Will you get the automatic or manual tranny?

[rspeedy]

It's a tough choice for me. I traded my R32 manual for a 3.2 Quattro with DSG. I love the upshifts & it they really sounds great with my Borla exhaust. Downshifts are the problem. When I completely floor the accelerator is sometimes gives an unwanted downshift even when in manual shift mode. The paddles are useless for me, when I got accustomed to using them I couldn't find them in a turn. I also got a better burble from the exhaust when using a manual & downshifting.

[earemike]

I'd go SMG if BMW AU offered it, or could be special ordered.

I punted an SMG M3 around the track for a day and rekon I'd get used to it pretty quick.

[redwood]

The auto in the 335i is a great auto, but I still prefer a manual. The only time I wish for an auto is if I'm stuck in stop and go traffic. That and after owning 1 auto car (out of 5 I've owned) and having to rebuild the transmission, then it flaking out again right before I sold it, I'm not so high on their reliability. My E46 is still on the original clutch at 136K miles *knock on wood*

[atr_hugo]

I think I can explain the difference between the VW/Audi DSG and the ZF 6 speed auto. Here goes nothing, "The DSG is a manual transmission that can do a perfect imitation of an automatic, and the ZF 6-speed auto is an automatic transmission that can do a perfect imitation of a manual."

The ZF 6 speed auto used by BMW has an extensively reworked torque converter and specialized hydraulics to provide crisp shifting. Extensive software engineering above the mechanical and hydraulic bits, helps provide a manual transmission experiece in a true automatic (complete with torque converter and planetary gears).

Oh and it weighs less than the previous generation 5 speed auto and get's better fuel mileage to boot! Good gearbox. Just remember that the paddle shifters are an optional cost item on top of the cost of the auto tranny and those concerned about weight assume that the auto tranny weighs more than the manual box.

[larry lawless]

MT 4 me DSG and 6spd tiptronic don't work for the hard way i drive @ auto crosses and even normal days and definitely not for showing off .........lol ...and besides every car I have ever owned has been MT so I gotta get this one in stick

[docdoowop]

Manual. It's a driver's car, after all.

[dumesday4u]

MT for me even tho im not good at it. i still cant double clutch or heel toe but doesnt matter. its fun! and i do feel more in control of my car.

[atr_hugo]

Ah double clutching - I was forced to learn that since the synchros on my FIAT 128 wore out on the boat coming over here. ; -)

[IrvRobinson2]

Originally Posted by ibeam81

Oh the joys of leg cramps... That's the reason that my current ride is an AT. I'll never forget driving a muscle car with a heavy duty clutch through NYC.

BTW, removing your wallet from the back pocket helps.

Chicago traffic is really bad, recently every day of the week, the traffic has been horrible. I always thought that driving a stick will make my life miserable, but I was wrong, I got used to it after a while and I find it more fun and less boring when stuck in traffic

[Propagator]

I've got my wife to drive stick. Well it's more like her dad did initially, and I kept encouriging. She says MT is more fun. This eliminates any need for me to buy an auto, EVER. :biggrin:

[Chibana]

Originally Posted by Devon K

Well you can take the Evo X off your list as it is only coming with a DSG type transmission in NA...

You misunderstood me. I *want* a DSG style transmission (or SMG, which is a single-clutch system, but both are automatically shifting manual transmissions with paddle shifters for shifting manually). I'd rather have a "normal" manual, but the wife can't drive that.

[menotakoala]

I live in Southern California. Automatic with paddle shifter for me please.

[Big Red One]

One thing about the paddle shifters: I believe that BMW are in the habit of attaching them to the steering wheel. That way, you can always keep your hands at 3 and 9 and be able to shift, whether on a long straight or in the middle of a hairpin corner. I'm not sure why, but it seems that most other manufacturers have anchored their paddles to the column, so that they aren't accessible when turning.

[Robert]

Sorry I won't be getting either. Trannies are best left for gay boys ;-)

[Maximus Decimus]

+1 Manual

[Propagator]

Originally Posted by jrsites

One thing about the paddle shifters: I believe that BMW are in the habit of attaching them to the steering wheel. That way, you can always keep your hands at 3 and 9 and be able to shift, whether on a long straight or in the middle of a hairpin corner. I'm not sure why, but it seems that most other manufacturers have anchored their paddles to the column, so that they aren't accessible when turning.

But if you have a regular manual, the only way to shift is to take one hand off of the wheel, mid corner or not. I don't see how column mounted paddles are less accessible than that.

And during a hairpin, I think I would prefer column mounted since my hands can't be on 3 and 9, and that way at least I know where to find them for sure.

[imported_MPower]

No offense to those who chose not to operate the gearbox themselves, but sports cars were designed for manual gearboxes. It's the best way to engage with the car and no matter how good the automatic gearboxes get, they wont offer the adjustability or the fun. It just wouldnt seem right to get a car of this caliber with an automatic.

