Is here:

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...ic-test-review

 

Typical mixed reaction from them. It contradicts many of the early reviews, including their own, in that they now report poor stopping distances and lethargic response from the 4 cylinder turbo. All the other reviews reported excellent stopping distances and crisp acceleration in the C300. This is also the first criticism I've seen about the performance of the transmission, which they felt responded too slowly.

They complained about no off position for the headlights, the position of the cruise control stalk, and the transmission lever as well.

Maybe the reviewer was having a bad hair day.

 

Seems to me that the transmission complaint has been just about the only thing that reviewers have consistently not liked...

 

MB is generally not good at transmissions. So many complaints about the 7G tronic when it first came out, and now the CLA (and probably the GLA) is plagued with the dual clutch which people complain is jerky and slow to respond in low speed driving.

 

C400 has had more transmission complaints in reviews ...from what I've read

 

Do they make them in-house? They should just buy them from ZF like everyone else does.

 

I have no issues with the transmission on this car. Of course, I'm not a professional car tester, I just own the car and drive it every day.

It shifts quickly and smoothly, and the shift points can be varied with the Agility Select feature. It's not at all intrusive and seems to work as well as any automatic transmission I've ever driven. Other than the rather archaic choice of a transmission stalk on the steering wheel column, which I understand but still think is odd, I'm not really sure what the problem is.

 

Yes, they make them in house. And I agree they should just use ZF ones. My parents had a last-gen 328i. When I drove it, I remember thinking how utterly unobtrusive the transmission was.... It just WORKED.

 

7g tronic blows....sorry guys, either it bothers you or it doesn't. I couldn't stand it

 

What's wrong with it?

 

Jerky up and downshifts, harsh downshifts at times that seem down right abnormal

It ruined the experience for me, got rid of two 2014 benz's over it

Some don't care or mind

Many lengthy threads in c204 forums and glk forums about same issues...

 

It would be interesting to see the official engine charts of the specific car in question, in connection to the complaint.

It is not my impression that the 7G transmission is a source of complaint here in Europe, which leads me to think that the problems could perhaps originate from a mismatch in engine-transmission?

 

In my C300, I have not found the transmission to be abrupt or harsh shifting at all. My 2012 Volvo S60 was very hard shifting and shifted often when it shouldn't have. In comparison, this transmission seems quite good. Downshifts can be felt, of course, but are not at all intrusive.

I've read reviews that both praised and criticized this transmission, but no complaints here.

 

I test drove it the same model i wanted to buy (C200 Petrol) specifically because i wanted to see if the engine and gear box was a good match or not.

I have to say that i was quite impressed with it, and walked away feeling confident that we will be buying a well sorted package.

My main daily Driver is a V8 Range Rover, and in comparison, two things stood out for me on the Mercedes. It was the low slip on the Torque Converter, and the effortless coasting function. The offical mileage figures are also impressive. (i hope they hold up)

The up and down shifts was smooth enough, and from what i could feel, the throttle modulation transfered quite accurately in all modes. Of course taking into account the nature of the modes, Comfort to Sport+

Overall it felt very intuitive. Like any auto-box, I am sure you have to get to know it. Learning how to modulate the throttle in different situations, is a big part of getting the best out a car with automatic transmission. A the risk of knocking some peoples driving skills, i suspect a lot can be solved by trying to work with the transmission, rather then against it.

Using the comfort mode, (as far as i remember) it started and reversed in 2nd. In Sport+ mode it shifted noticeably harder and took more revs. It still semed to change up quite a bit earlier then where the peak torque is supposed to drop on the engine in question. 1:1 ratio is reached in 5th. I did not get beyond that, but i expect it will probably have a different shift pattern in 6th and 7t.

Probably 99% of the time, we will be driving the car in individual mode with the suspension and gearbox in comfort mode, and the steering in Sport or Sport+.

For overtaking situations, (with the car not having an abundance of power on tap) it would be logical to use Sport+ mode for the gearbox.

I really hope it is possible to set it up, so that switching from Individual mode to Sport+ mode, is done by a single flick on the Aagility Switch.

 

Good info... Does anyone know if the car 'remembers' the individual settings? I understand each time you turn off the car, and back on it re-defaults to comfort mode (which seems silly that it doesn't return to last set mode). But if you re-select the individual, does it remember what the setting for engine/suspension/steering, or do those reset too?

 

I think you are absolutely correct when you say that you have to work with this transmission. The thinking of using the Agility select to adapt to driving needs is spot on. I think folks with these cars tend to baby the auto trannies too much. This transmission red lines around 6,000rpm, you should visit that neighbourhood every now and then, its good for the car as well.
In North America the C300 comes with 241HP and 272lb-ft so we are a little bit more equipped to stay with the mostly normally aspirated V6s that tend to dominate our roads.
My W204 was more pliant when I manually selected the gears, it drove beyond its power band when used in this manner.
I would not judge any car based on any one or two auto journalist. I think everyone comes to the table with either a bias or preconceived ideas of the car they are about to test.

 

It is hard to judge the transmission when the car is new. In my own experiences with the 7G tronic, it becomes bogged down by the computer when the ECU starts to fill with your driving characteristics.

 

As I said... Some people don't care or don't mind the 7g tronic. I've driven Benz loaners that have butter smooth trannies and others that have harsh shifting

My e63 has a smooth trans compared to the 550 trannies

 

I'm an Audi man and I think the problem is prolific with all "flappy-paddle" systems. Audi forums have many threads regarding laggy shifting. Basically my take is this: manufacturers are trying to develop something that can be as responsive as a human mind on a manual transmission. Let's face it, if you're cruising along the highway in "comfort mode" and you have to suddenly pass a few sunday drivers, nothing beats downshifting a manual. A computer simply can't keep up with the ever changing mood of a human mind.

 

Setting personal reflections aside, there is an informative movie here:


It might not be as evident on the more powerful C300/C400 or the more torquey Diesel engines, but when driving the C200 petrol, (and i suspect also the C180 petrol) it becomes very apparent, that the PLUS transmission does not zap much power from the drivetrain.

Obviously the low boost turbo engine is important, but In my personal opinion, It is essentially the PLUS gearbox and redued friction loss, that makes the C180/C200 Petrol, a genuine alternative to Diesel.

If you notice the official numbers for the C200 model, you will see that the PLUS systems yields 11% more torque in comparison to the manual gear box. (300nm vs 270nm)

 

Probably the expense of a very efficient (10% drivetrain power loss) transmission is a clunky shift up and down occasionally...

But I have been used to slush boxes ...5 speeds and 7 speeds that have imperceptible shifts (Infiniti and Acura 6 speed)

My 63 is smooth...

I guess we have to get used to this moving forward. My friend has a 2014 s550 and it clunks

Back on topic -- the new c class is awesome and certainly a car i could keep in my stable when I get rid of the g35x

 

I am sure that if there is a general problem with the 7G PLUS in the C class, the owners will start a discussion on the subject.

Much like the discussion E63 owners had on the AMG SPEEDSHIFT.

https://mbworld.org/forums/w212-amg/...ion-issue.html

 

Yes it remembers your personal settings