[IndyMike]

Originally Posted by MarkR171

It's personal preference. I'll always like the DCT, RadiantM3 and others will always prefer a manual. Such is life.

I'll always like DSG/DCT. It simply can't be beat on a daily basis, because it's so flexible. If you get beat up at the office and are rendered flat-line brain dead, or just want to be a slacker you can put it in auto mode and let the computer shift for you. If you still have a detectible pulse and want an adrenalin rush, then the manu-matic mode is the drug of choice.

But what I found on extended spirited drives is flipping with the paddles in manu-matic mode gets old after a couple of hours. And after 3 years now it's almost flat played-out. It's like playing the same video game, over and over and over again. The high becomes not so high anymore.

Driving a manual on the other hand has always been a natural high. Even after 30 years (and many a crappy gear box) each experience is new. I somewhat recently test drove the new M3 with manual. In the short time during the drive I couldn’t get used to the feather light clutch, and the fact the throws for the gears were literally in different zip codes. It was borderline embarrassing; the car bucked like a bronco more times than I can count. But it was still a kick, because it would have been another challenging gear box and skill-set to learn and get used to.

If the DSG in the GTI has some slag, the DSG in the R32 is rapier quick. The gear is instantly locked and loaded, with twin smoking exhausts when it’s triggered. All that remains is to mat the throttle and watch the needles spin. I have no doubt I can jump in a 135 w/DCT and look like an FI driver (albeit one that is constantly a back-marker ) lickity-split. And even an outright abecedarian to the technology can pick it up in a lick or two later.

Once again, I am blessed to have both options. But if the day comes when I can only have one tool in the box it won’t be a contest as to what gets the go-to call.

So, for anyone that is old-school oriented and loves the control and freedom get the best manual gear-box kit BMW has produced in the past 20 years.

No guarantee you can say that when you come back in 3 - 4 years.