Who drives their SLK 350 with a 6 speed? how do you like it? Shifts nice, smooth, short throw? At dealerships around here all they get in are automatics so I have not had the opportunity to drive the manual. with the auto there seems to sluggishness off the line, unless you punch it? I'm considering a 6 manual..thoughts?

 

manual is always the choice if you want a true sports feel
to be honest if your comfortable with the stick get it because i hear nothing but good things about it!

 

I love my manual. Absolutely love it. It takes a little getting used to because first gear is SO VERY tight that it takes a special touch with any sort of performance shifting from one to two. After that it gets much smoother. In my opinion, a sports car just isn't a sports car without a manual, but that's certainly not everyone's opinion.

That being said, it probably could be a little better. I have driven a few smoother performance clutches in my life. Even still, the auto was not even a consideration for me.

 

Couldn't agree with you more. That is the main reason I went for the SLK350 instead of the SLK55. I'm not a fast and furious driver nor a speed freak so the 268hp is adequate for me.

 

I only got to do a tame test drive with an auto, but I've got a manual on order. How is the pickup in the manual? Does the car "feel" fast?

 

Love to be able to answer your question but I can't yet. Will not get my car until July 25th. Only test drove an auto as well.

But I'm sure others can answer your question.

 

The auto is actually quicker straight line the manual. It really snaps off the ****s if you leave it in auto. The paddle shifters are basically useless in my book. Very slow. But live it in the auto position and it is the best I have ever driven. It gets use to your driving style and always seems to be in the right gear. If my wife wasn't the primary driver i would have gotten the manual since that is what I have always had. Even my big Dodge diesel is a 6 speed.
However I have found that the 7 speed has great performance and is very exciting to drive. With the traction control of and taking a sharp corner with lots of braking upon hitting the apex the tranny is right there. You hit the gas and the back ends steps out for a very nice power slide. Very impressive for a slush box. Just wish the paddle shifters worked.

 

VetteX makes some good points. I ordered mine before pricing was even available with the stick, so I knew I was taking a chance. I'm still glad I went with it. However, the first "demo" that they got in (which is an interesting story in itself) was a manual, and I drove it for a couple of hours two weeks before mine came in. However, according to MB, the stick is slightly faster, but only an incredibly skilled driver can get that performance out of it. I'm not that good, vetteX. And it's quite possible that the magazines haven't been able to find that extra performance either, so they may be posting that the auto is faster.

The salesman drove it first, and he WORKED it. Scared the daylights out of me. It was a true screamer. The nice thing is that, even in manual mode, it shifts for you automatically at redline, which is particularly nice with such a tight first gear. It was really impressive in his hands, downshifting when it should, upshifting at just the right times... Unfortunately, it started to rain just about the time I got behind the wheel, and the last thing I wanted to do was wrap their brand new SLK around a lightpole, jeopardizing my own delivery. As a result, I ended up babying it for the most part.

You will NOT be disappointed with the auto or the manual. No one can really tell you which is best for you, because only you can make that decision. It is by far one of the best autos I've ever driven, and a very good manual, but not one of the best. I'm thrilled with my manual, again, but every car I've owned other than the Jag (not counting trucks or SUVs) has been a stick. I just prefer them.

The story on the demo (for those interested):
MB sent them the demo with the understanding that they could not sell it until they had sold one that had been pre-ordered. The demo went out two weeks before the preorders. I had originally been second on the list, but the person in front of me dropped the order, so they had to wait until I took delivery to sell the demo to a walk-in customer. The day mine came in, they called me, and apparently called a walk-in as well. The minute my papers were signed, they sold the demo to someone. I spent a good hour talking to him and hanging out while they processed all the paperwork. A little annoying that I'd been waiting so long and this guy walked right in and took delivery, but at least I got to order mine exactly how I wanted it, and I got to baby it the first thousand miles, rather than take delivery of one which I personally had abused, and seen the dealership abuse, well inside of 200 miles, let alone the requisite 1000 miles of breakin... Took delivery in early September, 2004 in the US.

Sorry for the long posts, folks. I'm a little long winded most of the time.

