[mav238]

Totally agree with a number of posters here... Manual paddle shifting is not efficient for daily driving. Unless you plan to race, and hopefully not on the street, the manual paddle shifting is redundant and very cumbersome to use. I use the "M" mode only when I am coasting down a hill road, and I want to engine brake the car so as to limit the use of the brakes...

you can try it just to educate yourself with the system, but trust me, after a while of doing this in regular driving, you would not be too enthusiastic about it much more.

You want to feel a bit more oommph in the car, just use the "S" mode, it should be exciting enough to get your adrenaline going.

 

[David170]

Totally agree with a number of posters here... Manual paddle shifting is not efficient for daily driving. Unless you plan to race, and hopefully not on the street, the manual paddle shifting is redundant and very cumbersome to use. I use the "M" mode only when I am coasting down a hill road, and I want to engine brake the car so as to limit the use of the brakes...

you can try it just to educate yourself with the system, but trust me, after a while of doing this in regular driving, you would not be too enthusiastic about it much more.

You want to feel a bit more oommph in the car, just use the "S" mode, it should be exciting enough to get your adrenaline going.

I disagree with you, for city driving the S Mode is too "aggressive", rev the engine way too much for not reason. Manual is the best for me.
I use manual 99% of the time.

Envoyé de mon Nexus 6 en utilisant Tapatalk

 

[jmc]

.....
Unfortunately, I find that even when I leave it in Sport, I instinctively flick the paddles to change gears when I want it to change gears
.....
-Eric

Having gotten used to the moods of our 7GDCT I do something similar ... my left fingers get restless!
But alas depending on the "exciting" situation those very same fingers dont always connect with those smallish plastic paddles.
So I plonked in those big metal ones! Now I have a much larger grip range ?

 

[xzatx]

I use it to escape sh@#$ty situations or if someone pisses me off, or if i enter a corner too fast and i need higher traction (not engine braking)

there are also reports that DCT is much more durable than regular AUTO transmission.
but only TIME will tell! .

 

[mav238]

Yup, its always good to agree to disagree ... the world is full of diversity!

To be honest, when I said to use the "S" mode, I didn't propose to do that 24/7... I personally only use "S" mode when I need to do an aggressive passing maneuver. Otherwise you are right, DAVID170, the "S" mode is aggressive, it turns the CLA250 into a different "beast" altogether... but I can't do that "S" mode 24/7, the high revving would drive me nuts!

 

[jmc]

Yup, its always good to agree to disagree ... the world is full of diversity!

To be honest, when I said to use the "S" mode, I didn't propose to do that 24/7... I personally only use "S" mode when I need to do an aggressive passing maneuver. Otherwise you are right, DAVID170, the "S" mode is aggressive, it turns the CLA250 into a different "beast" altogether... but I can't do that "S" mode 24/7, the high revving would drive me nuts!

And chew up that gas mileage .....

 

[Picard]

I use the paddles almost exclusively now after installing PD. Starting the car, turning off the eco start/stop and switching to M mode has been a muscle memory. The E or S mode transmission logic and programming of a 2014 model leaves a great deal to be desired (seems to have been fixed on 2016's and above).

The paddles give a much more engaged driving experience and the pedal commander gives a quasi good'ol direct cable throttle response (vs a sloppy drive-by-wire on E).

 

[Capt Torch]

It is no problem to use the paddles during the first 1500km engine run in time> Be careful not to exceed 4500RPM during this period. I have no problem with unusual gearshifts in automatic/sport or sport+.
The gearbox is working fine in all modes (model CLA45 AMG 2017). The best is to use all modes, incl paddles so the gearbox uses all gears during run in period. Do not push the car to itś limits in this period, brakes/gearbox/engine need this time to settle in.

 

[BarberSon]

I never use pedals it shifts for me when I want to redline

 

[SChaudhery]

I use M mode + paddles 99% of the time. I like to control my snap, crackle, and pops.

 

[Clallan]

I use M mode + paddles 99% of the time. I like to control my snap, crackle, and pops.

Totally agree!

 

[coder]

Paddle shifters oddly dissatisfying

I really expected to like the paddles. as I am a big fan of manual transmissions...
I just cannot warm up to the paddles.
First off, they are too slow for my taste.

With a stick, I can instantly shift from any gear to any other ( within reason) . I often go from 5 down to 2nd, or
skip a gear either up or down. Perhaps unrealistically, i expected to be able to tap-tap and go 2 gears lower (or higher)
nearly instantaneously. Maybe I watched the Transporter one too many times, but then again, Statham drives
a high end Beemer there.

With a stick, I can shift by ear, but with the Cla paddles, the audio feedback is sort of not quite there.
So I find that the automatic often takes over because I am in too low, or to high gear, because I forgot to shift.
The end result is frustrating, so after trying a few times now I just do not bother.

On a different topic:
I find the sport mode annoying. The car is overall a lot louder, and the sport logic delays upshifting, and tends to
rev the car in a lower gear for no discernible benefit. No amount of revving the engine in low gear will turn the CLA
into a Ferrari. It is a compromise, slightly underpowered 4 banger, with excellent highway fuel economy.
I do not want to pretend it is anything else but that.

I find if I need to quickly pick up speed and floor the gas
the ECO logic will downshift just fine. But during highway cruising, the car is just more civilized
and quieter in ECO mode.

 

[ural]

I don't use the paddles too much, I guess I'm just lazy. On the highway it doesnt make a lot of sense and dunno why after a while it changes to automatic anyway. In the city manual shifting is a pain, so for me it's just a nice addition to play with from time to time and that's about it.

If I want to accelerate more effectively I use the Kickdown function which imo works like charm.

 

[Rapidfirerob]

I don't use the paddles too much, I guess I'm just lazy. On the highway it doesnt make a lot of sense and dunno why after a while it changes to automatic anyway. In the city manual shifting is a pain, so for me it's just a nice addition to play with from time to time and that's about it.

If I want to accelerate more effectively I use the Kickdown function which imo works like charm.

The kickdown function? Does that mean dropping a gear with the paddle shifters or what exactly? Maybe you mean kicking the car and chastising it to stay down!

 

[Texas Dave]

The kickdown function? Does that mean dropping a gear with the paddle shifters or what exactly? Maybe you mean kicking the car and chastising it to stay down!

I don't find the kick down to work very well. I'll go to the paddles to drop gears if I need to accelerate quickly.

 

[Rapidfirerob]

I don't find the kick down to work very well. I'll go to the paddles to drop gears if I need to accelerate quickly.

I Googled the kick down function. Paddles for the win.

 

[Clallan]

Kickdown with the paddles works fine... hold it down and you'll shift down multiple gears depending on the speed and current gear selection...

 

[Texas Dave]

Kickdown with the paddles works fine... hold it down and you'll shift down multiple gears depending on the speed and current gear selection...

I haven't tried your method with the paddles. Instead, I pull the paddles multiple times to get to the gear I want. The car then steps me down to the gear selected as quickly as it is safe to do. I think we are doing the same thing, with different techniques. I'm trying yours next time I'm out.

 

[David170]

The pedal switch and holding the left paddle do the same thing.

 

[DHC6Fixer]

Flappy Paddles

Paddles 99% of the time on my 45, then switch to E for grid lock/ stop and go driving.
A friend asked what transmission I would I have on my next car..........I kind of miss a stick shift, but I flip/flop as to which is preferable, maybe I would need to drive a PDK set up in a porsche, and see what it is like, cause our DCT does not get good reviews.