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Just food for thought...
I've owned a tuned 135i (N54 A/T), a tuned 135i (N54 M/T), my current e92 M3 (DCT), and my girlfriend has a M6 Grand Coupe (M/T) with a Dinan tune. Of all those cars, the slush box 135i was the quickest from a dig up to around 80 mph. There was really something beautiful the way the torque converter meshed with the turbos and the torque produced by the N54. The car hooked up great and it never felt like any boost was lost between shifts. The only downside (other than the level of driver engagement offered up by a M/T) was the relative ease by which you could overheat the transmission, rendering it useless. The e92 M3 is not a torque monster and DCT seems to compliment the high revving S65. The M6 on the other hand has gobs of torque, but is quite possibly the slowest car off the line. Even with a M/T where you can feather the clutch (if need be), anything more that 20% throttle in first and second gear and the tires break loose. Cruising at 60 mph in third gear, the M6 has so much torque that if you plant your right foot, the car will smoke the tires well into the triple digits. My guess is that a torque converter would help smooth out power delivery and actually make the car much more useable for everyday people in everyday situations. Again, this is just food for thought, and a possible explanation for why BMW is heading in that direction.
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