[wynden]

Originally Posted by lbahoshy

Going to special order 2TB as its not normally available on Canadian 328i's ; confirmed this is possible !

What dealer are you working with? What price are they quoting for 2TB? It's not listed as an à la carte option in the Canadian 2012 3 Series ordering / pricing documents that I've seen. Would this also involve the $400 special order charge?

[ikonic]

Originally Posted by arnsbrae

I think in practice, any mug could hit the quoted 0 - 60 with the auto, but only a capable and practiced driver could do it with the manual gearbox.

(BTW, I include myself in the category of "any mug.")

Agree with you 100% there.

Plus, I expect those performance figures will have been done on test cars with little regard for clutch longevity and I'd daresay the auto would possibly be nicer on the clutch in such situations.


Still went with the manual myself; just love the interaction!

[lbahoshy]

Originally Posted by wynden

What dealer are you working with? What price are they quoting for 2TB? It's not listed as an à la carte option in the Canadian 2012 3 Series ordering / pricing documents that I've seen. Would this also involve the $400 special order charge?

Wynden, I sent you a PM.

[Naambezet]

Originally Posted by RPM90

Which car?
Were you in "sport" mode?
Was it the "sport" auto or standard?
It makes a difference.

In my experience, when using the paddles, as soon as I would pull a paddle the shift would happen even before the paddle returns to neutral.
Same happens when using the shift lever.

In full auto mode, kick down takes a bit longer, but that's on an aggressive push of the gas pedal. Do it manually and it's quicker, as you can select the gear before you execute the accel to pass, just like with an MT.

In manual mode.
And I didn't have the choice between sport and normal auto, but it's just the 8 speed ZF transmission in my car.
When I pull the lever it continues to spin(lag) around 300-400 RPM and then it shifts.

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by lbahoshy

I asked my dealer about the difference between the 2 transmissions today. I noted that in the order guide the description is

"Sport Automatic 8-Speed Transmission with Paddle Shifters and Quick Shift II Function (including dynamic revolution counter in iDrive)"

The dealer believes that the transmissions are the same with the difference being the paddle shifters that come on the sport auto and the different gear levers.

When you press the sport button it seems that the shifts are quicker and more aggressive but the sport button is on both regular auto and sport auto. This is just software mapping and is present on both sport and regular.

Can anyone find any literature that says the "sport auto" shifts faster than the "standard auto" in the equivalent driving modes?

Yes, I posted the information I found.
I didn't make that up.
I too was very curious and did a lot of searching.
What I posted is the best I could find, and it came from BMW sources.

Now, how true it is, I can't say as I haven't found anything discussing the details.
I found that the ZF 8spd can do a single gear change in 200 miliseconds, but that's all it stated. It didn't state if that was for a "sport" version or not.
I will speculate that the ZF tech article I read may be referring to the top version of the AT, so it may be referencing the "sport" auto version.
But again, that's speculation on my part. We'll need more data and info.j

What is "dynamic revolution counter"?
I haven't seen that before.
Was that from a newer 2013 info source?

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by ikonic

Agree with you 100% there.

Plus, I expect those performance figures will have been done on test cars with little regard for clutch longevity and I'd daresay the auto would possibly be nicer on the clutch in such situations.


Still went with the manual myself; just love the interaction!

Remember, the AT doesn't have a "clutch".
It has a torque converter.

The "clutch" I referred to in my post is about a "clutch" that resides in the torque converter for lock-up function.

On hard accel from a stand the AT has some "slip" as a function of how a torque converter works.
So there really isn't a way to directly compare true MT clutch wear with AT torque converter.

How do you like the MT?
If you've driven a former BMW with MT, does the F30 MT feel any different, or better?
BMW says that the refined some of the shift linkage for a smoother and more direct feel.
Also, the MT in the Msport gets a short shift.

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by Naambezet

In manual mode.
And I didn't have the choice between sport and normal auto, but it's just the 8 speed ZF transmission in my car.
When I pull the lever it continues to spin(lag) around 300-400 RPM and then it shifts.

Is this an X1?
It has paddles but no "modes"?
Interesting.

Not having a "mode" is likely the difference, as "sport" mode increases shift speed over "normal" mode, which is quicker over "eco" mode.
Also, sport mode holds gear longer before the next shift even with moderate and light throttle. Normal mode upshifts sooner and slower.
Eco is slowest and wants to get to high gear as quickly as possible.

Plus, different modes affect throttle response. Sport mode gives faster/quicker throttle response to pedal input.

All that combined is going to make a difference.

[lbahoshy]

Originally Posted by RPM90

What is "dynamic revolution counter"?
I haven't seen that before.
Was that from a newer 2013 info source?

This is just a display on the info screen that you can bring up via iDrive that shows 2 gauges that simulate the HP and torque you are achieving in real time. It's kind of gimmicky.

Check it out at approx 3:45 in this You Tube video:

You can actually bring up this display even if you didnt opt for sport auto as I was able to bring up this menu on a 328i sport line I test drove this weekend that had the "standard" auto.

[ScarecrowBoat]

Does anybody know if you can add paddle shifters?

[snowghost]

Originally Posted by Tremolo

I use them all the time. I drive in manual 90% of the time. And 60% of the time I use the paddles. I love them.

Why didn't you buy a manual them?

[JOHNBMWM5]

Originally Posted by Scottus3

Considering whether to get the sports transmission on a 328i. Seems that there isn't too much discernible difference in shift speeds/points over regular transmission from what I've read. Coming from a manual, so am interested in the manual-like feel of having the paddle shifters. However eight gears is quite a bit to "row" up and down. So, those that have them - do you use them and is the sport transmission worth the extra $500?

