Tiptronic - what is it exactly?
Discussion
Hi
I'm looking to buy an SLK 280 and test drove it with the 7G option last week. As an additional £2k option however I need to think carefully about adding it. I have read that another (cheaper?) option is the Tiptronic which I read gives the driver the ability to overide the auto gearbox?
I am wondering if someone can tell me how this works and how much control you have over the gearbox. For example can you control it all the way from 1st to 5th etc?
Thanks
Andy
I'm looking to buy an SLK 280 and test drove it with the 7G option last week. As an additional £2k option however I need to think carefully about adding it. I have read that another (cheaper?) option is the Tiptronic which I read gives the driver the ability to overide the auto gearbox?
I am wondering if someone can tell me how this works and how much control you have over the gearbox. For example can you control it all the way from 1st to 5th etc?
Thanks
Andy
Both the standard 5 speed Auto and the 7G are Tiptronic. The term just means that you have the ability to nudge the gearlever to select up or down the gears. With the 7G you can have steering wheel buttons to tap up or down - not sure if this is standard on the 7G box or if you need to add another couple of hundred pounds.
In all honesty and with my experience it boils down to whether you prefer a manual or an auto. This is the first manual box and decent clutch that Merc have done. The cost difference you get back at resell time as the Auto will always be worth £2K more than a manual.
I prefer manuals as they are sportier and have better mechanical grip, however most people will tell you to buy an auto for the sake of reselling - dealers hate manual Mercs point blank. I find the 7G too jerky and it gets lost between gears when kicking down, the tiptronic is too slow to respond when driving sporty and seems to dull the acceleration even if the stats tell you its as quick as a manual to 60.
If it were me I would be brave and go manual, if you are used to autos go for the normal 5 speed as the 7G still needs developing I think.
My background was 9 years selling MB's and my company demo was changed every 3 months so I have tried them all.....
In all honesty and with my experience it boils down to whether you prefer a manual or an auto. This is the first manual box and decent clutch that Merc have done. The cost difference you get back at resell time as the Auto will always be worth £2K more than a manual.
I prefer manuals as they are sportier and have better mechanical grip, however most people will tell you to buy an auto for the sake of reselling - dealers hate manual Mercs point blank. I find the 7G too jerky and it gets lost between gears when kicking down, the tiptronic is too slow to respond when driving sporty and seems to dull the acceleration even if the stats tell you its as quick as a manual to 60.
If it were me I would be brave and go manual, if you are used to autos go for the normal 5 speed as the 7G still needs developing I think.
My background was 9 years selling MB's and my company demo was changed every 3 months so I have tried them all.....
Got 7g tip in the SL500.
The manual function has only a slight delay on manual changes, still faster than most can shift with a manual and far smoother too, in auto I find it very smooth and as long as you give the throttle a good squeeze (long travel on the throttle in the sl)I don't find the car hunting for gears a problem, although it is easier to get the five speed to change down just one gear with a slight flex, on twisty roads If I am not driving manually I'll pop the car down to 4th so it just uses the bottom 4 gears, the top 3 seem to be more or less overdrives. Although I do agree a little with some of Tonys' points above, the autos now offer control very close to the manual and a lot more convienience, round town the auto's streets ahead and only very slightly behind on the open road, economy is comparable and as tony says with the extra potential resale of the auto, overall I put a vote in for the auto.
It is easy to match the manufacturers figures with the merc autos I've had, see vid 0-100 mph
[url]www.geocities.com/mrjumjum/SL500Accel.wmv[/url] (with pics)
[url]www.geocities.com/mrjumjum/SL500a.wmv[/url](with out)
I also have an S65 which has 5spd AMG tip box with the tip buttons, these are great and give better control, as they select a single gear, whereas using the stick limits it to a range (eg select 3rd and the car can use 1-3), I've tracked the S65 and the S55 before and found the tip provides plenty of control
The manual function has only a slight delay on manual changes, still faster than most can shift with a manual and far smoother too, in auto I find it very smooth and as long as you give the throttle a good squeeze (long travel on the throttle in the sl)I don't find the car hunting for gears a problem, although it is easier to get the five speed to change down just one gear with a slight flex, on twisty roads If I am not driving manually I'll pop the car down to 4th so it just uses the bottom 4 gears, the top 3 seem to be more or less overdrives. Although I do agree a little with some of Tonys' points above, the autos now offer control very close to the manual and a lot more convienience, round town the auto's streets ahead and only very slightly behind on the open road, economy is comparable and as tony says with the extra potential resale of the auto, overall I put a vote in for the auto.
It is easy to match the manufacturers figures with the merc autos I've had, see vid 0-100 mph
[url]www.geocities.com/mrjumjum/SL500Accel.wmv[/url] (with pics)
[url]www.geocities.com/mrjumjum/SL500a.wmv[/url](with out)
I also have an S65 which has 5spd AMG tip box with the tip buttons, these are great and give better control, as they select a single gear, whereas using the stick limits it to a range (eg select 3rd and the car can use 1-3), I've tracked the S65 and the S55 before and found the tip provides plenty of control
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