[Dannys M3]

How many of these AT are so boring ( and have one ) are willing to put their money where there mouth is and trade someone who has a manual?

[akhbhaat]

Originally Posted by sflgator

+1...and with PROcede, this thing is an 6AT BEAST!!!! :rocks: btw -- I always use my paddle shifters...M1-M6 and without a clutch, I don't have any leg cramps.

You'd have to be an old woman to get leg cramps with a stock BMW clutch.

Originally Posted by wistarf

But even IF the ZF Auto were a true automated manual - giving the level of control of, say, an F1 clutch in a Ferarri - there is still the problem of the paddles in the 335, which can be awkward to use when turning sharply (try using 'em through a U-turn!)

Theoretically, you should never be shifting during hard/sharp cornering anyhow - I'm not sure whether that's a flaw or intentional (i.e. paddles move with your hands when they're at 3-9 as they should be). I've always found wheel mounted (rather than rack mounted) paddles to be more intuitive, actually - but that's because I will choose the proper gear BEFORE I need 90+ degrees of steering input.

[MrHarris]

For daily use, I can see where the AT comes in. The AT in the new bmw's are superb and a much improvement over the e46. Personally, a smaller car like this should have a MT imo. When MT comes second nature, it's hard to goto AT in cars small and nimble like the 3 series.

[Hound Passer]

This thread is kinda boring too. I'm gonna go get my new 335i convertible with paddle shiffters. Now that's some fun

[Zirenz2006]

Originally Posted by lux.sh

how many of these "AT so boring" threads do we need?

Apparently as many as the "manual elitists" feel the need to start.


It is personal preference what kind of transmission you want, but for others to make statements like a BMW isn't a BMW with an AT and if you want a AT go get a Mercedes is just lame.

I could make statements like a BMW should be left as is and not modified with some of these horrific "ghetto mods" that I see on here but I usually keep my mouth shut and try not to offend anyone else. What they do with their car is their business.

[LEDZEP]

And along the same lines, I highly recommend that anyone who greatly dislikes country music probably shouldn't go out a buy a huge cataloge of country music CDs.

[Zirenz2006]

Originally Posted by LEDZEP

And along the same lines, I highly recommend that anyone who greatly dislikes country music probably shouldn't go out a buy a huge cataloge of country music CDs.

That's good advice. You stopped me from doing something drastic today. Thanks

[elucas730]

Originally Posted by Zirenz2006

Apparently as many as the "manual elitists" feel the need to start.

The OP HAS an AT, so I don't see how he can be a "manual elitist". He is just stating his opinion that the car isn't as engaging or fun to drive in automatic form. Then, all the insecure crybaby ATers have to come in and try to "convince" him that the AT is somehow better and more engaing than a manual.

[bmw0perat0r]

I like the AT very much. I came from an older m3 and a vette, both 5/6 speed respectively. I do not miss them...that must sound shocking, but i don't. To drive as much as I do and have to shift constantly - in and out of traffic and all that, too much.

One of the great things about the auto, you can concentrate on other things than shifting and just relax...chill out and cruise on down where ever you're going.

That new auto is awesome, best AT i've ever seen. For those of you insisting the car isn't engaging enough without the manual...go for it, but don't insist that it isn't a bmw or it isn't an awesome car without the MT and put down your fellow bimmer drivers - thats taking it a bit too far. If you feel this way and think AT owners are idiots... "get stuffed".

Originally Posted by dr325i

BMW without the MT is not really a BMW. No matter how smooth or how fast the AT is, that is not it.

It will never be a sub for the MT.

if you know how to drive in heavy (stop and go) traffic.

Clutch in clutch out. There is no other way.

Anyway, if the US market was not the most profitable (or the largest) market for the BMW, I doubt they would even introduce the AT...

My German specs E12 was an automatic. And a damn fine one. It never set foot in the USA and never would. Most German cabs I've ridden in (mostly Mercedes) were automatics almost 30 years ago.

No way the MT will ever go away from the Bimmer cars...

"Ever" is a very long time. Maybe not in the near future.

There are many of us all over the world that like our BMW's but don't want to have to shift. Other than playing with it when I first got it I never use my manual mode and only occasionally bump it over into sport mode.

Originally Posted by elucas730

.......Then, all the insecure crybaby ATers have to come in and try to "convince" him that the AT is somehow better and more engaing than a manual.

I shouldn't even reply to your post because I tend to ignore idiots (crybaby remark). But I'll break my rule for this.

They are not saying better or more engaging, just different.

He said AT BMW's were not real BMW's. Which is

[uberschnell]

As for shifting with paddles in the turn, you could always bump the shifter back and forth to shift, kinda like a MT

[elucas730]

Originally Posted by rs6654

I shouldn't even reply to your post because I tend to ignore idiots (crybaby remark). But I'll break my rule for this.

They are not saying better or more engaging, just different.

