[RPM90]

There have been a number of AT vs MT, or AT/MT which to get threads, which seem to devolve into negative commentary, and argument over which is better. This thread is not about that.

The questions I have are directed to MT drivers who choose the sport AT this time.
I'm looking for real experiences.
I am a long time MT driver and have preferred MT.
This time I ordered an Msport with the sport AT.

Here are some questions to consider. Feel free to comment as you see fit.
Those of you who have switched to the sport AT, can you give your experience and impressions now that you've had your car for some time?
How has the AT performed over all?
Do you drive in auto or manual mode, which one more?
In manual mode do you change gears with the paddles or shift lever?

Compare your driving experience to driving a MT.
Is there something you miss by not having the MT in your 3?
If anything, what is the most annoying aspect of the AT?
Do you have any negatives about it?
Some have said that driving the AT might get boring, is it?

Finally, are you happy with your choice and the overall performance of the sport AT?
Do you regret not getting the MT?
And add anything else that you may think of, perhaps something positive that you didn't expect.

[nsquared]

Manual baby.

However, I did drive the 8AT and its pretty good. I just fear of getting bored. Plus, that is why you have a beater that is auto so your fun car can be stick.

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by nsquared

Manual baby.

However, I did drive the 8AT and its pretty good. I just fear of getting bored. Plus, that is why you have a beater that is auto so your fun car can be stick.

Really? The first response?

This is NOT about which is better or which trans one prefers!

[nsquared]

Originally Posted by RPM90

Really? The first response?

This is NOT about which is better or which trans one prefers!

Well I did say manual baby which refers to that I will order my F30 in stick.

I don't think either transmission is better. Its all preference and I just fear boredom with autos. Even DSG/PKG/SMG/DCT or w/e all boring.

[Slwdrvr]

I did come from a 5spd to an 6AT, and i ordered the 8AT as well. I do miss the third pedal a lot, but sometimes having the automatic is conveinent. It's situational for everyone. Maybe having manual is good for the spirited driving, and automatic when you just want to sit back and coast. Also, I find myself a lot of the times in manual mode and I shift it myself as well, but whenever I want to just be lazy and drive, I just pop it back in Drive.

I don't know if I agree with having the 8AT but, I'm pretty sure I'll have some fun with the sport paddle-shifters. I don't have it on my 328i right now, but maybe when I get my F30, it'll be some more fun.

[BMWinGE]

I always prefer MT and originally planned to get one in my 328i but switched when I heard the reviews of the 8AT. So far it's been the best auto I've used. I normally drive In auto mode but play around with the paddle shifters when I'm driving spirited. It's quite entertaining, and I think it fits the N20 well. However, I'm not going to say I prefer it over the MT, theres just a feeling you get through manipulating the engine yourself that an auto cannot replace. I don't regret my decision though because its a great transmission and there are conveniences in having an auto, but if I get another 3 down the road it will likely be a MT. I say likely because the 8AT really is pretty good.

[TEAShea]

Certainly there is something lost - sometimes shifting a manual is very satisfying. However, I really like the AT in my 328i - very fine transmission - quicker shifting than a manual and two more gears - and I often use manual control (with paddles) - overall I like it

[DrivenByE30]

I cannot answer to this question because:

1) I didn't make the switch,
2) i didn't even tested/tasted the 8AT...

3) I just couldn't make the change... fearing i would regret for years!
4) i was absolutely sure i would enjoy the Manual, so i went with it again...
as opposed to the Automatic, where i always i have doubts regarding the involvement/engagement it would procure me... So that's why i went with the safe bet: Manual.

[LAnderson23]

Originally Posted by DrivenByE30

I cannot answer to this question because:

1) I didn't make the switch,
2) i didn't even tested/tasted the 8AT...

3) I just couldn't make the change... fearing i would regret for years!
4) i was absolutely sure i would enjoy the Manual, so i went with it again...
as opposed to the Automatic, where i always i have doubts regarding the involvement/engagement it would procure me... So that's why i went with the safe bet: Manual.

