ua549

I may be the only person here that does not like the MB 9 speed transmission (slush box). It is very mushy and unpredictable.
My number one reason is that it is too slow changing gears. Number two is that it is impossible to change gears more than one step at a time. One can't shift from 4th to 7th without going through 5th and 6th which takes a long time. My reason for doing so is that the transmission tends to hang in 4th until the speed is in the 44-47 mph range. Other times it will proceed through the gears sequentially as it should shifting to 5th at 25 mph, 6th at 35 mph and 7th at 45 mph. Yes, the dealer has updated the software, etc. but the transmission still has a mind of its own making it unpredictable. The paddles help, but one cannot skip gears by pushing the paddle two times in a row as in a BMW. One must wait a few seconds for the transmission to slowly change gears. I am a normally sedate driver and this E300 has never left the city limits.

rbrylaw

I don't know if anyone else shares your view, but I know I don't. I think the 9 speed transmission is perhaps the smoothest transmission I've ever experienced in a car. It seems to always know the perfect gear for my driving situation and it does it so quietly and effortlessly that I'm not ever aware it's doing anything at all.

ua549

When it works correctly, it works well, but that is only 75% of the time.

johnmc1

Never used ... my car is a 2017 model-2 yrs old.

Egonvdv

i'm pretty sure that when you hold the paddle it wil shift to the lowest/highest gear possible at that particular moment . (as was the case on my w212)

Also se this:
https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...ton-start.html

http://www.mercedesmedic.com/reset-m...-instructions/

Cao Black

I live where the local roads tend to be windy and hilly, and find the 9 speed to up shift super smoothly. Once in a great while down shifts will lag a little searching for the right gear, but not often enough to start using paddles. Although I admit to trying them again when I first read this thread .

teksurv

Correct - Press and hold the left paddle for lowest possible gear, press and hold the right paddle to resume normal shifting. This 9 speed, for me, is leaps and bounds better than the 7G Tronic I had in my last two cars.

QUOTE=Egonvdv;7625465]i'm pretty sure that when you hold the paddle it wil shift to the lowest/highest gear possible at that particular moment . (as was the case on my w212)

Also se this:
https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...ton-start.html

http://www.mercedesmedic.com/reset-m...-instructions/[/QUOTE]

apzaya

Subaru salesman told me years ago that the best use of those is if you feel your car shifting on icy roads just down shifting a gear can be better than using brakes. And in that car it's really the only time I've used them is in snow to slow down. Hopefully the E300 will never see snow ! ! !

ua549

That doesn't work in my E300. Holding the paddle will only move one gear. If a higher gear is available it will show an up shift arrow with the gear indicated.

bytemaster0

Oh man, I'm glad you're still around! That's terrible advice! The sudden shock from the gear shift is almost guaranteed to translate to slippage in marginal traction situations. On top of that, brakes have antilock and stability control measures that are designed to maintain traction and control. I will always, always use the brakes, as they're designed just for that! There are plenty of case studies in loss of control accidents where a downshift was involved. Granted, most of those are on 2WD cars. Still, brakes are always best in poor traction situations.

bytemaster0

Let's say you're doing 70 on the highway in 9th. If you hold left paddle for 2+ seconds, it won't drop in to 6th or 7th? It should!

Egonvdv

+1

also if you don't use the paddles for a while (5-10 secs..?) it goes back to automatic

AZEZ

I agree, the 9 speed transmission is smooth in my experience.

AZEZ

I use my paddle shifters all the time. Ive had them on my last two BMWs and learned to drive as a kid on a stick, drove a stick for probably 10 years. Maybe that's why? But I use them still and love them.

The_Judge

Ditto.

ua549

My car has never been going fast enough for 7th, 8th or 9th gear. It is usually driven in the 25-35 mph range. It is a town car where the speed limits top out at 45 mph on 6 lane arterial roads.

apzaya

8 years of Subaru driving in NE Ohio snow - still around. But I just moved to Florida so don't have to worry anymore about ice ! !

haibieb

What are paddle shifters on the steering wheel?????? I think if i have used them more than five times is a lot. It's not for me.

BobbyT

I find the paddles useful for speed control when descending on mountainous roads. I put the transmission in manual (M) mode and use the paddles to downshift instead of braking before entering a turn. It's easy to control speed, and save the brakes. The pads last longer and the brakes don't overheat.

As suby01 pointed out in post #20 above, " the transmission will still shift on its own when the engine reaches redline, too many nanny proof systems in place", I think that is a good thing, if you want to keep the engine from over-revving and doing some serious damage.

vladarh

I use them to turn the engine on in my E350e plug-in hybrid. When in electro mode, and you want to turn the engine on for a reason, it's easiest to use the paddles.
Also, very useful on back roads.
As for the 9G tronic, I'm mostly pleased with it.

ECGC

I occasionally use them for engine braking down a hill. However, if I am driving on back roads and want to do some high spirited fun I use them a lot. Selecting the correct gear will 1. keep the rpm in the turbo range so instant throttle response is available and 2. this will allow you to exit corners faster and smoother. When casually cruising I don't use them.

gfmohn

What is this operation you call "overtaking"? If you mean "passing," every community in eastern Massachusetts bans it! A few communities post signs on each road entering the town, saying "Passing banned in [name of community]." Elsewhere, you almost never see broken center lines. When one the two stretches of road near me that still allowed passing was repaved recently, the passing markings were replaced with no-passing markings. I assume that will happen to the remaining stretches that still allow passing.

As with most roads in eastern Massachusetts, It really wasn't a good idea to pass there anyway. Besides, legal passing is so rare that nobody looks for passing cars. It happened to me when I was passing legally on the remaining legal passing road. It is a straight road across a marsh, with no houses or businesses (and no place for cops to hide) I was flat-out in Sport+ mode. I almost never get that chance around here! I had the slower car beat, when a truck pulled out from an off-road, town brush dump on the left side of the road and made a left turn ahead of the slower car. He had the slower car beat, but not me. I had to give my brakes a test.

The_Judge

That makes some sense on 2-lane roads in cities or towns, but what about 4-lane streets, 4-lane highways, and multi-lane freeways? I'm pretty sure you guys in Mass have those modern conveniences.

SCRL

gfmohn

You'd be surprised at what we don't have. I know I was. Except for Interstates and equivalent state routes, there aren't many multi-lane roads in Massachusetts.
I think it was clear that by passing I meant passing on two-lane roads, into oncoming traffic. Even when it is legal, many drivers will beep at you for passing them. They are right. Because of situations like the one I described, even legal passing is never truly safe. Truly rural areas no longer exist in the eastern third of Massachusetts. No, owning a mega-horsepower, superior handling, German wonder car gets you only the same opportunity to stare at the rear end of Toyota Corolla, as everyone else. And the thousands of illegals don't drive faster than the speed limits (which are very low). Boston just reduced its city-wide speed limit to 25 mph. When autonomous driving cars come in, they won't go over the speed limit, either. The automated speed limiters currently on Mercedes car in Germany cannot be set to drive a fixed amount over the speed limit.