...So people with autos....Are you happy??

[JohnnyTT]

Hello all.

So... I ordered my 135i convertible with an auto trans. Why? Mainly because I seemed to enjoy it during the test drives, and I've been driving a stick for the last 14 years... and honestly, I'm getting tired of shifting.

So, to all the people with paddle autos, Are You Happy??



Thanks.

[G5Ti]

When I test drove the 135i with the paddles, the auto seemed good. On the 128 without paddles, it seemed sluggish.

I ordered mine with a 6-speed, but I'd say the auto was a decent transmission.

[plien69]

Yes, I'm happy.

I've driven manuals mostly my whole life, and I just got out of an SMG M3.

After test driving a Step 135i at the dealership a couple of weeks before my car arrived, I was maybe regretting my choice of Steptronic, because I felt the nimbleness of the 135i called out for a manual.

But after living with the Step for about a week and 600 miles now, here are some thoughts:

• It's a much better automatic transmission than I was expecting. Most autos have a lot of "slop" in the torque converter. By that I mean at a steady speed, the engine RPM while off the gas is several hundred below the RPM while on the gas. Not so with the 135i Step. it seems to have a pretty aggressive lockup algorithm. Let off the gas, and you'll experience a decent amount of engine braking. Not a lot, but at least some, unlike most autos.
• It's more aggressive at rev matching than SMG was. It'll rev match under pretty much all conditions, whereas SMG only rev matched when you were on the gas, or braking heavily in S5 or S6.
• Drive it in regular D mode, and it's uninspiring. Fine for mindless commuting, but the car should really be driven in DS or Manual mode.
• Paddle shifting is fun once you get used to pull to upshift, push to downshift.

Bottom line, those with the 6MT will be *very* happy, I suspect. Those who got the Step should be pleasantly surprised.

[randomizer]

I purchased a demo black/coral auto 135 last week - and I've been driving manuals for most of the past 20 years. Knee surgery and painful Dallas traffic forced me to make the switch (something I thought I would NEVER do). I'm having a lot of fun with it, kind of cool to hit a paddle for a quick downshift when I need some extra power. I will miss the manual, won't miss the added hassle for my situation.

Hopefully I won't change my mind when my brother gets his 135 next month - a stick!

[nordique14]

Originally Posted by G5Ti

When I test drove the 135i with the paddles, the auto seemed good. On the 128 without paddles, it seemed sluggish.

I ordered mine with a 6-speed, but I'd say the auto was a decent transmission.

The auto trans in the 135 is a different one than the version in the 128.

[kbimmer135i]

Going from a Boxster S manual to the 135i auto, the automatic did not let me down. the transmission responses quick when you shift with the paddle shifter. but I recommend finding a dealer with a 135i auto paddle shifter demo car for a test drive. Gotta test it out for yourself!

[mergen]

plien69's comments reflect my opinion to a "T". I have exactly zero experience with performance cars until now, but I think this transmission is great. The paddles get used by me mostly when I'm in D mode, though. In DS mode (which is almost always, it's a LOT more fun) I prefer using the lever for manual shifting. The auto actually requires more "situational awareness" than the stick though, because you have to remain aware of whether you are in DS or D, since the M mode behaves differently in each. In other words, if you use the M mode while in D, it will revert automatically to D if you don't do anything for a few seconds. If you use M while in DS mode, it will stay in M forever until you shift out of it by returning to D mode. Example- If you enter M mode while in DS and then come to a stop, it automatically downshifts as you slow down, stopping at M2. You then take off and it will stay in M2 until you shift it to M3 and so on. This can be a surprise if you were expecting it to run through the gears for you automatically. You have to remember what mode you are in. With the 6MT there is only one "mode" so it is always the same. Ironically, since you don't have stay aware of what mode you are in, using the manual transmission becomes more automatic!

Also, in another thread about automatics, someone described this 300 hp car as being "frisky". This is a great description. Not having a clutch to control this power, it takes more concentration to properly manage the throttle from a full stop unless you want to appear to be in a race! It took a while for me to get used to it so that I can roll away nicely from a stop without launching the car.

Both of these factors require that you pay attention to your car when driving it, which is probably a good thing. Back when I started driving, an auto transmission was like Comfort Access is now. Most cars didn't have it. So driving a stick is no big deal for me, but I bought the auto, and Active Steering too, because my right shoulder cannot always be relied on to function like it should and I didn't want a car that hurt me to drive it. I really like the transmission very much, but it is not necessarily easier to use, due to the factors mentioned above.

[Dave]

I love my auto ..I drove a stick all my life, most recently in my Sti. The down shifts are shockingly fast...and in full auto it still feels plenty quick.

[coolguy]

Originally Posted by JohnnyTT

Hello all.

So... I ordered my 135i convertible with an auto trans. Why? Mainly because I seemed to enjoy it during the test drives, and I've been driving a stick for the last 14 years... and honestly, I'm getting tired of shifting.

So, to all the people with paddle autos, Are You Happy??



Thanks.

I am getting 12.8 mpg driving in city/highways. I didn't cross the break in rules. Now u can understand how much I am revving n enjoying my car with the step like the punk on the street. I'll either go for a dinan or JC chip and with the step, the underlying beast will be unleashed:roundel:

[Gill@Tirerack.com]

I like mine a lot. I can't say much more than what's been said here already.

Lightning quick shifts and lots of flexibility.

[ARES45]

Love it, probably the best option I checked for the money.

[Sherifftruman]

Hmm, these reports are making me reconsider. I have a MINI Cooper S now that was only available in Manual at the time. My wife could not drive a stick and she just refuses to let me teach her because she thinks I will be a big meanie to her. (I think part of it is she is afraid that she can damage the clutch really quickly when I know I can teach her to drive with no drama and no damage).

