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mainefortwo

Took the Plunge

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Friday I took the plunge and traded my 2008 Yellow/Silver Passion Coupe for a 2016 White/White Prime Coupe. Daimler did their homework and made many, many improvements, especially in the highway driving dynamics. I am also very happy to have a real 5-speed again!

:lookaround:

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Congratulations!

I would love to try the 5 speed - my local dealer only has the auto.

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Nice, I wonder if I will ever see the 5 speed at a dealer!

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Seriously??

I've owned and driven LOTS of standards in my life, from me '60 Chev thru my Sunbeam Alpine, MGB, Nova, Camero IROC and Smart while driving many others, including Corvettes and a Formula 2000 race car.

I appreciate and love automatics (Smart cars are a very special, loved and unique exception).

I don't know if my left knee could handle the clutch spring on my old '69 Nova SS. It was true heavy-duty.

Today's autos can shift faster than most people can shift a manual, other than power shifting (can you even do that in today's cars?)

My '05 and '06 Smarts shift as quickly (or as slowly) as I used to when I wasn't in any hurry.

I feel I'm old enough and have earned the luxury and convenience of an automatic transmission, since they're all so good.

I haven't tried the new Smart, but from what I've read it's much improved on the older transmissions.

I don't have to feed my internal Stirling Moss, or drive a standard to impress anyone.

While there are a handful of vehicles that anyone might think benefit from a standard, shaving .02 seconds off a 0-to-60 is meaningless.

We all drive Smarts because they're logical and sensible, but some think they need to up the performance level a little bit.

If you think you need a standard then I hope you can get one.

It won't help resalability or resale value, unless it's very limited in quantity.

Remember, many C2 Corvettes command a higher resale value with autos than with 4 speeds due to limited quantities.

Probably because the market for them is mainly old fart's like me, that just want to cruise and don't want to shift anymore.

Too much work, particularly with so many bad older drivers like me on the roads to keep an eye on. :)

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This white on white model looks really nice!

I'm always having my hand on the shift stick no matter what car I'm driving, so there's a good chance my next toy (smart or not) will have a manual transmission too.

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Hi Smartnhappy,

I appreciate your perspective, but the clutch action on the 453 is pretty light and I have enjoyed shifting it. My 2008 Passion had the paddle shifters and I did use those routinely, but I missed using a clutch peddle and am very happy to have that in my 2016 and am happy Mercedes made that as an option in the US.

:icon_smile:

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Clutch 'pedal' action heavy or light, you can't move the car without using it.

I've used paddle shifters on my '05Smart exclusively since new (almost 10 1/2 years), foregoing auto function due to the shift points.

I'm glad you like your standard. I'm sure there are many that share your enthusiasm for shifting proclivity.

I'm just no longer one of them.

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The DCT will break down very expensively at 160K km if not before, but a well-managed manual clutch will last indefinitely. Good choice!

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Friday I took the plunge and traded my 2008 Yellow/Silver Passion Coupe for a 2016 White/White Prime Coupe. Daimler did their homework and made many, many improvements, especially in the highway driving dynamics. I am also very happy to have a real 5-speed again!

Now that's a hot looking car!

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Thank you HandyHobbit, I am enjoying my 453 more every day. The 5-speed manual is a personal choice and I think it is great the Mercedes has offered both in North America so we all can make the decision that suits our individual needs best. The "party piece" is the reduced turning radius, it makes me smile any time I get the chance to use that capability while parking. I also would like to give a big thumbs up to the 898cc turbo as the torque really improves the drive-ability.

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Thanks dmoonen,

I am really enjoying the 5-speed with the 898cc turbo every day. I did test drive the DCT before and if that is what someone chooses they will not be disappointed. I applaud Mercedes for making both transmissions available in North America so everyone can choose what works best for them.

:masked:

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Congrats!!! Your smart is gorgeous. The all white combo makes it so clean and shiny.

I have yet to try out the manual transmission. We have one ordered for test drive in January though!

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Hi rosanna - You should enjoy the 5-speed, once I got used to the non-floor mounted pedals it was fun to drive. Must admit I use the cruise control often to keep the turbo from getting me into trouble.

:lol2:

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