Brian,

I enjoyed your C240 evaluation very much.

I have had no objection to first gear, the shift, the ratio or anything. It did not catch my attention as too low. Actually it seems to me that the six speed seems to spread the ratios reasonably well, which gives the little engine a little extra perceived power.

The "1 malfunction" problem is a software patch that your dealer can get and download for you. Mine still has this problem. An old and good friend of mine is my tech at the dealership. He called to tell me he now has the patch and will download it whenever I bring the car in.

You are exactly right about the shifter placement. With my arm resting comfortably in a natural position on the armrest, my hand falls exactly over the shifter. Several months back, there were a few MB manual transmission naysayers responding to some posts. I have had a number of MB manual transmission cars and have found them to be 100% reliable and also have satisfactory shifter and clutch feel. These naysayers kept talking about what the magazines said. I think that these people and probably the magazine people as well, have little manual transmission experience. Most people in the US have little manual transmission experience. The only reason I bought a new MB was that after pleading with MBUSA for some years, they finally started importing manuals again. I love the six speed in every way.

I also plan on 225/50's when it comes tire time. When I first considered the car, I assumed that I could get the sport sway bars and shocks later on to upgrade to the sport suspension. As it turns out, the sway bars are the same. I may change the springs later on, and I will certainly replace with performance shocks when the time comes. The handling as it stands now is pretty impressive considering the long suspension travel and soft ride.

Thanks and Happy New Year,