was cool. and the sales guys were very nice showing me everything. i didn't even notice the c-coupe. speaking of GTI's, i remember that the people at that display were sucky - i'd ask for a brochure and they'd act like i was making them work so hard i also saw the lexus sc430 on the circular rotating pedestal from far across the room and i was like - what the **** is that!? and i made a beeline towards it.

how do you like the architecture of the (relatively)newly renovated hall over reading terminal? i like what they did a lot.

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sweet, i just scored a couple of free tickets from my salesguy!

Fuzzo

I am so jealous that you guys get the cool car shows in FL and LA... the one in DC wasnt anything compared to what you guys are talking about...

I think i need to find a new job with a tuner or something... know any good leads


oh and take pics....thanks

renncpe

I will be there(LA Auto Show) Tuesday – Saturday.If any one is out there stop by and say hello. I don’t work for them but I work for a large dealership that sells a lot of Renntech modifications and conversions. They called me and asked if I would like to fly out and work the show with them, I jumped at the chance! I can’t wait to get out there, it sounds like fun. We will have a modified 2003 SL500, a C230 k with a wide body kit, and a Supercharged CLK.

I'll take alot of pic's and post them up.

Randy

ThemisN

Come to think of it guys....you brake through a corner????
Cmon now...this is what I do and I recommend most people adapt this. You should brake BEFORE the corner, and accelerate THROUGH the corner. This style of driving would enable you to downshift in the corner if need be. I would also think, and again I do this now, that you would downshift as well going into the corner, thus needing less brake if any at all...thus also providing no problem for this what everyone seems to think is an annoying safety feature. Oh well! I guess it just wont bother me lol.

avlis

I rented a new Opel 4 door hatch (I think the model was "Comfort"?) in the Azores and it had a SMT.

I'm excited about SMT technology, but the one in this car- it was aweful. I'd rather drive a Auto or Manny. It felt like it took just too long to shift. And while it was in process of shifting, the car felt like it slowed down a few MPH between gears. This may have been because the car was brand new and not broken in. Either way, I just didn't get the point of this tranny. A clutch isn't THAT hard to live with...

revstriker

After reading the article that Young posted, I guess I don't understand the difference between the current Auto and the Sequentronic. I thought it would be just like a manny with no clutch that you nudge forward and back to switch gears, but it sounds like it's just another version of the current auto, with just a different shift pattern; ie: There is a delay when being shifted.

A thought about the downshifting comment. When going into a corner and you're braking, normally in a manny you would clutch, and then shift into the gear that you want to come out of the corner with which could be 2 or 3 gears below where you currently are. It sounds like it will not let you drop down like this while you are braking into the corner. Because there is no manual clutch, it probably will no let you shift into a gear until the car is actually ready for it. I can see this causing a delay as you are exiting the corner.

avlis

Rev, the difference between the Auto and SMT in OPERATION is pretty much the same.

Mechanicaly, they are very different. The SMT is a manual tranny with a regular clutch and throw-out bearing (no torque converter, bands, valve body, etc.), but the computer presses the clutch and moves the shift linkage for you.

revstriker

Thank you. As far as the usability goes, the article sounds like it could be describing the current auto tranny as well.

avlis

You are correct. One major difference is parking. With the SMT you still have to set the parking brake (no Park position, just N).

There's a great article describing SMT and Auto trannies offered by various manufacturers in the latest Motor Trend. Check it out.

Boo2

I wonder why they didn't combine the AMG Speedshift technology. The C32 gears down under hard braking!

preyx

BMW has had a similar style transmission available in their M-series cars, known as SMG. Their "semi-manual" gearbox is already in its second-generation, known as SMG II. If you want to read about how it works, go here:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/technica...?articleid=139

Mike T.

...the little "smart" car - it has a sequential manual gearbox too (6 speed), an auto shift program and optional steering wheel paddle shifters. No launch control though

Due to its BMW-like gearbox technology, the smart car MUST be much more of a driver's car than the C Class

Mike T.

Good advice for regular driving, but it's passé for high performance driving. The latter demands left-foot braking in corners in disciplines such as F1 and WRC. It's simply the fastest way through a corner these days.