cdiken

When "goosed" from a stop with 1/2 to full throttle in "SPORT" mode, the first shift is really protracted, like it is not in first gear, and not in second, but in transition, for about 0.25-0.5 seconds. It reminds me of my first car, a 1981 Oldsmobile.

The 2-3 shift is better but still not exactly crisp.

Can the trans be re-softwared for a better shift? I've outgrown "chirping" into second, but a nice firm (not coffee-spilling) shift would be better, and would certainly make the wet-clutches in the trans last longer because I'm pretty sure what is happening is overlap....1st gear clutchpack is still holding while 2nd gear clutchpack is taking hold...its how old Cadillacs produced seemless shifts, and also ate transmissions in 60,000 miles.

Comfort mode 0-1/4 throttle is very well behaved.

BTW my '04 Chevrolet Duramax/Allison is a much smoother engine, works better with the trans, and the trans shifts firmly yet smoothly, and its a "beer-budget" Chevy TRUCK!

Comments appreciated.

Ken

BudC

There's and old saying about automatics. The harder they shift, the longer they last. The previous 4-speed Mercedes automatics would last forever with a little TLC.

Slippage generates heat. Heat generates wear.

BTW, another advantage to the older 4-Speed was that fourth gear was a true fourth gear, not an overdrive using a weak spur gear set.

Fourth gear in the older transmissions had a 1:1 gear ratio. It essentially locked up and there were no turning gear sets.

The new transmissions (like the rest of the car) aren't going to go 30 years like older Mercedes were designed to do. I'm not counting on my E320 for 10 years.

SAguirre

Totally ture!

My 1991 300E had one of those totally mechanical / vacuum transmissions. It did not always shift like I wanted it to and it required some adjustment when I moved to Colorado because of the lower pressure in the air. But I simply changed the fluid and screen every 30K miles and it was a real tank! It worked flawlessly. My mechanic in Niwot CO, had other 300Es with the original transmission after 300K miles plus!

One thing that is nice though with these new ones is that because the engine is throttle by wire and the trany can communicate with the engine. The shifts are also smoother because the throttle is cut for a millisecond during the shift. It almost sounds like a stick shift. This helps a lot to prolong the durability of the wet clutches while still making the car shift very smoothly.

The diesel, is a different story, I know that all that torque is very hard to tame down.

Steve A