hradvar

Hi,

My CLS is my first Mercedes and I love everything about it, axcept, when the traffic light turns green and I push the gas pedal, it takes those 302 horses a second or two before kicking in and taking off. With my V6 Camry for example, the power is instant anytime I need it but the CLS has to first think about it! Are all Mercedes like that?

hlkc

hradvar,

A second or two? Mine goes right away. I'm sure you know that 0 to 60 on should be under or around 6 seconds... try this - use the shift buttons in the steering wheel down shift to 1st gear on and when the light chsage then push it and see what happens. Anyway, it should not take a second forget two, gear should engage instantly and take off. I advice you to bring it back to dealer and have them look into it right away!

Thanks,
hlkc

lfranklin

Mine doesn't do that -it is lightning fast. Perhaps you are in C mode and starting in 2nd gear. Look on the speedometer face and see if it says S or C.

MDCLS

hlkc He will not have the shift buttons on the wheels without the AMG package.Correct? But still even in just the drive mode, it should have great acceleration with lots of low end torque. The latest car magazines have been getting 5.5 -5.6 for the 60 times. Not too shabby.

ruykava

i think i know what's going on -- it's the mercedes long-pedal feel. you need to really push down on the throttle to get it going. overall the car is much faster than the camry, of course, but the moment you depress the throttle in the camry the power comes on immediately.

so yes, in a sense this is the case with all mercedes -- one just has to get used to it. used to be so that you could waft along dignitaries at extremely slow speeds e.g. parades and stuff. it's a matter of tradition, really. i'm sure it's not one or two seconds: it might FEEL like an eternity but likely less than a second.

in a word: just step on it and see those tires light up!

hlkc

MDCLS,

Oops you right! just use the shifter and accelerate using 1st gear and see. Regardless, it will takes off rightaway no dealy!

Thanks,
hlkc

MBZFAN55

Unbelievable ! This is exactly what my wife complained about when she drove a C-Class. She disliked the feel so much, she got a 330 Bimmer. She bitterly complained about the amount of pedal pressure required to "move" the car. And to think I thought she was the only person in the world to have that complaint !

adam76

she should have gotten a C32 then, but then she'd be in a neck brace from the whiplash!!!

hradvar

If I start out in 1st gear there's no problem but shouldn't the car start out with 1st even when in D? It feels like it starts out with a higher gear and as I push the pedal more, it downshifts. Also, I'm trying not to push the pedal all the way since I still have only 250 miles on the car, so maybe that's part of the problem.

hlkc

hradvar,

Yes, you are right. It is not designed for you to shift like a manual transmission. It sounds like your "D" mode is not engage some lower gear. PLEASE bring your car back to the dealer and check this out. This could be a simple adjustment or some major tranny problem. Please keep us in the loop

Good luck!
hlkc

aniantchev

I drive in Comfort mode and don't seem to have a delay; when in Sport, the car simply flies...

scorchie

This is actually a valid complaint, and yes, all NEWER Mercedes are like that. The throttle responses of the newer cars are not like the older ones. Drive a 1997 E320 and you will see a completely different throttle response.

The mention of the fact that you have to really press the accelerator down to get the car moving is correct; but once you get over that and learn to do it, it still doesn't solve the slower throttle response.

-s-

TMans

I think I know what you are talking about. I have a CLK500 and my girlfriend has a camry (her sister has a 3-series BMW) and the response on those two cars are much faster than my 500. Personally, I think its just a general Mercedes design that could be attributed to the torque of our cars. But thats just my guess.