2007 CL Class Thread 2 continued.

[ALI]

Originally Posted by bum-man

What's so important about the shifter being in the center console, it's an auto...

True , but what about the feel ?

[bum-man]

Originally Posted by AMG-UNIT

True , but what about the feel ?

Feel of what? If you want to shift manually you will have paddles on the steering wheel.

[Alx]

Originally Posted by bum-man

What's so important about the shifter being in the center console, it's an auto...

GT's are to act like sports cars with a manual like shifting system. Proportionally in the center. Kinda like what AMG-U said. Its for the feel. Sports car...

[bum-man]

It's an auto it will always be an auto. You put it in D and never touch it again until you park it.

[Yaz AMG]

Originally Posted by bum-man

What's so important about the shifter being in the center console, it's an auto...

Excatly! Why's everyone surprised it has an electronic gear shifter? ALL new Mercedes will eventually get them. The ML, R, S and GL all have it - why not the CL and the upcoming C? The R-Class concept had it and that was years ago before the ML fist came out with it.

Also, those interior shots are old. I think they're in the old thread, the car was parked in a garage somewhere.

[bum-man]

Well, I disagree about the C getting the column shifter. I think that is unlikely because of the European market and even the American market where I do see quite a few with manuals. Now a big sedan or large luxury coupe that will always be an automatic sure why not, it clears up more space...it makes more sense.

[NSL]

Paddle shifters or buttons would be OK, but a column shifter detaches you from driving involvement IMO. I am constantly revving down, changing gears on a semi automatic, from D to 4, etc, all the time. I drive with one hand on the shifter almost all the time. If you driven manual you'd understand...

[Alx]

Me too... i always have one hand on the shifter as well. Down shifting and so on. Its more of a real drive.... imo of course .

[bum-man]

Originally Posted by NSL

If you driven manual you'd understand...

I do, and it's a pain sometimes trying to make a hard turn and down / upshift at the same time.
Unless F1 has seriously got it all wrong all these years the ultimate in driver involvement for semi automatics are paddle shifters. You have both hands on the steering wheel and the gear levers (or buttons) at your finger tips.

[Yaz AMG]

Originally Posted by bum-man

Well, I disagree about the C getting the column shifter. I think that is unlikely because of the European market and even the American market where I do see quite a few with manuals. Now a big sedan or large luxury coupe that will always be an automatic sure why not, it clears up more space...it makes more sense.

I keep forgetting that the C has a manual option. I wonder how they'd do it, but I'm sure we'll have a column shifter for the automatics.

Originally Posted by NSL

Paddle shifters or buttons would be OK, but a column shifter detaches you from driving involvement IMO. I am constantly revving down, changing gears on a semi automatic, from D to 4, etc, all the time. I drive with one hand on the shifter almost all the time. If you driven manual you'd understand...

I'm with the paddle shifters or the buttons behind the wheel, but not a big fan of MB's manual shifting in the center gear shifter. I find myself shifting down everytime I lay my hand on the ML's gear shifter. It annoys me

I've driven many manuals and I think an automatic shouldn't have a gear shifter in the center. You could use that place for something else