If the OP is looking to go fast stay away from w203 all together maybe even stay away from benz's as well unless you have crazy money like i mean AMG type money. I think we are aware based on the price we all paid for our cars we could of all gotten a faster Jap car or even a faster american car. But i am still happy for my car and love it to death thank GOD i dont have a heavy foot !

w203=All show no go!

 

Forget the MT - It is a crude dog with disgusting action & crap clutch. Buy an auto!

 

I don't know about that you just have to get a good feeling for it. In the matter a fact I can shift better on my current MT C class than an automatic shifts (read - jerking between shifting gears) with approx. the same mileage.

Automatic has to be proper maintained and driven with care so I don't want to gamble on the second hand one and be the joker with a crappy AT. Most people don't drive that way and that is why problems arise.

 

Now everyone hates me! The MT & clutch action sucks. Buy an auto. Benz manual trannys suck as does the clutch action. The auto will outlast their crap clunky MT. 722.6 or 722.9 rule.

People will always defend what they own. I'm talking durability & pleasure of ownership. The real MB values.

 

Huh? It's a LOT easier to damage a manual if you do not drive with care!!! The auto doesn't require any maintenance whatsoever until you reach high miles!! If it were true that it has to be "driven with care" then most of the guys on this forum would be on their 5th and 6th transmissions including myself. It's easy to damage a manual transmission. It's nearly impossible to damage the auto transmission in the W203 from careless driving unless you're trying to damage it intentionally. If you put me behind your 6 MT you would need a new clutch pretty quickly (I don't have much skill or experience with manuals.)

 

people like you keep transmission repair shops in business

 

What a ridiculous comment.

Until 50k+ there is NOTHING TO DO for your auto on a W203 - and if you read the manual MB tells you not to touch it for even longer! But we all know they are stretching it.
I'm over 30k / 5 years and my transmission works PERFECTLY. And I drive it HARD.
Please explain to me what maintenance I should be doing.

I plan to change the fluid and filter at 50-60k - which is probably a bit sooner than necessary.

Our E class has 90k and is on the original fluid. Is this a good idea? NO. Have I helped keep any transmission repair shops in business? NO. Transmission in that car still works perfectly even when its 20 degrees F.

 

ah, a misunderstanding then. you originally stated high miles, which i think a majority of people consider to be around 100k or so.

you are correct, the fluid and filter should be changed every 50k. so it does require attention, this was not the interpreted message you conveyed originally.

regarding your E class, the repercussions of your actions may have shortened the service life of your transmission. for now, you have not given your local trans shop your money, but you may be singing a different tune in 10k miles....20k miles...or never, who knows? but by changing your fluid at proper intervals, you will at least reduce your chances of ending up in that position.

 

How can you say the 6 speed has bad feel. Its complimented in every review I read. I have driven a 5 or 6 speed all my life and they have better action then the Subaru I had, and the volvo and the SVT focus I had.

Dont knock what you dont have. The 6 MT is wonderful has very define gating and is easy to control, its not rubbery like the subaru I had or inaccurate like the volvo.

Dont know what Mercedes 6 speed yall are driving but the M272 matted one is a wonderful box of cogs.

I like the auto, I just am a control freak and you cant get the level of control out of the 7 speeds, I have driven those in loaners, very un involved way to drive whats supposed to be a "sports sedan" not a Honda oddessey

 

Agreed.

 

5 years and 70,000 miles on my 722.6.. it works perfectly.

The 722.9 7G in a C230.. NO THANKS! I don't care if it will last forever, its behavior is not something I could ever get used to. It worked fine in every W204 C300 loaner I had, but in the 2.5L C230 it is infuriating. Either you start off so slowly that people on foot pass you or you redline. And it won't..stop..shifting..for..a..second. I'll take rubbery and vague that I can control over utter confusion that's out of my control (and the manual mode is a joke on these cars).

Get the 6MT 2.5L C230. That's the best option. Second best would be the 6MT C230K from 2005. Third would be a 5AT 2005 C230K. And, only as a last resort, a 2.5L C230 with the 7G.

 

Not if you bring it to Karo and he resets Transmission Adaptations and ECU Adaptations. Then the cars shifts like an SMG.

 

 

Karo, the C350 mates well with the 7G.. I was specifically talking C230

 

Ask Johnand and he will tell you the 7G works very well with the 230 V6. You are entitled to your opinion Matt - many disagree with you.

Most agree the MT is a clunker

 

Oh I know, Glyn. It was John who told me to drive the 2007 C230 differently to see if I liked it better. I drove it as he advised and I still didn't like the experience.

I like the 722.6 auto. It seems a good match for my car, but I still think I'd rather have the 6MT. How bad could it be? Lots of 6MT owners enjoy it on this board.

