To answer some questions, yes the ball in the console will control going from reverse and to forward gears (and it isn't easy to operate).
There are buttons/paddles to shift on the steering wheel. You can see the large housing for the paddles behind the steering wheel, as this is a TRUE sequential racing gearbox. It is rough, loud, shifts very fast, and did I mention rough. The gears in the transmission are louder than the sound that the engine produces.
I've only been in the Roadster version, which is a couple years newer than the Coupe version. It is the most difficult car to drive on the street. No other car I've driven was THAT LOW TO THE GROUND!! This is truly a race car, with street car clothing. I would never even drive one on the street due to the difficulty of driving it, the damage it would achieve, and lastly it will not clear speed bumps!
The sound the the gears produce mimic that of an WRC Rally car.
The power is great! Its not the fastest car ever, but it is a very linear (racecar like) power curve. The gearing is definitely that of a racecar. If you are wearing tennis shoes, you won't have enough room to move from gas to brake. Either racing shoes or socks will clear the pedal box. Awesome Benz!