eithe case i think this is a very good competition. good to know that things are getting better for everyone

 

I think we all must admit, when Benz makes an engine, they seem to be strong as of late. And it does have a 7 speed auto for even more aggresive gearing.

On top of that, I really like the subtle exterior freshnings to the C-class.

 

A seven-speed tranny just might be overkill.....remember, we had a thread and a discussion on that several months ago? If they are going to use 7 speeds, that's a lot of shifting for the tranny, a lot of wear, and more expensive tranny repairs, rebuild, or replacement. Remember?...my take on it was it they are going to use that many gears, they might as well forget stepped gears altogether and develop a CVT ( Continuously Variable Transmission ) that will take the power....something previous CVT's couldn't do.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d+transmission

 

I would agree given the 3400+ lbs weight, but 268 HP even 252 HP with an automatic has gotten cars in the 5.5 second range before. The difference is the weight of those cars were like 3000 lbs.

 

yeah...but MB is famous for having a ton of torque to get that car moving....

we're talking stump pulling torque

 

Hey Sick thanks for the heads up but you didn't mention which transmission C&D's C350 test car had... The 0-60 acceleration time of 5.5s sounds more like a result of a manual gearbox to me. The C350 Sport comes standard with a 6-speed manual, and optionally a 7-speed auto for $1,410.

 

Seems like cars like this C350 get lost in the shuffle cause of the 3 series but Lexus or any one else would kill to have the brand recognition and sales of MB. I mean look at the E class - hardly any one ever mentions it but it's the best seller almost every month with usually the highest price in class. And the C class is not exactly a slow seller - model for model it sells as well as the 3 series.

Biker, who wouldn't mind a C350 6MT.

 

That may take a lot of arm twisting for Mercedes to start using CVT, mainly because it's a Volkswagon thing. Those Germans pride themselves on being the innovators of advance technologies so even if CVT is advanced enough MB will still be hard pressed to adopt it.

 

stump pulling torque? 258 ftlbs is not stump pulling sir...

I'm not going to get into a hp vs torque discussion, but I know what you're trying to say about it, and its wrong.

 

on a side note, mb makes great auto trannies that are very efficient. so the real time numbers might not be that off.

 

lol i didn't mean that car....258ft lbs is like nothing...

i'm talking on their V-8 engines....we're talking extremely high numbers...

anyways, what's wrong about my statement? I thought torque was one of the main factors in getting the car moving? i'm not a physics or engineering major so i wouldn't know, but i thought that maybe torque would be it.

 

Yes, the insanely high TQ and HP figures are totally impractical and useless.

However let's not forget simple economics at play here. When there is a buyer, a product will be made for that buyer - it's that simple. You may not like it and we all know that kind of power is extremely dangerous in most drivers hands - but the fact of the matter is that if someone can afford to buy any insanely high HP car, a manufacturer will make it.

Let's move on from this topic and stop beating the horse to death about the impracticality of insanely high HP and TQ numbers from MB, BMW, Bugatti, Cadillac etc. It's just tiring reading this over and over again.

 

That didn't make sense

268 HP is 268 HP regardless of whether FI was used to get there or not. And 268 hp will definately get a car to 60 in 5.5 if the car is light enough

 

BMW is able to achieve those numbers with less horsepower in NA engines. The E36 M3 in the U.S. was able to do 0-60 in 5.5 seconds with 240hp. There was also a test of the new 330 3 series that was able to do 0-60 in 5.5 seconds with a manual and it has around 255hp. I believe these cars are lighter then the C class and BMW may underate their horsepower numbers or they just have the perfect gearing, powerband, weight distribution, tire setup.

The Honda S2000 has done 0-60 in 5.5 seconds in a few tests with 240hp but it is very light, same with the Lotus Elise but they are on a different level then small 4 door sports sedans that weigh much more.

 

You're right; I should've been more specific. I meant that 268hp in a car that size/weight hasn't, but looks like I've been proven wrong on this one

Just didn't add up to me, especially when the 330i can't get below 6 seconds with a manual and the smaller (and probably lighter) 255hp 3.0