 

Read the W204 board - people find the MT agricultural - It's the same box. I accept it's better than it's predecessors but it's still a slow clunky box with doubtful synchro on second. Your most important gear. I'm afraid MB have never produced great MT's. To me they spoil the driving experience - can be pigs when they are cold & transmit engine vibration into the rest of the transmission & car.

 

I haven't been in the standard W203 forum here for a long time. I used to own a 2002 C240 Classic from 2002-2005 before I upgraded to a C55 AMG.

I see that there continues to be debate about the merits of the C240 (2.6L V6) vs the C230 (the supercharged 1.8L I4) sedan. I won't debate about the older supercharged 2.3L I6 which was only available in the coupe in N. America.

The C240 was my first luxury car, and it was everything I thought a benz should be: quiet and smooth on the highway, super sense of stability at high speeds, and very comfortable for such a relatively small car. The 2.6L V6 was extremely smooth and unobtrusive in its nature. As some people have noted in this thread, this engine performs best at high revs. There is hardly any torque available in the low rpm range, which is why it is relatively slow off the line. But once rolling in its sweet spot between 3000-5000 rpm, it is NOT that slow when it comes to acceleration. I had a Powerchip ECU flash performed on my C240, and the acceleration felt MUCH stronger, especially above 3000rpm.

The powercurves for the C240 was previously posted in this thread. Here are the powercurves for the C230 K (supercharged 1.8L I4). You can see that the engine is most effective at narrow rpm range between 3000-4000 rpm, with torque falling off rapidly after that.



I hypothesized in my mind that the C240 could at least match, possibly out-accelerate, a C230 K sedan when starting from a roll at highways speeds, but I never had to opportunity to put that hypothesis to the test.

The C240 was never that "sporty", but it was never meant to be. I even took my C240 once to a track (twisty ones....not a drag strip).....tons of body roll and lots of understeer.

With a 6 speed manual transmission and non-sport suspension, Car & Driver tested the C240 in their Jan 2001 issue and got the following results:
0-60mph: 8.8 s
1/4mile: 16.7 s
300ft skidpad: 0.76 g

With regards to the manual transmission in the W203, the facelifted cars (MY 2005-2007) got a signficantly better unit with a direct rod linkage, resulting in significantly better shifter feel (and shorter throws in those with the sport package), compared to the pre-facelift W203 cars.

 

8.8 to 60 and 16.7 in the 1/4 mile are both a good deal slower than a C230K is capable of, even in automatic form - much less a 6MT like the tester 240 was. It is a given that the 2.6 M112 V6 is a smooth, reliable engine. It should also be a given that the M271 is a faster, more efficient engine - placed in a car with a better suspension and upgraded brakes to back it up. I'm glad you posted the M271 power chart. Let's review:

At 2,000 RPM the C240 musters 140ft-lb - The C230 177.
At 4,000 RPM the C240 is at 175ft-lb - The C230 is at 192.
At 4,500 RPM the C240 is at peak 177ft-lb - The C230 is at 184.
At 6,000 RPM the C240 is at 148ft-lb - The C230 is at 164.

So yes, the M271 does not have a "broad" powerband. No one argues that. However, it produces more power at any RPM than the C240. Any questions? I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me why anyone has any doubt which of the two would be faster. "It's a V6" is not an explanation. If I'm wrong, I'm happy to admit it. The numbers are hard to argue with, though.

I didn't buy my C230K as a luxury car. That's a good way to look at it for the OP. Luxury or Sport? Which do you prefer? If you're planning to keep the car for 500,000 miles you better go with the C240. Otherwise, if you want a sporty, quick little sedan that looks great and gets great gas mileage and will last you a few years - get the C230.

 

A very good & fair assessment - SA motoring scribes got better figures than that on the 240 but all done at coast (sea level). Forced induction is always going to boost torque at low RPM & suffer less loss with altitude. It's possible that our cars have a different state of tune as they are built here.

I've conceded all along that the new gear boxes are improved but still don't like to be hurried. When they are hurried this usually leads to synchromesh failure on second gear.

 

I have the w203 c230 kompressor with 192k miles and it runs like a champ. I've only had to replace the struts and control arms

 

I just sold my 2005 C240 4Matic with 300,000 miles. A solid car. A guy in my town bought it for $1,000.... His wife drives it around town and their dog hauler lol.

 

All 3 C230 engines were garbage compared to the M112 V6.

 

I have the 2005 C230 Kompressor. I have searched the stickies for help and used the search with no success. I have a misfire cyl 3 code I've cleared it several times after replacing plugs and coil packs twice. I've taken the injectors out cleaned them and manually fired them they work to no avail it is still missing bad and No No No power crank it up and put it in gear and hold it to the floor and it moves like a golf cart . Can anyone help or just point me somewhere I can get answers. Thanks for any help you can give.

 

https://mercedesforum.com/forum/merc...sfiring-20088/

There are some additional possibilities on this thread. I think you have already addressed the less serious possibilities.