I had read 9-speed awhile ago, but noticed that recent articles about the 2015 S-class coupe mention the old 7-speed. So, does anyone know which tranny the 2015 sedan will have?

 

All indications are that the 7G will continue.

 

The S-Coupe will launch with the 7-speed so if I were betting 2015 S-Sedan will have the same tranny as 2014.

 

The document my dealer had in regards to the new 2015 indicates that it would have the old 7-speed. The touch pad is standard in Canada however unlike the US, the Air Balance Package is still an option in Canada.

 

DTB - Launch Support for Automatic Transmission (9G-TRONIC): “The automatic transmission (9G-TRONIC) with code 421 (9-speed automatic transmission) will be used for the first time as of Fall 2014.” https://mbworld.org/forums/5870705-post4.html

 

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

It isn't clear to me that this particular quote refers to the W222.

 

There will be no 9 speed in any MB in the North American market until 2016 model year. I have done endless research into this. In Germany the 2014 E350 with RWD does come with the 9 speed but its very hush hush, no big news story about it.

 

good. let them work out the bugs first on the europeans

 

The 7 speed transmission in my 221 is very smooth and apparently has been around a long time. I guess a 9 speed would be better but I'm not sure if it will make a significant difference.

 

I actually love my 7 speed in the 222. It may be an old transmission, but boy is it smooth and works flawlessly.

 

the current 7 speed has been around since 2003 from what I recall, the ZF 8 speed is light years ahead of MB... time for the 9 speed!

 

Agree. Its great. Additionally, Still can't believe how much power the car has.

 

Indeed! Nailing her in 2nd gear is the best!!!

I wouldn't have thought 450 could make such a heavy car move like that....

 

Agree for 100%

7G-Tronic should be replaced asap as it is no longer up-to-date compared to any peers which typically use the ZF transmission.

 

I agree too. With the amount of low end torque we have in the S550 I don't see the purpose in a 9 speed. I can only see the 9 speed being a measurable improvement for an engine with a narrow torque curve, so this might be a good pairing with a diesel engine.

 

The 9G is needed for a number of reasons. Faster shifting, smoother shifting and for better fuel economy just to name the biggest reasons. Mercedes' transmissions just don't downshift fast enough. I don't think they want them too because surely they could make them react faster. The 9G should take care of all these.

M

 

Curious, how will having more gears make shifts any faster? Or how will having more gears make the shifts smoother? Or how will having more gears increase fuel economy? No disrespect intended, and intention to inflame, am genuinely curious.

With the torque curve that the S550 has and the low RPMs while cruising I don't see how having more gears will increase fuel economy. Under normal acceleration I rarely go over 2400 RPM.

I assume, that like you said, MB could make the existing transmission shift faster or smoother if they wanted, trying to understand how more gears will help that. Until they make faster gear changes the only thing that I see happening with more gears is spending less time applying torque and more time sliding from one gear to another.

If we really want a smooth acceleration with no time spent shifting than we should be asking for the next generation CVT, but I understand there are challenges with high torque applications and also a perception in the market that they are inferior and people like to feel shifts so the current CVTs are programmed to purposely have "rough" spots to simulate shifting.

I am just concerned that the number of gears at this point is becoming a meaningless marketing item - "if having gears is good, than having more is always better" I don't think is a correct assumption.

 

I keep feeling surprised too. The car has unbelievable power. Tires spin in 3rd gear if you mash it.

 

Not more gears, but a new transmission, new hardware, new software. More gears will give you better fuel economy especially on the highway. CVTs don't belong in luxury cars. I'm sure Mercedes could make the 7G shift as smoothly and quickly as the ZF 8HP, but they haven't. Yeah 9 years is a getting into a marketing driven thing, but they said the same thing about 6 speeds back in 2002 and then 7 back in 2004.

M

 

There seems to be an assumption that because the 7G came out several years ago, it is not improved at all. It doesn't seem valid that a manufacturer would not constantly improve its manufacturing and design to evolve with the times. I agree that the 9G will have two more gears, but can we really say it is a 10 year old design? I'm just curious.

 

For any given condition there is going to be an optimal gear ratio. With 9 to choose from rather than 7, there is a greater probability the car will end up closer to the optimal ratio (assuming the hardware and software are up to the task).

 

Right, part of the gain will be lost from higher losses within the tranny (the more the traditional type of automatic transmission has gears, the more it has friction losses etc.).

If the 9G-Tronic will have similar initial issues as the 5-speed and the 7-speed transmission had (I don't know how well the 4-speed did initially), I'd rather take the marginal loss from 7 gears.

Resale value could be significant, depends on how reliable and smooth the 9-speed tranny turns out to be.

 

Hyundai is developing an in house 10 speed, I dont personally see a point to a 10 speed unless you are driving at very high rates of speed for a long period of time, I.E autobahn at 140 mph for an hour. An 8 or 9 speed is perfect as you could be doing regular or even 100 mph highway speeds at 1300-1500 rpm

 

http://m.green.autoblog.com/2013/03/...-for-cherokee/

Interesting read. The jeep went from 19 mpg to 31 mpg with the 9 speed it just got.

I also read that the new S with 9 speed will do 75 mph at 1,350 rpm. That is low!

 

everyone thinks the MB 7G Tronic+ is a great transmission UNTIL they actually drive a vehicle with the ZF 8 speed, I was one of those MB fanboys and still am lol but its very clunky compared to the ZF, gear changes are like a scalding knife going through soft butter, so much smoother than the MB