[JimD]

There is an old thread here somewhere talking about why the 0-60 time in a 128i automatic is so much slower than a 128i manual. My conclusion was that it was the gearing of the 128i automatic. It is the same unit as Cadillac uses in the 6 cylinder CTS which has a 3.6l direct injection V6. So it is stout enough. But the gearing is not like the 135i ZF automatic that preceeded the DTS. You can see the numbers on the BMW NA website. I think it was second hear that was a little high to give you the best acceleration. It definitely was not higher than third gear that was a little off.

My convertible is a 128i manual and I like it a lot. It isn't going to keep up with well driven corvettees but it is a seriously quick car. I got tired of following a little Sentra this morning so I just goosed it a little in 6th on the highway. I know from prior experience that dropping down to 4th makes it go but I didn't want to accelerate hard, just get around a driver I didn't think a lot of (wandering in the lane, thought he had to slow for turns a semi could handle, couldn't keep his speed constant). I was surprised when I looked at the speedometer and it read 100 mph. Just a little nudge of the gas in 6th for a few seconds.

Anything other than hard acceleration from very low speeds or stopped, the auto and manual should be pretty similar in acceleration. In other words, I would not expect an automatic to have been any different this morning.

It's nice to have a 6 cylinder with plenty of power to get the car moving without making a fuss about it. All the turbo and non-turbo 4s I have been around have made a lot of noise if they were doing much. No so with a BMW 6.

Jim