Manual or Automatic?

[mjovic]

Everyone here is sayiong manual, but I asked the same question on n54tech.com and the response was just the opposite. They are swore by the automatic, saying that it is a much improved system over the older slushboxes and is actually .3-.5s quicker in the 1/4 mile due to gearing and being able to "load the turbos?" Can anybody comment on this?

Link to thread: http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=526

[Rx8135i]

Originally Posted by mjovic

Everyone here is sayiong manual, but I asked the same question on n54tech.com and the response was just the opposite. They are swore by the automatic, saying that it is a much improved system over the older slushboxes and is actually .3-.5s quicker in the 1/4 mile due to gearing and being able to "load the turbos?" Can anybody comment on this?

Link to thread: http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=526

i have a comment, none of them knows how to drive a 6 spd. This was said the same about the auto vs manual 93-97 tt supras. With the auto, you have a no error run vs the possible mis-shift or up-shift on the manual. If you shift right during a 1/4 run, you will beat the auto no prob.

[tiintegra]

Just order which you feel most comfortable with. Your the one paying for the car so get what you like dont worry about what others think. You will be the one driving =)

[hellrotm]

Originally Posted by asv

6speed. An auto 1series is a crime.

+1

[TP 135i]

Originally Posted by mjovic

Everyone here is sayiong manual, but I asked the same question on n54tech.com and the response was just the opposite. They are swore by the automatic, saying that it is a much improved system over the older slushboxes and is actually .3-.5s quicker in the 1/4 mile due to gearing and being able to "load the turbos?" Can anybody comment on this?

It should be what you want. For me it's not about .3 or .5 seconds, it's about driving the car and enjoying myself. Being involved with the machine and not just "going along for the ride".
Get the transmission that you want to live with. I'm sure that they are both fine.

[LazyT]

The bottom line is if you want a true driver's car then go for the MT. If you don't, then select the AT. Personally, this road rocket with its great tunability is begging for the MT. I live in Atlanta and have a MT on my 335i Coupe and I never regret opting for the MT and saving some money along the way.

[Project 393]

Originally Posted by Thud

The new BMW auto trannies are very good, for what it's worth. They seriously feel more like a sequential gearbox rather than a slushbox.

And the BMW manual shifters tend to feel rubbery to me. But I would still get a manual anyway.

I agree about the responsive Steptronic and vague shifting of MT bimmers, I ordered a 135i with 6AT and sport/paddles. This will be my daily driver so drinking my cup of ambition won't spill so easy in the morning. If I want to bang gears I get my thrills from a short throw/bolt action like up in my 400 hp Fairmont!

[Bringinthewolf]

I commute in traffic everyday in my S2000 and I don't give shifting a 2nd thought. My 17 year old daughter drives our Mini Cooper manual and loves it. She says she could not imagine driving an auto. The hill assist feature makes it very easy to learn on. I test drove a 335i auto with the paddle shifters and was not impressed. I felt way too disconnected from the car. The 1 was made for a manual transmission.

[imported_Azzurri]

Manual for me. My cars have only been Manual.

[Moistdef]

Originally Posted by slickone

+1

+2


The 1 series in my opinion was designed to be a fun to drive enthusiasts' car. I don't like the idea of an automatic 1er but its your money, do what you want with it.

[roadburn]

With a manual transmission, you're in charge.

With an automatic transmission, your wishes as a driver are merely taken into consideration.

If the AT doesn't feel like downshifting mid-drift for better exit speed from a corner, it won't -- your vote doesn't count. It ought to be fine for creeping across bridges.

[TP 135i]

How to ruin a perfectly good car.............install an automatic transmission in it.
Just my opinion, of course.

[asv]

Originally Posted by TP 135i

How to ruin a perfectly good car.............install an automatic transmission in it.
Just my opinion, of course.

+1000

Ordering a 135i with automatic is a crime. I can understand people getting 128's with auto, but there is no point in getting a performance model with an auto tranny.

[m3bs]

My only reservation about getting another manual is the stinkin drive-by-wire throttle on my current E46 330i. Hopefully it has been significantly improved since 2002.