+ 1

[Jadar]

I always had manual even in my 328i. This time I chose the 8speed at, I just felt this was a good move for me plus my girlfriend can drive my car when we go places, trips ect. I think I did it because I know I'll have some sort of sports car in the future that's not a daily with a manual.

I don't regret it one bit, I love it and if I had to do it again no doubt I'd opt for the auto.

I don't think you made a wrong choice. It's what works for you right now. I never really cared when people say you should always get manual or dct is better, as my needs are concerned I do what works best for me.

Auto will never be as fun as manual no question there, but automatics have their benefits as well.

[kon]

On comfort mode, the sport 8at felt lazy, and shifting all the time ESP when going up my car park, 3 storey.

On sport mode,

I let the car do the shifting for me, only tried M mode once to experiment while going up my car park, it still up shift on its own.

[HairTooLongToo]

IMO, if you have to ask, just stay with MT. If you've been driving MT for years without issue, why go with the AT?

That said...the 8AT is probably one of the best I've driven short of a DSG. Here are more impressions... more than most want to know probably.


The Great:
- Is there a torque converter in this thing? Because you definitely can't tell that there is. There is no slip that I can tell. None. Right from idle on up it feels connected.
- It holds gears heroically. Right to red line if you want it. Right down to 1000 RPM if you want it. It's an auto that WILL listen to you in DS mode. Fantastic. Great job!
- Shifts with little delay when asked in DS mode. Fastest non-DSG auto I've tried.

The not-so-Great
- The car is jerky on the brakes when creeping. Try coming to a stop without ANY jerking. Almost impossible because something grabs the car to a stop right at the end as you feather off the brake. Note: this does NOT happen is DS mode so it's definitely software related. WTF is up with that crap BMW?
- Gear spacing isn't great. 1st and 2nd gear are really close together and there's a gap to 3rd gear. So you end with more RPM than you want in 1st and 2nd, then drop to a fizzle when you hit 3rd.

How does it compare to a manual? It doesn't. If the F30 clutch doesn't suck (what is this I read about a delay valve?) then get the MT. The manual mode is fantastic, but it's no replacement for a MT driver if you're into the experience... not even close.

[willie55912]

I am a long time manual guy...and got talked into an auto on a 2011 335i M sport sitting on the showroom floor....did not want to order and wait....this car was right there waiting....so I got it....btw..my wife got a 2012 F30 with an auto...still miss the manual.

I regret the decision....so many times I wished I had the manual. Yea, you can use the paddles....tap the shifter...but it is not the same....period! I promise you will regret it. Also do not ever get talked out of the Logic 7 stereo set up....in my book, these are 2 must haves.....have fun with your new car...

[verbs]

Originally Posted by willie55912

I am a long time manual guy...and got talked into an auto on a 2011 335i M sport sitting on the showroom floor....did not want to order and wait....this car was right there waiting....so I got it....btw..my wife got a 2012 F30 with an auto...still miss the manual.

I regret the decision....so many times I wished I had the manual. Yea, you can use the paddles....tap the shifter...but it is not the same....period! I promise you will regret it. Also do not ever get talked out of the Logic 7 stereo set up....in my book, these are 2 must haves.....have fun with your new car...

Your transmission on your 2011 335i M sport is completely different than the one in question here. Totally apples to oranges.

[Raspartan]

Drove MT in small sporty coupes for about 14 years before getting the 335i with 8AT. I expect the decision will involve many personal factors as it was in my case, and ultimately the comfort level will come down to your personality.

I loved driving MT and have typically struggled with getting most rental ATs to do what I wanted at any given time. In my opinion the BMW 8AT is fantastic and very quick overall, but attention must still be exercised in certain scenarios.

In Comfort it sometimes does not downshift in time to perform sudden highway passes, but I use the paddles for this and that works great for me. In Sport the 8AT behaves aggressively and I have no complaints, but I only use it when I anticipate the need or when the fancy strikes. The car is louder due to higher revs and obviously less fuel efficient in this mode, and most times I want a smooth ride in Comfort.

