waremark wrote:In response to Pontoneer:
I have not come across the feature of cutting engine power when the brake is touched. In a modern Merc I have used accelerator and brake simultaneously for slow manoeuvering over a bump. Can you better describe what happens in your C class? Like you I enjoy left foot braking, which is particularly pleasant in the transition from brakes to gas entering bends on rural roads.
I consider that modern autos give excellent control of gears and in most rational ways simply do a better job - faster, smoother, more economical, always ready, and lower workload. I also agree that there can be satisfaction in attempting to get the best results from them. However, and it is a very big however, for me a large part of the satisfying interaction between man and machine in a manual car comes from trying to achieve the best use of clutch and gearbox, and so I find driving an automatic less satisfying. For that reason I have recently bought a manual sports car to replace a dual-clutch one. While I understand thje analogy with an ignition control, I don't think that use of an ignition control would give anything like the satisfaction of using a manual clutch and gearbox, and it would also involve giving up far more of the other benefits of modern cars.
I agree with most of your comments , and understand your reasons for going back to a manual .
Re the cutting of power when the brake is touched , this is a well documented trait of newer Mercs , and many other cars . I can make it happen when standing still - if I raise the revs above idle , then touch the brake , the revs will drop back to idle , regardless of accelerator position ; this also happens whilst driving - if you try to left foot brake with power still on , the power is cut . I have experienced the same thing in a number of other cars of a similar age , including , in no particular order W220 S320CDI , W220 S500 , R170 SLK320 and a W204 C220CDI . As far as I am aware , all newer Mercs have a similar engine management regime and will disallow simultaneous application of brakes and power ( while I appreciate that sustained use of both could be harmful , brief use to set a car up for a bend puts no more strain on the transmission than full power acceleration and can be an excellent technique to master ; one that I have employed in various W123 , W124 , W201 and W126 cars with no adverse effects , most of my cars running well beyond 200K before I part with them , my record being my 430,000 mile W124 300TE-24 , still on its original box but second engine at that mileage when it was written off by an uninsured driver who crashed into it whilst parked on my drive , otherwise I expect it would still be going strong .
I only bought the C270 because good W 124's are getting very hard to find now , otherwise I'd have had another ; I also miss the load space of the S124 and find the S203 too small at times , so the next car will likely be an S211 , unless I chance across a time warp S124 ... I am still put off newer cars by excessive reliance on electronics and , apart from the way they dictate your driving style , the difficulty in doing one's own maintenance on them , what with so many parts needing to be coded to ECU's etc rather than just being fitted - but I digress .