tjav8b

Hey Gents,
I have been a member for a while but have lurked mostly. I have an 07' M5 that my local dealership destroyed a year ago while their tech was on a joyride/test-drive. That situation has finally came to a conclusion (long story) and needless to say I am done with BMW. I really like what AMG is doing with their cars and I am interested in a 2012 e63 or a cls63. I recently test drove an e63 and I liked it except for one thing. Every time I shift the car in M mode at the top of the rpm the car would make a long pause before shifting to the next gear. It just bounces of the rev limiter for what seems like forever and then shifts. I understand the shifts are supposed to be 100ms so I have to be doing something wrong. The car salesman really had no explanation but this can't be right. I am used to the super fast and raw shifts of the M5 and realize that the MCT will be different but this was ridiculous. Other than that I think the TT is awesome!

Anyone have some ideas on what is happening? This is the only thing holding me back from diving into one of these cars. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

impex4

Hi
Recognize you from m5board...just sold my 08 m5 6 speed- loved the car
I dont have that issue, but i must tell you that i 97% end up driving in S or S+ mode. In manual mode, i shift earlier than redline because of the power curve ....its unecessary.

in the meantime love the cls63....and i do love m cars...but 2 different animals.

the amg car may be more practical day to day and cls is surely more beautiful

justthebest

Driving aggressively in S+ has always snapped my head back pretty well

Vic55

If you must have a fast "responding" manual mode then the Benz may not be the one for you. M mode is slow compared to the manual modes in my old DCT M3, SMGII M6. current GTR, and current 997TT PDK.

Yes the MCT is slower by 20% than the M3 DCT (100 ms vs 80ms) but I truly believe its the software that hinders our MCT's in manual mode. Thus, I almost always drive my car(s)- I have two MCT's) - in S+ mode. The upshifts are quite fast and the car is responsive in gear changes (up and down) in slow and fast turns as needed.

Remember these cars have adaptive trannys so if you drive your hard up and down the range and dont "granny" it you will get the optimal shift points in S+ as it learns your driving style.

tjav8b

I did notice that S+ did seem to shift fine. I just could not figure out why there was such a noticeable delay when shifting manually in M mode. Maybe it is in the software on purpose. I will miss the wide open snappiness of the SMG but I do not have to have it. It will just be something to get use to. I'm really liking the CLS.

Appreciate the responses.

pgordon888

I miss my M3 DCT but I have found M mode in my CLS63 to be much better than I expected based on all the comments on the boards and with all the torque down low you really don't need the rapid fire gear shift response to stay at the optimal level of the power band like the M3. I will say that M mode is definitely the way to go if you want to shift as I believe pulling the paddles in S+ produces a much more noticeable shift lag.

I wonder if tuners will develop better MCT software or if MB will update it along the lines that BMW did when all the "shift lag" complaints were logged against the M3 DCT when it first came out.

Centurion

Manual shifting while in S or S+ mode isn't recommended as it is more for dictating to the TCU where you would like for it to stop shifting.

For example, you could pull the right paddle in succession until you get to '4' and that tells the TCU not to shift higher than 4th gear. It will return back to first gear at a stop light. When you accelerate, it will upshift on its own, but no higher than 4th.

For normal everyday driving, I always drive in 'M'anual.
It's just more fun.

SHAIKH

I also had the 2006 M5 and absolutely loved it. But the cls63 can't be compared it.

I have owned a few M cars but never an AMG and this was my first. I have to say that is much slower in comparison to the M5 in terms of shift speeds but where you had to really rev the car to get the optimal performance, the cls does it more with ease thanks to the turbos.

And did i mention the sound. it is amazing. This makes the car more fun to drive all the time then really revving the M.

I passed on the new M5 cause i didn't like all the reviews i read and it has the same interior like the other BMW's in the house....so nothing new. CLS63 is a class of its own

Hope this helps with your decision

russjr

never could understand why anyone wants to use M mode, other than to play. S and S+ are so much better and will allow you to drive much more effectively. at the amg driving experiences most people quickly forego the M mode for this very reason.