I use mine all the time, I use the gears to slow down not the brakes, I have had them on all my BMW's and would not be without them.

[JOHNBMWM5]

Originally Posted by snowghost

Why didn't you buy a manual them?

I can answer that, paddles shift quicker and with less effort or input, you just concentrate on the road and going much quicker that manual changes.

[dude987]

Originally Posted by LAnderson23

I personally drive a manual, and have no desire to have an auto DSG or otherwise. I have test-driven the sport-line with the paddle shifters, it certainly seemed better than my wife's gimmicky Acura shifting, I'll give it that, but from everything I've read until you actually go dual-clutch you can't really rival a standard. Perhaps BMW has massively improved their system compared to others, if so, good for them. I personally still want the standard manual transmission but as someone else has said, to each his own.

Agree to each his own. Just for what it's worth, I have a 2011 porsche cayman DCT and the 2013 BMW sport auto. The shifts in the cayman DCT is sweet and shifts instantaneously in micro seconds. It truly is amazing. As for the BMW auto transmission, the 2006 330i auto transmission was a dud slush box. It was slow and would shift at it's convenience and not when you wanted. The 2013 F30 by contract is just about as good as the cayman DCT. I don't think it's quite as sweet as the DCT but it is mighty close. Actually it's hard to tell the difference. You really have to concentrate and focus on the shifts just to tell the subtle difference between the two. Just some additional insight nothing more.

[elistan]

Originally Posted by dude987

Agree to each his own. Just for what it's worth, I have a 2011 porsche cayman DCT and the 2013 BMW sport auto. The shifts in the cayman DCT is sweet and shifts instantaneously in micro seconds. It truly is amazing. As for the BMW auto transmission, the 2006 330i auto transmission was a dud slush box. It was slow and would shift at it's convenience and not when you wanted. The 2013 F30 by contract is just about as good as the cayman DCT. I don't think it's quite as sweet as the DCT but it is mighty close. Actually it's hard to tell the difference. You really have to concentrate and focus on the shifts just to tell the subtle difference between the two. Just some additional insight nothing more.

I agree - that matches my experience. Last year I drove some Porsches at an event (911 C, CS, C4S, Cayman R, Boxster Spyder) and really enjoyed the PDK. Later, I test drove a 2011 328 and was severely disappointed. Then I drove an A4 which has the ZF 8AT and really liked it. The car itself was a bit lacking though. Then I heard the F30 was getting the same ZF 8AT and gave BMW another test drive - and ended up order a Sport Line with 2TB. It strikes me as being nearly, or maybe just, as good as the PDK.

[jsedlak]

Originally Posted by johnbmw6

I can answer that, paddles shift quicker and with less effort or input, you just concentrate on the road and going much quicker that manual changes.

I <3 my manual.

[Alpine F31]

Today was the first time I used my paddle shifters at high RPM and high speed through the mountains. The shifts at 4 to 5K rpm are nice but the shifts at 6 to 7k rpm are brilliant! They feel crisp and give a nice kick in the seat of my pants, but the best part are the rev matched downshifts....heaven. Now if only I had a nice exhaust system....

I alternated between shifting with the paddles and shifting with the "stick" and they both work great. I really love down shifting with the stick and up shifting with the paddles.

As a (former) manual die hard, I have to say that the 8AT is not a replacement for a MT but something different altogether. Ideally I would have at least one of each. I'll take the 6MT in my sports car and the 8AT in my daily driver please...

[ScarecrowBoat]

Can you retrofit paddles on a non sport?

[pkimM3r]

Originally Posted by SL01

I'm coming from a manual 135i to a 328i with the sport auto. It shifts fast - very fast, much faster than I could shift. But not having a clutch gives me a slightly disconnected feel.

I use the paddle shifters quite often - either full manual mode, or to temporarily enter manual mode when I know the auto will get it wrong (e.g., entering a turn - pull either paddle and it goes into manual mode for several seconds).

IMO, definitely tick the box.

My gf just picked up 135i and I was surprised when I found out it was a dct
That thing shifts instantaneously and I drive in manual mode 100% of the time. It's fun.

[Alpine F31]

Originally Posted by pkim1079

My gf just picked up 135i and I was surprised when I found out it was a dct
That thing shifts instantaneously and I drive in manual mode 100% of the time. It's fun.

That's awesome, and it's only $450 for the DCT!

[Teemo Panda]

Can you retrofit a paddle shifter with a msport steering wheel without a paddle shifter?
Thanks!

[pkimM3r]

Originally Posted by lbahoshy

This is just a display on the info screen that you can bring up via iDrive that shows 2 gauges that simulate the HP and torque you are achieving in real time. It's kind of gimmicky.

Check it out at approx 3:45 in this You Tube video:

You can actually bring up this display even if you didnt opt for sport auto as I was able to bring up this menu on a 328i sport line I test drove this weekend that had the "standard" auto.

You can do this in a no line car and in comfort mode too through idrive

[ƒ°]

Originally Posted by snowghost

Why didn't you buy a manual them?

I not 100% sure why. In fact, I kind of regretted not getting a manual for a little while. But now I'm quite happy that I got the Sport Auto. I've always driven manual since getting my drivers license and I still have a manual car. But the Sport Auto + Paddle shifters makes it easy to "connect" with the car. I'm not going to lie... it's definitely not as engaging as a full manual car. But it is by far the best Auto I've ever driven.