dam225

I am very seriously considering buying a C63, but I have some concerns about the transmission. I currently drive an Audi S4 6 speed and just love manual transmissions. The only thing preventing me from pulling the trigger on purchasing the C63 is the "auto" transmission. How do people like the paddle shifters? In manual mode, how does it drive? Is there quick response time? For people who have made the switch from manual, is the driving experience any less?

Thanks much,
Doug

smjc_99

Doug
In M Mode, u can downshift only one gear at a time , Say U want to downshift from 6 to 4, u have to downshift from 6 to 5 and then u click the left paddle again to go from 5 to 4
I heard by Holding the left paddle for a sec, the c3 will go the lowest gear possible for the current speed , not sure though and if it is a useful thing

In S mode unlike other recent Auto's the shift from 5 to 3( executed by clicking the left paddle twice ) is not a direct shift but it goes from 5 to 4 and then in a second U see another shift from 4 to 3 ( the gear Inidcator goes from 5 to 3 directly but u can see in the tach that there are two rev jumps ; 5 to 4 rpm rise and then another rpm rise for 4 to 3 shift )


Actual owners who have more experience may give u a better idea about the tranmission modes; M and S

SLK55R

holding the left pedal for a couple seconds will have the tranny downshift to the lowest gear. This is already available in the other amg 7 speed.

I believe, again I don't have a C63, that the tranny is very similar to the SLK55 tranny except that the c63 will blip the throttle when doing a downshift. (VERY COOL).

Other than that M is slower than S mode.

dam225

Thanks for the responses.

Any other manual drivers out there that made the switch?

ldye

I have not been able to get any RPM match to speed on down shifts. Not sure what mode you may need to be in for this to work, but I have tried them all.

ARC101

I've made the switch and its fun to drive. Yes, I miss the manual at times but, the paddle shifters are fulfilling. Tough part is that I have not broke the car in enough to really push it. By the end of next week I'll be able to tell you for sure.

I will say its easier to drive faster then planned as the interior is quite and the gears go without me doing it. At least with a manual you roughly know how fast you are going based on RPM's / gears; with this its easy to creep past the speed limit

451/443=EW

Google C63 vs M3, see what fifth gear has to say about the car. As for is it fun to drive, watch the vid and you tell us what you think.

Its a fun vid to watch...later

Hans Delbruck

I don't own a C63 (yet, still on the fence between C63 and E90 M3 M-DCT) but I did test drive. There is a noticable delay between paddle pull and gear change in manual mode. It is by no means F1-fast. But, the engine and torque is just incredible. That makes up for the tranny. This isn't a car you buy for the tranny. It is a slushbox for sure, although the shifts are very crisp and quick when it DOES shift, there is at least a full second delay between paddle pull and gear change. You cannot just bang off gears like an F1 driver.... but if you plan a second and a half in advance, it might work out...

One thing I did like is that you can be in full auto mode and pull the paddle and get a downshift. I am also used to manuals, but I will be keeping my manual trans cars.

dam225

Other opinions? E90 M3 sedan manual versus C63 speedshift. Decisions, decisions.

Karma_Hunden

You should test drive both. I drove the E90 and its a fun car, but as everyone says, it has to be revved a lot to get the power out of it, which is alright and fun when you are racing but during daily driving its somewhat bland...here's when different likes come into play...to some, this 'blandness' is appealing, since they like to have a tamed car when they are cruising and a beast when racing. The C63 is just that in C mode, but better (less tamed), which is great. The C63's handling is awesome, the M3's is superherb. However, the manual gearbox on the M3 will give you a lower acceleration than the C63AMG. The M-DCT is awful fast, and I heard it can give a C63 a run for its money if its not paying attention well enough.

A manual M3 is debatable against the C63AMG, however, in my opinion, a M-DCT M3 has the edge on the C63AMG. Now, if you plan on modding either car, the C63AMG has a detuned engine that will reward you greatly with its large displacement and torque feel when tuned and modded. The M3's engine is a small liter V8 that its working its heart out to produce that power, sort of like a Vtec engine. The M3 sounds nice, the C63AMG sounds amazing. Looks is subjective, the interiors and exterior are very different. I personally love the C63's steering wheel and seats, with no doubt that is definately better than the M3's the rest is subjective as I mentioned.

So, its all comes down on what you plan on doing with the car, how you want the car to be, etc.

To me, is this:

Acceleration first, then handling, then comfort, then practicality.

Have in mind the M-DCT costs $2700.

I bought the C63AMG because I work for Mercedes-Benz and I got a great deal/discount out of it. But if that wasnt the case I would be in your same shoes.

dam225

Thanks for detailed reply. The *****s around here won't let anyone drive the M3 and I have yet to see a non-sold C63. I haven't pushed them hard but I'm not going to buy a car if they won't let me test drive it. I actually think I have managed to negotiate about 2000-2500 off of sticker on a C63. I would like to get your thoughts on how good a deal this is since you work for MB. To me, I was shocked I got that much.

Best,
Doug

dam225

I got a ton of PMs asking me which dealership. Sorry folks, but its a connection at a specific dealership and there are not many allocation spots. Nothing personal.

Karma_Hunden

2000-2500 is a good deal. Depends on the year of the C63AMG though. If its 08 its a good deal. An 09 will just be like an 08, because 09s are coming with Gas Guzzler tax which is around that price range, minus the discount you're getting is pretty much like an 08 which doesn't have GG tax.

To be honest, I would have to see the Code sheet with the car's feature and the price and tell you whether its a good deal or not.

Where I live (South Florida), BMW have a few M3s in their inventory that they let you test drive. MB doesn't have any C63AMG available for test drives just yet. I know of only one dealer in my region that is letting people test drive one.

gsrjc

A 2008 does have a Gas Guzzler tax so I'm not sure why you say the 08 won't have one. The GG tax at my dealership is 2100

Karma_Hunden

My C63AMG did not come with GG tax. Must be the built date.

gsrjc

hmm, interesting... I saw one that was sold 2 weeks ago at my dealership and it had one. lucky you.

Glock Guru

Correct!

jtdominate

Is yours a US car? I didn't notice mine until I looked at Maroni (sp) sticker and it's a line item just sitting there like an option.

I have about 500 miles on mine. Had it up to about 120 and there is some delay using the S mode. I have a F430 and it's no where near as precise as the Ferrari F1 tranny but is close to Audi's DSG. I find the shifts to be smooth although I don't know how much comparison there is between the two types since the C63 is truly an automatic. Passing is effortless and I have never had a degree of hesitation that gave me pause. For example, I was driving my 08 Vette auto (why I chose the auto is beyond me, having buyers remorse now, figured it would be easier on my wife on short road trips) I went to change lanes in a tight space and there was like a second and a half delay before the auto downshifted. WTF?? Granted the refinement of the C63 and F430 are leagues above the Vette. I had an E46 M3 with SMG and it was nowhere near as smooth a the Audi DSG. I can imagine BMW did their homework with the new dual clutch.

I'd put my $ on the C63 this engine is amazing. I remember reading that MB had to put an auto in the AMG's because they didn't want to strain a manual tranny with the enigine output. So they decided to go with autos to handle the engine. Can anyone confirm this?

Karma_Hunden

is your 08 vette the one with the LS3 engine? I heard they are fast. How does it stack up with the C63 and F430?