Here are some observations on manual mode shifting in my 2016 C63S compared with other cars I have owned. A driver that chooses manual mode expects rapid response to paddle shifts, crisp gear changes, evenly spaced gear ratios, and smooth starts from standstill. So does the new C63S deliver?

2009 C63 Hydraulic Auto: Nice close ratio, 7 evenly spaced gear ratios; fairly crisp gear changes with only moderate jerks; smooth starts from standstill; slight creep when brake released at start; torque converter lockup in every gear down to near idle speed; unacceptably slow paddle shift response ruining the experience

2009, 2012, 2013 Porsche PDK Dual Clutch: Seamless, crisp gear changes with no jerks; slight creep when brake released at start; immediate paddle shift response; sometimes jittery starting from standstill (software patches provided improvement in 2013); 7 very uneven gear ratios with too tall 1st and 2nd and

2011 BMW M3 DCT Dual Clutch: Seamless, crisp gear changes with no jerks; slight creep when brake released at start; immediate paddle shift response; smooth starts from standstill; 7 close ratio, evenly spaced gear ratios... best dual clutch experience

2007 BMW 335, 2013 BMW X3, 2015 BMW X4, 2015 Jaguar F Type, all with ZF Hydraulic Auto: fairly crisp gear shifts with only moderate jerks; 8 evenly spaced, very close ratio gear ratios; smooth starts from standstill; slight creep when brake released at start; quick paddle shift response; torque converter lockup in every gear down to near idle speed... best conventional hydraulic automatic

2016 C63S: no creep when brake released at start; quick paddle shift response; 7 evenly spaced, but tall gear ratios; seamless, crisp gear shifts with hardly any jerks; inconsistent jittery starts from standstill

Once underway, the C63S is great, although closer gear ratios would be nice. The lack of creep and the occasionally jerky starts from standing start are strange and maybe will be cured with future software upgrades. Compared to the 2009 C63s, MB has finally given us quick paddle response.

 

^^^^Good stuff. I'm a manual guy but have driven the DCT and PDK. I think the DCT is excellent but the PDK is right there. Porsche has continued to refine it since 2013. I drove a 2015 991 GTS and it was a great experience. The downshift burbles were a lot of fun too.

 

this is my biggest concern...I am so used to the shift speed of a DCT I might not like the MCT

I've driven the C63 and I did no notice a huge difference in shift speed up/down shift.

where I did notice a difference is how the DCT car actually shifts like a true manual and jolts you back into the seat whereas the MCT had a slight jolt but wasn't as aggressive as a DCT

 

I came from an Evolution X with a DCT and I can say that this MCT is not as fast or "jerky" but it isn't as bad as some TQ auto's I've had. I've read about W204's having a crappy tranny but I guess they 205 made some huge changes because I'm not complaining.

The power/noise make me forget about the "slow" tranny... I'm happy.

 

Coming from seven years with the excellent VW DSG in the R36 and 18 months with the mediocre AMG DCT in the A45, I'm hoping like hell the box in the C63s behaves more like the former and less with the latter. The R36 gearbox is excellent; the A45 DCT is a generation newer but nowhere near as good.

I'm going to struggle to get a test drive of the C63 before mine arrives, so... this could be fun!

 

Mine creeps at idle without having to use the throttle. It's not as much as a normal automatic, but it's still very much there. I pull out of my driveway every morning (rolling forward on a flat surface) with my foot on the brake, never touching the throttle.

Also, I experienced the jerky start when my car was new, but as the TCU adapted to my driving it completely went away.

 

is anyone else bothered by the location of the shift lever near the steering wheel rather than the tradition location?

 

Mine creeps also and it depends what mode you are in as in C or S it idles at about 650rpm and S+ and race it is about 900rpm and creeps a little more.

 

I've come to prefer the location as it leaves more room for my elbow and provides a larger and easier to access center console.

 

+1