At any rate, I hoped that I could convice her to let me teach her on the MINI as we would be getting rid of the car for hte 135 of course. She did mention she wants me to get the auto though and when I test drove one a few weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised as well.

[JohnnyTT]

Thanks all for your responses. This is the only thing that I've been worrying about b4 my convertible starts getting built.

....and now I'm happy. :headbang:

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Sherifftruman

Hmm, these reports are making me reconsider. I have a MINI Cooper S now that was only available in Manual at the time. My wife could not drive a stick and she just refuses to let me teach her because she thinks I will be a big meanie to her. (I think part of it is she is afraid that she can damage the clutch really quickly when I know I can teach her to drive with no drama and no damage).

At any rate, I hoped that I could convice her to let me teach her on the MINI as we would be getting rid of the car for hte 135 of course. She did mention she wants me to get the auto though and when I test drove one a few weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised as well.

for me its huge plus that the wife can drive the car too

now i can finally be the passenger! which i really appreciate when she can be the DD or after a long day of skiing

[imported_Maurice]

I am really happy with the auto. It's really cool to be able to select any gear I want and have it stay there, unlike the slushboxes of old. It's extremely responsive, and I love that it has a relaxed drive mode and an agressive ds mode. BTW, I am also amazed that I can drive 13 miles to work and the tach never has to exceed 2k rpm to get me up to freeway speeds! Break in is much easier than I expected because of the N54's tractability.

[Brandon26pdx]

I'll still get the 6mt just cause theres no excuse for me NOT to get it (And I'll enjoy the cost savings to boot.), but the ZF autobox is very good...probably one of the best on the market. Very nearly as efficient and fast as the manual: shifts quickly and spends much more time in full lockup than most autos.

[PaulUK]

Its great, I'm delighted with it.

Love driving with the auto especially in ds mode. The gear changes are astonishingly smooth.

[jeremyc74]

I've always driven manual cars, but I have to say that the auto tranny in the 135 I test drove makes a strong case for itself. I still ordered a manual, but if I were doing long city commutes I might go with an auto in this car.

[uofmtiger]

Originally Posted by mergen

plien69's comments reflect my opinion to a "T". I have exactly zero experience with performance cars until now, but I think this transmission is great. The paddles get used by me mostly when I'm in D mode, though. In DS mode (which is almost always, it's a LOT more fun) I prefer using the lever for manual shifting. The auto actually requires more "situational awareness" than the stick though, because you have to remain aware of whether you are in DS or D, since the M mode behaves differently in each. In other words, if you use the M mode while in D, it will revert automatically to D if you don't do anything for a few seconds. If you use M while in DS mode, it will stay in M forever until you shift out of it by returning to D mode. Example- If you enter M mode while in DS and then come to a stop, it automatically downshifts as you slow down, stopping at M2. You then take off and it will stay in M2 until you shift it to M3 and so on. This can be a surprise if you were expecting it to run through the gears for you automatically. You have to remember what mode you are in. With the 6MT there is only one "mode" so it is always the same. Ironically, since you don't have stay aware of what mode you are in, using the manual transmission becomes more automatic!

Also, in another thread about automatics, someone described this 300 hp car as being "frisky". This is a great description. Not having a clutch to control this power, it takes more concentration to properly manage the throttle from a full stop unless you want to appear to be in a race! It took a while for me to get used to it so that I can roll away nicely from a stop without launching the car.

Both of these factors require that you pay attention to your car when driving it, which is probably a good thing. Back when I started driving, an auto transmission was like Comfort Access is now. Most cars didn't have it. So driving a stick is no big deal for me, but I bought the auto, and Active Steering too, because my right shoulder cannot always be relied on to function like it should and I didn't want a car that hurt me to drive it. I really like the transmission very much, but it is not necessarily easier to use, due to the factors mentioned above.

This is great info. I usually have my car in D when I use the paddles and I was searching for a way to keep it from snapping back into "automatic"mode after a few seconds.

[ptack]

I plan on being ecstatic in about 30 days.

[esses]

Originally Posted by mergen

The auto actually requires more "situational awareness" than the stick though, because you have to remain aware of whether you are in DS or D, since the M mode behaves differently in each. In other words, if you use the M mode while in D, it will revert automatically to D if you don't do anything for a few seconds. If you use M while in DS mode, it will stay in M forever until you shift out of it by returning to D mode. Example- If you enter M mode while in DS and then come to a stop, it automatically downshifts as you slow down, stopping at M2. You then take off and it will stay in M2 until you shift it to M3 and so on. This can be a surprise if you were expecting it to run through the gears for you automatically. You have to remember what mode you are in. With the 6MT there is only one "mode" so it is always the same. Ironically, since you don't have stay aware of what mode you are in, using the manual transmission becomes more automatic!

Also, in another thread about automatics, someone described this 300 hp car as being "frisky". This is a great description. Not having a clutch to control this power, it takes more concentration to properly manage the throttle from a full stop unless you want to appear to be in a race! It took a while for me to get used to it so that I can roll away nicely from a stop without launching the car.

Both of these factors require that you pay attention to your car when driving it, which is probably a good thing.

Yeah, I'm not sure remembering which electronic nannies you just turned on and being able to press the gas pedal without WOT means an automatic requires more situational awareness than a standard....

[blklacker]

DS mode is a monster..It literally launches the car perfect every time.. Its always in the right gear and its always ready to go... and no boost loss during shifts. Unlike manual. I have can admit normal D mode is lame... and has no place in my life unless im in traffic..