 

Will S....Love to hear about delivery experiences... For those with Auto, isnt there a button on the console that says S and C? doesn't this mean sport or comfort shift mode? What's the diff? the salesman was a bit foggy on what it was about.

 

S Mode is Sport. You start out in first gear and the shifts are very quick and positive. It down shifts better and is were I keep the tranny 95% of the time. C mode is comfort. You start out in 2nd gear and shifts are smoother and not as positive. Much slower to down shift also. I use c mode if I am stuck in heavy stop and go traffic. It is much smoother then S and not as jerky and snappy if you are on and off the gas in traffic. Hope that helps.

 

Well that does not help a bit..that just muddied the water...now I don't know which way to go! OK I still like the 6 speed manual but then from what you say it has some really superneat flexibility...Gotta love that technology...The wife, of course thinks automatic is preferrable...However I'm thinking I'm the 350 driver and she gets the Magnum....However if you've ever driven a torquey Hemi Magnum..It ain't no Soccer Mom wagon! OOOOOHHH my head is hurting!

 

Go for the manual, It makes the car in my opinion.

 

The 6 spd. manual is very quick and easy to shift with a nice short throw. The clutch is light, however it could use a clutch stop. Although some have said otherwise, I like the gearing. Can take car down to about 2mph. in first without any bucking..it's a breeze to drive even in heavy stop & go traffic. Downshifting all he way to 1st is also easy....great transmission.

 

i could not have put it any better redvettx2! believe me, i don't think that is possible to shift gears as quickly and perfectly when one is in the "S" mode and gunning it! i own an slk55 and it is amazing to see how the computer takes over the gears. each change is perfectly at redline. i have been driving hard at times (straight line and cornering). i am now quiet sure due to the post by redvettx2, that the auto trans experience will be similar in the slk350.

 

Come on guys. Did you buy your SLK because it was a sportscar or not? If you bought just because it was a roadster, then the automatic is great. But if you wanted a sportscar, like me, the stick is the only way to go. There's nothing like the involvement of a manual. And this one is good. Lots of fun. And that's why I never considered an automatic. I drove one, but it wasn't my cup of tea. My salesman tried to talk me out of a manual stating that less than five percent of Mercedes are manuals, resale issues, yada-yada-yada. This is the first Mercedes with a slick 6-speed and I'm lovin' it. If you had a bought a Porsche, you'd have been shot for getting an automatic. This is my Porsche.

 

I agree completely. In addition, I believe if the SLK55 AMG offered a 6spd. manual it would outsell Porsche. Come on MB...Wake up!

 

I bought my SLK350 with the automatic because I do most of my driving in the Chicago area which often involves stop and go traffic. Add to that, the lack of winding roads and I didn't see any advantage in a manual trans but I did see a major disadvantage to it. I bought the SLK because it was a hard top roadster, not what I think of as an actual "sports car". The heat scarf also was a big selling point as it extends top down driving several months each year.

 

Me too...... I had the SLK55 on order but when I drove it I cancelled because the auto (even though its very good) didn't do it for me.

 

selling the slk55 (or the 350) is not an issue for mb as they are selling more than they are producing, especially the '55. this is new technology, nothing wrong with it as the computer generates the max out of the engine. again, if you got a chance to drive the car with an auto tranny, i think it will surprise you with the fast and perfect changes.
now all this is does not matter if you are a purist..... !

 

Color me a purist.

 

IMO manual is the only way to go for cars like the SLK, even in if you live in a heavy traffic zone

although i think the manual tranny *could* be better, it's already pretty awesome. props to mb for a job well done.

i like the idea of the lotus elise, simple, light, and f'ing quick. only if it werent so ugly...

 

accoding to MB the manual is faster by .1-.2 seconds. Now the auto will give more consistent times but its not faster.

 

for normal drivers i would think the auto is faster than the stick

 

i can drive with a stck as well, the auto is still quicker and more precise.

 

I have test driven both manual and automatic, and I can recommend the manual for anyone who really likes to drive and does not use this car for lots of stop and go city driving...having said that, the automatic in the 350 is very, very good, but shifts a little too much / too often, and the shift buttons are USELESS.