Rowing Your Own No More: Mercedes To Kill Manuals In Europe From 2023

[cawimmer430]

Rowing Your Own No More: Mercedes To Kill Manuals In Europe From 2023

If you live in Europe and want to buy a Mercedes-Benz with a manual transmission you should better hurry up as the carmaker will phase it out from its entire range as early as 2023, as confirmed by a Mercedes spokesperson.

As reported by German publication Automobilwoche, the company's spokesperson said: "With increasing electrification, we see that customer demand is shifting towards electric mobility components, batteries and (partially) electric drive systems", adding that Mercedes-Benz will "gradually no longer offer manual transmissions". The news comes two years after high-ranked Mercedes officials hinted at the change, as part of the cost-cutting measures.




The entry-level Mercedes-Benz A180 sedan is still offered with a manual transmission in Europe



The only models in Mercedes' current European lineup still offered with the option of a manual transmission are the entry-level A-Class, B-Class, and CLA. The German carmaker has stopped offering a three-pedal option in its US lineup for some years now.

Naturally, all members of the EQ range come with two pedals as the vast majority of EVs in the world, while the more upmarket models and the hotter AMG variants are traditionally offered only with an automatic transmission.

While the Mercedes spokesperson didn't specify the timing of the change, Stuttgarter Zeitung reports it will happen as early as 2023. This could mean that the upcoming facelifted A-Class range will be exclusively offered with an automatic transmission, coinciding with similar changes in the facelifted B-Class and CLA lineups.



Link: https://www.carscoops.com/2022/05/rowing-your-own-no-more-mercedes-to-kill-manuals-in-europe-from-2023/

[r0tor]

Not sad really -shrug-

[Raza]

Inevitable. Soon all cars will be as disposable as our phones.

Mercedes never really had a history of sporty manual transmission cars, so it's not as big a loss as say, looking at BMW's dwindling manual offerings, Aston Martin's lack of manuals, and Porsche's slow walk towards going automatic only. 

It's only a matter of time before they're machines no longer and just another electronic device we upgrade every two years.

[cawimmer430]

It's only a matter of time before they're machines no longer and just another electronic device we upgrade every two years.

The nightmare eco scenarios I hear about over here make me wonder if we're even allowed to own cars in the future. Once autonomous cars come along that's when governments can ban private car ownership.

That's definitely what this freak Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum wants in his Smart Cities and what he wrote about in his book, The Great Reset.

[CaminoRacer]

Damn y'all just slid the whole way down the slippery slope in 3 replies.

I've never wanted a manual Mercedes so I won't be missing them now.

[Morris Minor]

My dad's 1964 Rover 3 Litre had a hole in the bumper for the crank handle that was in the trunk. The starter motor did a far better job than he could at starting the engine.
Modern automatic transmissions do an equally superior job at their task.

[NomisR]

Damn y'all just slid the whole way down the slippery slope in 3 replies.

I've never wanted a manual Mercedes so I won't be missing them now.

But seriously, after driving electric with no gears at all, do you really miss it?

[giant_mtb]

But seriously, after driving electric with no gears at all, do you really miss it?

I haven't driven an EV, but I imagine the answer for me would be both "yes" and "no," depending on the situation.

[Laconian]

Driving a stick shift with auto stop in heavy traffic is the worst. Starter motor cacophony all the time.

[CaminoRacer]

Single speed EV is definitely better for commuting and stuff.

I do enjoy winding out the Miata with its GWR muffler. Merging onto the freeway let's me shift at redline through at least 4th

[Raza]

My dad's 1964 Rover 3 Litre had a hole in the bumper for the crank handle that was in the trunk. The starter motor did a far better job than he could at starting the engine.
Modern automatic transmissions do an equally superior job at their task.

It's a false equivalence; turning a crank handle has little to do with the driving experience.

And no, modern automatic transmissions do not do a superior job to manuals.

[Raza]

Driving a stick shift with auto stop in heavy traffic is the worst. Starter motor cacophony all the time.

Don't those features usually have an off button?

[Raza]

Damn y'all just slid the whole way down the slippery slope in 3 replies.

I've never wanted a manual Mercedes so I won't be missing them now.

Soon the machines will take over and not need us anymore. They'll keep a few of around for pleasure and study, but this is the beginning of the end.

[AutobahnSHO]

Automatics (for now) do not anticipate curves or merges or...

I mean maybe the "manumatics" with paddles are "good enough", I've never tried one.