I am a believer in DSG, though, based on a couple of test drives in a new GTI. If I knew the DCT was coming to the 1 anytime soon, I'd probably wait.

[Jack in Jax]

"The ZF automagic gearbox is excellent..."

It's worth noting that driver reviews in the Roundel make this point multiple times, while being very critical of the SMG. In fact, one recent reviewer driving a 335i with paddles while touring on back mountain roads commented that he was bummed to be given an auto model, but ended up praising it highly.

This topic reminds me of 'which color do you like' commentaries here. Multiple good transmission choices, it sounds like. What suits you is what matters...

Jack

[MVF4Rrider]

Originally Posted by atr_hugo

The ZF automagic gearbox is excellent and doesn't have that much of a weight penalty over the manual as older slushboxes had. It's a good 'un and I have no animosity to those that want an automatic in this car, they aren't making that big of a compromise in my opinion (especially if their commutes are worse than mine ; -).

I've said this before (so I'll guess I'll say it again ; -), "a DSG is the best imitation of an automatic transmission by a manual, the ZF is the best imitation of a manual transmission by an automatic."

For sure you have little to no experience with DSG then (if I'm understanding you correctly). DSG is the best tranny around for mass produced sporty cars. It is so much fun and anyone can drive harder, faster, and safer with it than a manual. It is impossible to overrev the motor on both hard acceleration and downsifts. It keeps your head focused on what's going on outside the car. But technically, it is faster (shifting and in acceleration) than a manual and sports better fuel economy to boot because fuel is wasted when you lift and reengage the throttle in a manual. With DSG you don't lift during upshifts--only downshifts to let the tranny know you may downshift so it pre-selects the next lower gear. The only drawback is some report the box can only handle around 300 hp. I don't know if that's accurate as I know some TT owners with over 400 hp and DSG and report no issues. Bottomline is shifts are lightning fast (understatement) and shifts don't upset the car balance even mid corner. I could go on and on of the merits of DSG. Makes me want to keep the TT too just thinking about it. SMG and the ZF auto cannot be compared with DSG. What I'll cry about when my 135i arrives and the TT goes is no DSG! I'm doubting the 135i will ever handle as well as my TT, especially in the wet, won't steer as quick thanks to some mods I've made, and won't corner near as well unless I put the same coilovers on it. Damn! But the TT only has 250 hp!!! On the plus side, the TT is dead solid at high speed. The 135i I tested at 155 mph was anything but.

Since I can't have DSG, it's a manual all the way!

[atr_hugo]

Balls - you're reading too much into my statement - the DSG is a manual transmission that can be put into automatic mode. It has a better automatic mode than any SMG tranny I've driven. It's a heckuva transmission and I've had some decent seat time with DSG equipped cars. I like that tranny a lot.

I was simply letting people know that I conasider the DSG to be the best when it comes time to imitate an automatic tranny.

[TunedM2C]

DSG is quite awesome and I know this because I own one.

[TunedM2C]

And I would take this car in DSG if it were available.

[MVF4Rrider]

^^ I interpreted it that way as well, but wasn't quite sure. Good! It is a great auto imitator too as you say. What's cool is when in auto you can still engage the paddles and it keeps the car in manual for 10 seconds or as long as you keep using the paddles or center gearshift. It is simply the best tranny for hard driving and it gives you a quite good auto mode too. I'll miss it very much!

[mbell75]

Depends. Those DSG, twin clutch 6 speeds with paddle shifters are indeed manual, they just dont have a physical clutch to depress. They also shift faster than any human is capable of. I would take one of them over a traditional MT any day.

[atr_hugo]

We spent some time a few years back with a TT S-Line in the Texas hill country, I tried everything I could think of to catch the tranny out (have it shift incorrectly) and I couldn't - it rev macthes better than I can after 30+ years in manual trannied cars. It's a heckuva gearbox.

The only little quibble I have with it is it's too easy just to stick it in 'D' and let it do it's thing automagically. But that's why if I had a real serious commute in a dense situation I'd be begging and pleading for a DSG.