lauer87

Hello everyone,

Recently i drove a c300 stick. It was amazing. The car had about 220 horsepower and i felt it was as fast if not alittle faster than a BMW e46 330, or the new e90 328. Which is where the c300 should be. But why doesnt mercedes come out with a c350 stick to compete with the bmw 335. It just doesnt make sense. Mercedes would draw so many people to the car if they just offered the strong engine with a manual. Any one wanna comment on this?

got_thang?

Yeah why don't you ask them why don't they make the ///AMG cars with stick as a option

bzliteyear

my bet is that their current analysis of the demographics suggest that MB wouldn't sell any more cars if they had the C350 because currently most of the C-class have been to women or people who want sporty comfort/convenience.

the other reason could be the bigger problem - that MB can't figure out a nice manual transmission. if they could get one, perhaps that might change the buyer profile. however, given the lackluster success of the SLK320 and the manual transmission(very weak and sold almost nil), the only other manual transmission car that's been successful has been the $30k bottom of the line entry MBs.

my $.02.

Peyton

Exactly Bzliteyear....

Mercedes drivers don't like to shift, they test, survey, and almost 100% rather have a automatic that is as good or better than shifting, which is why there is a 7 speed gearbox that does so well (popularity and performance wise)

Plus, it makes sense with today's busier streets, city driving is no fun with a manual.

my 2 cents

MBTex

I agree. When I think of MB, I don't think sports car. It would kill me to be driving an MB in my commute having to shift all of the time. I do it in my Mustang and it isn't fun.

Would the overall "performance" of the 350 be better with a manual tranny? Sure. But if I wanted high performance for 40-50K I'd buy a Corvette or Saleen Mustang.

got_thang?

I do agree with you on that. Plus Mercedes is more of a luxury line of cars so manual transmission is a big no no

Shake

If Mercedes was smart, they should hire some people to look over these forums to see what people like and what people dislike.

AsianML

One of the Lexus execs actually does that! Well, on the Lexus blogs/forums.

Germancar1

Simply put there weren't enough takers of the previous C350 manual so they dropped it. Not hard to grasp.

M

lauer87

i dont believe they ever made the 350 in a manual....

I understand that most buyers of mercedes dont want sticks, but this new c class is supposed, and is the sportiest and best yet. Benz is trying hard to compete with the 3 series (i think the new c is better) so i just still dont get why they cant just offer the c350 in a stick. If they only sold 30 c350 manual's a yr in the U.S. i think that would be 30 more than they would have otherwise sold.

Peyton

Shake...if they were smart they'd have someone looking at what about 10 active members have to say about their C class? hmm...

Or they could spend that time and money on market research...or...testing a car for 7 years before they release it. Sorry to sound harsh but saying 'if they were smart' with no apparent thought behind what is being said seems...not smart.

IwantA124

So you think Mercedes is losing customers to BMW just because of the transmission. BMW can keep those customers.

TimeActor

I think MB would be better off offering the C-class with a 4 cylinder turbo diesel with manual/automatic for the USA.
Keep the price under 30k and watch sales skyrocket

Germancar1

Sure they did, for 2006 (not sure about 2007), here is a roadtest of a C350 manual by car and driver.

http://www.caranddriver.com/roadtest...350-sport.html

M

Moviela

Mercedes is Smart, and they go on sale next spring in the US. (I couldn't leave that line alone, sorry.)

They do read forums, and a digest is prepared for the CEO.

Dema

Does he read the digest ever? BMW beats in sales C class because no manual, no 300+hp engine, no keyless go, no memory seats... Why Mercedes can't buy manual from BMW? For example BMW takes automatic from GM, and it is smart move. Another thing. Mercedes did a good profit on keyless go asking $1000 for it, but time was changed. Now every 20K+ car has it as almost standard option. Read BMW forum, everyone chooses easy access option, however Mercedes decided to do not include this option at all. $50 save per car and millions lose in sales profit. Is Mercedes smart? Only in losing customers and money.

Germancar1

I hope you're kidding with that ridiculous post Dema.

M

ismeto

+1

Do not forget Still it doesn't come Rear Airbag as Standart. It is Option. in the market- you say the same- most car maker have these standart Why MB not ? for example in MB Naked car sells 30K but almost naked like only shoes in human no pants, no jacket , no.... you add these options and buy car 40-45 K . It is not fair !

Peyton

then get something else

MBTex

How many people really buy a MB or BMW for the transmission? I understand that, if you are deciding between the two and everything else is equal then the ability to have a stick could sway a very small minority of people that really want them in their 350's.

Usually there are other differences between the two that cause people to choose one over the other, not the tranny. There are options in the BMW that are not in the MB. My guess is that MB is betting on the new MM package to move cars.

And I'm sure they have people monitoring these forums for people's opinions. It is a place where you have people who care about their cars and are knowledgeable about the MB. What a great source for free feedback for MB.

S420merc

I am a current BMW E46 330Ci coupe owner my lease is up in 1 month and i chose the C350 over the new 335i. Here are my reasons i am 37 years old i live in NYC. For me pure perfomance does not matter in the US with all the Traffic and Police that you have i rarely get to use all the abilities of my car.
First thing i looked at was styling the new 350 Sport looks tons better then the E92 335 coupe. Also its cheaper by almost $8k. 268hp is enough for me if i wanted a all out sports car i would buy a Vette which is the same money as a 335i. For me Styling and Service and Value are more important then 0-60.
The new C350 looks alot better then the E92 and BMW Service is terrible. Just go onto e90post and read all the problems people are having with injectors and Fuel Pump failures and failure of bmw to install oil coolers on some cars and installing the wrong suspension. So the C350 is a great compromise its as fast as my E46 330ci if not a bit quicker and has DVD navigation and 18" wheels and nice sound system and only cost me $41,500. a comparable 335i would cost $51k or so and u cant get a discount on the E92 and i got $1800 off the MSRP of $43,285.00

MBTex

See, now there is someone who considered both. For whatever the W204 is missing in options in the US market, that MM system seems to smooth things over a bit.

S420merc, out of curiosity, when did you order your 350 and do you have a delivery date yet?

Spoonie

Why not. Not him per'se but looking at Forums can only help MB know what folks are looking for. it can't hurt. Or we could all just be a bunch of lemmings?

alpinweiss

I guess I am the minority voice here. I special-ordered my Mercedes with the manual transmission. An automatic is a no-sale for me (my wife too).

I realize the US market wants mostly automatics. Europe and much of the rest of the world prefer manual transmissions.

I bought a sport sedan, not a luxury sedan. The transmission is a pivotal buying decision for me.

My wife and I own other European cars as well, and all are manuals.

MBTex

Yep you are in the minority, but more power to you for it. I'm not trying to convince people to choose against the stick, just pointing out that most would prefer an auto.

I, for one, think it should be illegal to own a high performance automobile without a standard transmission, but the MB C Class is definately not in that category. Now, the SLR comes in standard only...and even then you'd have people complaining that it cost $500K and doesn't even come with an automatic option!!

As for the Europe thing, I think they are moving more and more toward automatics. The standard trannys are from the past and they have them because of the expense of cars over there (in certain parts of Europe anyway). I haven't seen the #'s on the actual sales over there, but my wife and I stopped into an MB dealer in Italy when we were there last April just to compare the cars to here, and most of the cars they had on the lot were autos (it wasn't a very big lot). Just my opinion though. I do like your idea of the european config...they get their MB's done right, and with the option of what transmission you want!