[ibeam81]

Originally Posted by MPower

No offense to those who chose not to operate the gearbox themselves, but sports cars were designed for manual gearboxes. It's the best way to engage with the car and no matter how good the automatic gearboxes get, they wont offer the adjustability or the fun. It just wouldnt seem right to get a car of this caliber with an automatic.

I'm definitely from the same school of thought. AT is fine for my current ride, but I want a 135i for a more connected driving experience and the MT just provides more of that IMHO.

[Big Red One]

Originally Posted by MPower

No offense to those who chose not to operate the gearbox themselves, but sports cars were designed for manual gearboxes. It's the best way to engage with the car and no matter how good the automatic gearboxes get, they wont offer the adjustability or the fun. It just wouldnt seem right to get a car of this caliber with an automatic.

No offense taken here. It's all good. :biggrin:

Again, in the spirit of friendly debate, I still have a hard time understanding this notion of a true manual being more "engaging" than the Steptronic. When driven in Sport mode, the Steptronic transmission requires that I remove my right hand from the steering wheel, grasp a gear shift lever, then move that gear shift lever in order to select the next gear. Is that any different than what is required with a manual transmission?

The only difference between a manual and Steptronic is that the manual requires you to modulate the clutch pedal. when shifting between gears. And to be honest, you don't have to do that. The last manual tranny car I had was a Civic Si and I used to shift without using the clutch all the time just because it was a fun challenge to see how quickly I could find the syncro's sweet spot. So the only real reason you NEED a clutch pedal in a manual is to start from a standstill. Bottom line, though, is that the only part of the manual experience that doesn't exist in the Steptronic driving experience is the depressing and releasing of a clutch pedal. So is that act alone what makes a manual more engaging?

I'm not completely ignorant. I do know that a big part of driving enjoyment is the feeling you get from a rocket launch caused by the perfect feathering release of the clutch as the accelerator is pressed. I do know that a nicely executed heel-and-toe can bring a smile to the face. I also know that a manual transmission is much more desirable in snow and ice, and that's the one factor that keeps an MT in consideration for me. If those type of things are the definition of "engagement" with the vehicle, then I concede the point. But if, on the other hand, the definition is being able to select the gear you want, when you want, and ONLY when you want, then I believe that the Steptronic is just as engaging.

I can't think of any modern car racing series in which the drivers use a clutch and H-pattern stick to shift gears (well, save NASCAR, but road coarse driving is the exception to the rule for them). F1, CART, IRL, ALMS drivers are all just pushing a lever back and forth to select gears - without depressing a clutch. Are those guys any less connected to their cars?

[grant]

Definitely manual for me. I like to drive (and all that entails) :-)

[daddys///m]

Definitely gonna get a manual. Had an M3 with SMG, which was cool but just not the same. Current ride is a G35 with AT, can't stand it. Also used to have a B5 S4 6MT, miss that car everyday.

[ibeam81]

Originally Posted by jrsites

No offense taken here. It's all good. :biggrin:

Again, in the spirit of friendly debate, I still have a hard time understanding this notion of a true manual being more "engaging" than the Steptronic. When driven in Sport mode, the Steptronic transmission requires that I remove my right hand from the steering wheel, grasp a gear shift lever, then move that gear shift lever in order to select the next gear. Is that any different than what is required with a manual transmission?

The only difference between a manual and Steptronic is that the manual requires you to modulate the clutch pedal. when shifting between gears. And to be honest, you don't have to do that. The last manual tranny car I had was a Civic Si and I used to shift without using the clutch all the time just because it was a fun challenge to see how quickly I could find the syncro's sweet spot. So the only real reason you NEED a clutch pedal in a manual is to start from a standstill. Bottom line, though, is that the only part of the manual experience that doesn't exist in the Steptronic driving experience is the depressing and releasing of a clutch pedal. So is that act alone what makes a manual more engaging?

I'm not completely ignorant. I do know that a big part of driving enjoyment is the feeling you get from a rocket launch caused by the perfect feathering release of the clutch as the accelerator is pressed. I do know that a nicely executed heel-and-toe can bring a smile to the face. I also know that a manual transmission is much more desirable in snow and ice, and that's the one factor that keeps an MT in consideration for me. If those type of things are the definition of "engagement" with the vehicle, then I concede the point. But if, on the other hand, the definition is being able to select the gear you want, when you want, and ONLY when you want, then I believe that the Steptronic is just as engaging.

I can't think of any modern car racing series in which the drivers use a clutch and H-pattern stick to shift gears (well, save NASCAR, but road coarse driving is the exception to the rule for them). F1, CART, IRL, ALMS drivers are all just pushing a lever back and forth to select gears - without depressing a clutch. Are those guys any less connected to their cars?

Super post. And your point is well made regarding professional motorsports. There's no doubt that a clutch is more work (sometimes a lot more) and that the benefits are questionable at best. Frankly, if I was racing for a living I would dump the clutch, too. But in a day and age were efficiency is all the rage, it's kind of nice to get back to basics and that's what a MT provides to me.