He said AT BMW's were not real BMW's. Which is

Talk about being an idiot...you can't even let express their own opinions without injecting your own worthless nonsense. There are plenty of people who think like he does. Who do you think you are to "correct" him. ATs are just not as fun to drive as manuals. Why do you insecure AT drivers have to come in and raise your BS flags and try to convince people otherwise. Do you think that they have never driven ATs before?

[achien]

Originally Posted by Magna3

As for shifting with paddles in the turn, you could always bump the shifter back and forth to shift, kinda like a MT

I have test drove multiple cars with paddle shifters, the problem with the paddle shifters on today's consumers' cars (vs. the F1) is that you need to turn 270 degrees on the steering wheel to do what 90 degree turns F1 gets.

For practical daily driving reasons, the engineers don't want to make the cars too sensitive like the F1s, but this will actually defeat the purpose of having paddle shifters as the drivers hand will need to come off the steering wheel during turns.

What makes it worse is the driver will lose track of where the paddle shifters are on the steering wheel during the turn and they have to go back to the shifters on the central console.

[Gripster]

I miss the stick in my E90, but I bought it as a luxury car and not a track toy. To call it anything less than a BMW because of the tranny is just nonsense. Fact is, for 95% of my typical usage (commuting, traffic, stop'n'go, highway) an auto just makes sense. I know this because my other car is stick shift WRX.

There will always be those days in the twisties that make me miss stick, but they are few and far between.

Good luck to the OP. It sucks when your new car is anything less than you wanted it to be.

[s4iscool]

all the new gimmicks in ATs are embarassing when you see people flicking through the show changes...thinking they are Schuey in a F1 car. Bmw and AT = just not right

[Ninjaneer]

Originally Posted by EHDEN

i love my AT and paddle shifters. With my long commutes to work and miami traffic, it works GREAT for me!

+1 Tampa here!

[Zephyr15]

Originally Posted by The Chad

For most people it's a personal preference, and I will leave that at that.

. . . .

Me personally, for a car I drive everyday, I would like to have the ZF auto in the 335i. But for a toy on the weekend, I have the urge to drive the 6MT and would want something to cure my "fix".

What he said.

Originally Posted by elucas730

Talk about being an idiot...you can't even let express their own opinions without injecting your own worthless nonsense. There are plenty of people who think like he does. Who do you think you are to "correct" him. ATs are just not as fun to drive as manuals. Why do you insecure AT drivers have to come in and raise your BS flags and try to convince people otherwise. Do you think that they have never driven ATs before?

That worked a lot better than I thought it would. Have a nice day!

[BK]

Originally Posted by sflgator

What do all of you die-hard MT fans say to the guys with M5, M3 SMG's, Audi DSG's, Ferrari's, Lambos, etc. without clutches? "confused2 Do you call them wimps for not driving MT's?

Of course not. We're just saying it's not as much fun driving an AT as a MT.

Performance cars all have DSG because they are doing everything they can to shave hundredths of seconds off track times. That is all well and good for the track, but for a DD, I could care less if a computer can shift in 0.01 seconds or whatever. When it comes at the expense of the joy of driving a real MT, I'll pick the MT every time. I would rather have fun driving than get to sixty 0.1 seconds faster.

[achien]

Originally Posted by rs6654

That worked a lot better than I thought it would. Have a nice day!

Originally Posted by elucas730

Talk about being an idiot...you can't even let express their own opinions without injecting your own worthless nonsense. There are plenty of people who think like he does. Who do you think you are to "correct" him. ATs are just not as fun to drive as manuals. Why do you insecure AT drivers have to come in and raise your BS flags and try to convince people otherwise. Do you think that they have never driven ATs before?

love these AT vs. MT threads, brings out the "best" in all of us...

[PMP]

Originally Posted by achien

I have test drove multiple cars with paddle shifters, the problem with the paddle shifters on today's consumers' cars (vs. the F1) is that you need to turn 270 degrees on the steering wheel to do what 90 degree turns F1 gets.

This is a pretty good point. I drove the paddle shifter AT and, while I was impressed that it shifted really fast and without fanfare, it seemed to me that the steering wheel in a road car like a BMW 3 has to turn too far to make the paddles work the way I'd want them to. For straight line driving, pressing the "up" and "down" buttons would seem to get boring after a while (to me). In really curvy stuff the paddles would seem to be hard to keep in the right place. Again, just me.

At the end of the day, those of us with MT probably just prefer the activity and feel of pushing in the clutch, changing the gears, engaging the engine, etc. We are not flying into corners at 190 mph and slowing to 80 mph while shifting from 7 to 1 very often so the increased efficiency of the SMG is not something we need very often. If you have an AT with paddles and you like it, then you picked the right car. My last car had pretty slick AT but I personally just like shifting the car. Similarly, my bicycle can only go about 30 mph with me pushing it - far slower than a Ninja or something with a motor - but I find it funner personally. Different strokes.