Threxx

OD vs D is only going to let you lock out your top gear or not lock it out.. that's it. Not to mention the response on those is usually pretty slow (such as the response on some paddle shifter equipped cars is as well)

I have an auto because my wife doesn't like to drive stick - not to mention it's just as fast or faster than the manual trans 335i. The paddle shifters make it more livable.

I can absolutely assure you that with my car in sport mode, torque converter fully locked, and paddle shifters at my disposal I'll be quicker around a track than if the car is left in full automatic mode and constantly up shifting around corners. Especially being that it's a turbo and boost is always an issue.

Darth Xed

Reminds me of a kid I used to know who judged every car's capabilties based on what the speedometer went up to.

97QuasarBlue3.8

Canadian cars were SO much faster back then.

Ken S

I'm kinda split now personally.

I'd have to test it out. If its done right, meaning it only shifts when you tell it to shift (except perhaps if a downshift would absoltely overrev the engine), and did it with nice quick shifts and had that "direct" feeling in the drivetrain, while still being smooth for daily driving, then I would probably like it. Oh, and of course the physical location, action, and tactile feedback from the paddles would have to be spot on. I wouldn't want pushbuttons on the steering wheel, thats just awkward.

If its mushy, slow, or doesn't listen to you, nah I wouldn't want it.

Z28x

I agree, I've used it in a 5 speed Hyundai and a 4 speed G6 very boring and pointless. Maybe if it was an H pattern it would be cool.

HuJass

What they should do to these autostick trannies is take away the "automatic" setting. Change the programming so that it won't upshift or downshift by itself. EVER.
That way, if you don't upshift, you'll spin it past redline or hit the limiter. And if you don't downshift, then the car stalls.
Make it as much like a manual as possible. Maybe even put in a gate so that you'd have to move the lever in the same directions as a manual transmission.
It shouldn't even have Park. Move the lever in between the gears for neutral and set the parking brake.

Let's see how many people would sign up for that. Probably none. So like the other poster said, these manu-matics are for posers who want to feel like a real man but in reality, they can barely put gas in their cars.

Threxx

So you have the welcome the disadvantages of a manual transmission to not be a poseur?

As I already explained, I have mine due to my wife. My previous car... an 06 Audi A4 2.0t was a manual which I enjoyed a lot and was a damn good driver with (I got close to the best 1/4 mile time I've ever seen with my model of car).

But with all of that considered I still enjoy the auto on this BMW, especially in sport mode with manual shifting... very very nice positive neck snapping shifts and the fully locked torque converter really creates a direct feel.

No poseurism about it... sorry...

305fan

I rented a new Corvette convertible--I liked the manumatic feature....better then 1-2-d-O/D

97QuasarBlue3.8

I've gotta say, even the VW Tiptronic automatic-manual shift program is better than what GM is putting in their cars these days. I drove a Tiguan and a 6-speed auto Jetta with that feature and they're still sluggish to shift, but not nearly as bad as GM.

Up there on the "worst ever" rank is Volvo's 5-speed auto in the S40/V50 series. As I said, you have to anticipate the shift and shift a second or 3 before-hand to get the right RPM.

bossco

lol, I had a buddy that swore up and down that the countach was the fastest car on the road because the speedo had 300(km) on it and he thought that it was MPH.

Big Als Z

I think some of you are getting the types of transmissions mixed up.
There are automaticly or electronicly controled manual transmissions such as Ferrari's F1 system which I beilve offer the fastest shifts in a production car, just a few milliseconds off a real F1 car, but it also offers an automatic mode where the trans is shifted by a computer.
Then there are Dual-Clutch autos where one clutch engaged while the other stands by for the other half of the gears.
So in a 6spd auto, 1-3-5 are on one clutch/inputshaft, the 2-4-6 are on a 2nd. DSG is becoming more and more popular.
Im not 100% on BMW's SMG, but I think its something similar to the F1 system, just slower.
Then you have GM's trans, which is more similar to your automatics in your every day cars. The new 6spds do have a different internal set up then the old 4spds, to where it does have some relation to a manual trans inside, someone is gunna have to look that up.
There are also CVT trans's that have several set ratios in the comptuer to "shift" through.
GM really needs to work on a true DSG type transmission for cars like the Z06, CTS-V, Z28, ZR1, and other performance cars that need an auto to keep people happy.

WJH'sFormula

When I was shopping for my current car I had more than a couple salesman tell me the paddle shifted auto was just like the manual.

I bought a real manual. If it had 250+ hp, I probably would have gone for the auto+paddles. Traffic sucks.

HAZ-Matt

It is mostly a marketing gimmick.

However, if you mostly drove your car in a bunch of traffic and took it out to autocross or even go through windy road in a spirited manner it would be much nicer to be able to select and HOLD various gears when you need to. Letting the transmission simply upshift or downshift whenever the speedometer reads a certain value isn't any good when turns are involved.