I have not used the car in DS since I suspect that the experience would not measure up to manual shifting, and that it would be a chore anyway with 8 gears. Your mileage may vary here.

With the 8AT (or any AT) I was afraid I'd be giving up the fine throttle control that I have become accustomed to in MTs, but this did not materialize thankfully.

I really don't regret getting the 8AT since it does everything I want, and exhibits the different personalities (Comfort/Sport) on demand to satisfy my mood at the time. I'm finding that I don't miss MT these days.

[bacampbe]

I've been driving MT since 1981. My wife has been driving MT since about 1990, if not longer.

We ordered a 328i sport-line with the sport 8AT. This is primarily her car, but I will drive it enough to want it to be fun to drive. (_my_ daily driver is a Miata).

She's been considering AT for a while, since she does more rush-hour freeway driving than I do. We looked at an Audi A3 with a DSG prior to buying her previous car (Acura TSX 6MT) and really liked it--we picked the Acura overall that time, but really wished they had a dual clutch gearbox available. But I can't stand most conventional ATs as the torque converter slip drives me crazy, and they always seem slow to downshift. I'm not all that tied to a manual clutch, but I do want to pick the gear.

When we test drove the 328i the first time, all they had in a sport-line was the 6MT. We liked it, but went back later to try the 8AT. In sport mode, it blew us away. I don't think I could out shift it with a MT. If anything, I think it upshifted faster than the Audi DSG we tried in 2006. No noticeable torque converter slop. The gear selection was telepathic--I'm not as sure I will need the paddles as much as I thought I would.

Obviously, you can't tell that much from a short test drive, so time will tell if this was a mistake or not. I do wish they had a DCT available on this car--but I'm not sure I would be able to tell the difference if we had one.

[JustinTJ]

Maybe I'm getting older and lazy, but I went sport auto. I'm tired of shifting, and after one test drive in this car I was sold.

This new auto lets me feel the road, interact, have control, use spider sense, save puppies, find leprechauns, and all of the crap excuses I used to say to justify driving a stick when stuck in traffic.

This 8 speed auto is faster and easier than the 6 manual. Winner.

[svache]

I always drove manual when I lived in the Netherlands. When I arrived in the US, I started to drive automatic.

I wanted to get a manual again this time around on my F30, my wife didn't mind as she can drive both stick and auto, but my CA kind of talked me out of it because of the resale value. He does have a point imho, it's a small island and if I want to sell the car again with a stick, I would have a bit of a problem.

But yeah, I do miss my MT driving at times. However, there are also lot of times that I do not miss the MT and that I'm oh so happy with the AT, especially when I'm stuck in traffic (which is like almost always, worst traffic of the country here lol)

[willie55912]

Originally Posted by verbs

Your transmission on your 2011 335i M sport is completely different than the one in question here. Totally apples to oranges.

Nope....my wife has the 8 sp auto in an sport package. I still prefer a manual over my auto in the 2011 and the 8 speed auto in the F30 sport. He is looking at a 8 sp auto in the sport package.

[LAnderson23]

Such a shame to see so many MT drivers making the switch to auto...this is why it's getting harder and harder to find MT cars, and BMW will continue making less and less of them. :-/ To each his own I guess.

[ATX78703]

i can't really speak on this b/c I don't fit the inclusion criteria listed above, but...

I have a 6MT now (long time manual loyalist), I test drove a 8AT sports in a f30 335i and I will be getting a 8AT next car (~1-1.5yrs) or DCT.

[JustinTJ]

Originally Posted by LAnderson23

Such a shame to see so many MT drivers making the switch to auto...this is why it's getting harder and harder to find MT cars, and BMW will continue making less and less of them. :-/ To each his own I guess.

No shame in it. Sometimes the juice isn't worth the squeeze. It was only a matter of time until the auto caught, if not surpassed, the manual. Only the diehards will defend it. Technology creates movement.

But I'm also past the point of watching standard definition tv just because that's what I grew up with. I got my first smartphone last year. Onwards and upwards!