Does anyone know when will MB put the new I6 and 9G-tronic in C400?
In 2016 (with W213 E class) or 2018 (W205 facelift)?

I don't like the 3.0 V6 and 7G, because:
1. Inline six will be smoother and it will have better sound
2. RPM @ 160 km/h (highway): 2643 (7G) / 1730 (9G). That's a big difference. (with assumption that they'll keep (1st gear)*(final drive ratio) constant)
3. 7G is still worse than ZF 8HP
4. MB has a much better V6 (E400, CLS400):



3.5 V6 TT is more powerful, less stressed, more efficient. Why does the C400 have the 3.0 V6?


My current car makes me so I want to buy something better ASAP. W205 facelift will be available in 2018. Buying a W213 in 2016 isn't a good idea (build quality issues). W205 with the new I6 and 9G in 2016 would be the best option for me.

 

Beware what you wish for! I find the V6 extraordinarily smooth and powerful. The 7Gplus transmission is also excellent a thoroughly well tested and performing design. ZF 9G transmissions have proven troublesome in both Chrysler and Acura. Performance-wise, opinion is divided a lot of drivers hate the 9 speed shift logic. More is not always better. Personally I find anything over 6 speeds fairly silly. In fact, the 7G operates as a 6 speed in most instances since in normal mode it always starts in second gear. Sound is a personal thing. In the C400 its mostly a moot point since you can barely hear the engine at all, even when revved. If there is something I like about the 3.0 is that it does like to rev, reminds me of my S2000! If I wanted an engine with a narrow power band might as well get a diesel.

 

The C won't get the new I6 until facelift time, I'd say 2018 or even 2019 model year.

M

 

Please excuse my ignorance, but isn't the 3.0TT a brand new motor? Why would it be replaced already?

 

Yeah it is, but it is/was seemingly just a stopgap engine.

M

 

It comes down to a few things, namely cost, packaging, and emissions requirements.

V6 engines are great because the are compact, often shorter than an inline 6 of the same displacement. The C and E class engine bay differ in size somewhat, so I'm sure this physical space had something to do with it.

BMW and Mercedes are moving back to inline engines. Good read here:
http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars...t-six-revival/

"At the moment, BMW remains the sole champion of the straight-six. Munich engineers admit that they regularly develop and test prototype V6s, per internal policy, but say the results don't come close to meeting company noise and harshness standards. Mercedes-Benz must not have such stringent benchmarks. Once renowned for its silken inline-sixes, Stuttgart phased out those engines and began building V6s out of its V8s during the dark, cost-cutting days of the marque's DaimlerChrysler ownership. As the sting of that failed merger continues to fade, so will the company's coarse, complex, 90-degree V6, which is being retired in favor of a 60-degree unit. This stopgap engine, which fits into the vee-focused packaging of Mercedes's current lineup, is noticeably smoother than the 90-degree unit, but its exhaust still sounds like Fran Drescher on Spanish fly—not the voice you want your luxury car to sing with.

That's likely one reason Mercedes is rumored to be developing a new family of inline-sixes. And because accountants, not engineers, usually run the show these days, you can be sure there's an economic incentive as well. As tightening fuel-economy standards encourage four- and six-cylinder engines where sixes and eights once lived, an inline layout becomes the norm and it makes financial sense to develop a modular family of inline-threes, fours, and sixes. Add the straight-six's other cost-savings (half as many cylinder heads, camshafts, and turbos), and suddenly, tougher emissions mandates have the unintended consequence of unifying the dreams of engineers and bean counters alike. It's a dream aligned in one straight line."

 

you can make a smooth V6 if you really tried, and I find the ones from MB do quite well. Lexus and toyota are so often praised for their silky V6s and they dont seem to have an issue. You dont really hear that praise for BMW...

 

not sure where that table is from, but the e400 has the same 3.0 tt

 

It is optimistic to think that an inline 6 is going to be retrofitted into the current chassis at LCI time. Packaging of the engines is going to be totally different and probably won't allow for it.

More likely is that whatever replaces the W205 (W206 I guess) would have a drivetrain designed around a newly packaged engine.

It is more likely that the transmission gets an update at LCI time though since it should not require dramatic changes to the packaging of the cars internals to make that change.

 

Since the C400 is going away, maybe they'll have that for the 2018+ C450?

 

Again, I don't see how they are going to put a motor with different packaging requirements in the current car, but I suppose it is possible if they are willing to put enough engineering in it.

The advantage of V6s is that they are small and easy to fit in small and medium sized cars.

BMW goes through enormous pains to engineer their cars so that they have close to 50/50 weight distribution with a long and heavy I6 engine jammed into the nose.

 

In Europe the E400 has the 3.5 V6 TT (mercedes-benz.de).


I drove the C400 today. Comfortable, quiet, quite fast. The only thing I didn't like was the sound of the V6. The dealer told me to try the C63. I expected extremely uncomfortable ride and problems with putting the power down. The suspension turned out to be comfortable enough. Ability to put the power down? Better than I expected. Acceleration was great and the sound... I still can't find a word to describe it
I ended up ordering the C63 S: obsidian black, silver cross-spoke wheels, CCBs, black interior, ash wood.