[CaminoRacer]

A paddle shifted auto seems good to me. Especially one with at least 6 gears. (Driving through some of the mountain passes around here was obnoxious in my old Mazda6 with a 4 speed auto. 4th gear would be too tall for some hills, but 3rd gear was a little short and the engine would be screaming up the hill.)

[r0tor]

I'm perfectly happy with the extremely large flappy paddles in the Alfa

[NomisR]

I don't see how rowing a gear adds anymore enjoyment to the driving experience.  I would definitely prefer a sequential with a clutch if those are ever available since it has the benefits of both without taking your hands off the steering wheel.

[SJ_GTI]

I generally find a regular manual more flexible. Easy to go between whichever gear I feel is appropriate at the time. Sure I go up sequentially most of the time, but there are times when i skip gears going up and lots of times when I skip gears going down, and plenty of times I just stick it in nuetral to coast for a bit and then going to whichever gear feels right at that moment (which may or may not be sequential from the last gear I was in.

I don't hate automatics FWIW, they just feel weird after only driving a manual for so long.

[Eye of the Tiger]

CVT with flapppy paddles FTW

[giant_mtb]

I don't see how rowing a gear adds anymore enjoyment to the driving experience.

It's fun.

[r0tor]

I generally find a regular manual more flexible. Easy to go between whichever gear I feel is appropriate at the time. Sure I go up sequentially most of the time, but there are times when i skip gears going up and lots of times when I skip gears going down, and plenty of times I just stick it in nuetral to coast for a bit and then going to whichever gear feels right at that moment (which may or may not be sequential from the last gear I was in.

I don't hate automatics FWIW, they just feel weird after only driving a manual for so long.

Painfully reminds me of one of my online races last week...

Was running low on gas, for some reason I had that brilliant idea of pulling both paddles to go into neutral to coast a bit on the straight... Then pulled the right shifter after done coasting and it engaged 1st gear at over 120mph... Game Over

[AutobahnSHO]

I generally find a regular manual more flexible.

This. You can anticipate based on traffic and road, an auto or auto clutch just can't.

[NomisR]

CVT with flapppy paddles FTW

This definitely make absolutely no sense yet it's there because the consumer is stupid.

[NomisR]

Painfully reminds me of one of my online races last week...

Was running low on gas, for some reason I had that brilliant idea of pulling both paddles to go into neutral to coast a bit on the straight... Then pulled the right shifter after done coasting and it engaged 1st gear at over 120mph... Game Over

The game blows up the engine if you misshift?  That's awesome!

[NomisR]

This. You can anticipate based on traffic and road, an auto or auto clutch just can't.

That's only because of how people are so used to driving automatics with the torque converter creep.  Something like a sequential with clutch should solve that issue.

I generally find a regular manual more flexible. Easy to go between whichever gear I feel is appropriate at the time. Sure I go up sequentially most of the time, but there are times when i skip gears going up and lots of times when I skip gears going down, and plenty of times I just stick it in nuetral to coast for a bit and then going to whichever gear feels right at that moment (which may or may not be sequential from the last gear I was in.

I don't hate automatics FWIW, they just feel weird after only driving a manual for so long.

Downshifting is definitely something i would more likely skip gears than upshifting.  All of the manual cars i've own have little to no torque so it makes no sense for me to skip gears going up. 

[FoMoJo]

A few cars demand a manual, most don't.  I can't imagine driving a modern family oriented vehicle with a manual nor can I imagine driving a small sports car without a manual, even a raucous sports coupe. 

[r0tor]

The game blows up the engine if you misshift?  That's awesome!

Blown engine + locked up rear wheels + massive impact into the wall.... Forgot to mention I was leading 

[Raza]

I don't see how rowing a gear adds anymore enjoyment to the driving experience.  I would definitely prefer a sequential with a clutch if those are ever available since it has the benefits of both without taking your hands off the steering wheel.

And that's fine. For me, it does. For you, it doesn't. That's okay. We don't all have to like or want the same thing.

[r0tor]

For me, numb electric steering is far worse than manuals disappearing.

[NomisR]

And that's fine. For me, it does. For you, it doesn't. That's okay. We don't all have to like or want the same thing.

Exactly.  To me, it's a means to an end.  I didn't like how the automatic gear box worked but after driving an "EV" for the last 8 years, I think having no shifting solved my biggest issue with the automatic transmission. 

For me, numb electric steering is far worse than manuals disappearing.