name for its seven-speed automatic transmission
. This fifth-generation transmission was introduced in the Autumn of 2003 on 8-cylinder models, and was the first seven-speed automatic transmission ever used on a production vehicle.
The 7G-Tronic debuted on five different eight-cylinder models: the E500
, and SL500
. It is also available on some six-cylinder models including the new 320 CDI engines which uses a VTG turbo
charged common rail diesel engine
However, all V12-powered cars such as the S600 and S65 AMG still retain the 5G-Tronic
, which has a torque capacity of , as the newer 7G-Tronic is limited to , not enough to handle the torque from the V12 engine. Also, while rear-wheel drive W211 E-Class cars have adapted the 7G-Tronic, these with 4MATIC retain the five-speed automatic, although the next-generation W212 E-Class released for the 2010 model year adopted 7G-Tronic all across the lineup including 4MATIC.
The company claims that the 7G-Tronic can save up to 0.6 litres of fuel per 100 kilometers (depending on the car) and has shorter acceleration times and quicker intermediate sprints than the outgoing 5-speed automatic transmission.
The 7G-Tronic has two reverse gear ratios: 3.416 and 2.231. The winter mode, also recently named 'comfort' mode, starts out in 2nd forward and 2nd reverse.
The transmission can skip gears when downshifting, allowing for quicker... Read More