[ft1338]

Originally Posted by dinonz

Why yes, they do. F1 cars are Sequential Manuals, not to be confused with "Steptronic Automatics" like most luxury cars, including BMW.

Entry-level Peugeot has a sequential manual too, just saying.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by ft1338

Entry-level Peugeot has a sequential manual too, just saying.

As does a SMART car. Schumi is probably driving the wheels off of one right now. Well, it's 10:00 at night, he might just be asleep.

[dinonz]

Originally Posted by bosz

None of the super cars of the world come in manual, they're all auto only (Veyron, GTR, Aventador, Most Ferraris, koenigsegg Agera, Pagani etc)

No - they are semi-auto, meaning they are a manual gearbox where the clutch is controlled automatically, but they are not ANYTHING like your 8AT in a BMW which genuinely is an automatic with a torque converter.

[dinonz]

Originally Posted by ft1338

Entry-level Peugeot has a sequential manual too, just saying.

Which one? I'm struggling to find anything about it?

[Kankles]

Yes

[andy79]

The new BMW 8 speed auto is by far the best automatic transmission I have ever driven.

[doublevanosrc]

Originally Posted by andy79

The new BMW 8 speed auto is by far the best automatic transmission I have ever driven.

Likewise, manual is still my preferred choice due to the connection it allows between man and machine. However for speed and comfort the 8 speed box is hard to pass up.

[Phaeron]

I like both Flappy Paddles and Manuals. It's all preference....

[AWF30MSPORT]

To the OP, the 8AT is certainly impressive for an automatic but I didn't find it to be impressive enough to actually buy it. If you're an enthusiast of technology, drive in Comfort mode frequently, and actually care about the difference of a couple MPG, I think the 8AT is the way to go...but if you're a DRIVING enthusiast, I'm of the opinion that the 6MT is the only way to go...if you enjoy the challenge of nailing a perfect heel/toe downshift or a perfect full throttle launch and the challenge of banging out perfect shifts as you dash to 60, 100, or more, drive in Sport/Sport+ regularly and could care less about one or two MPG...then the 6MT is for you.

I was a bit surprised by how many people here were formerly loyal MT owners who have "converted" to the 8AT but then I started to understand it a bit more when I noticed how many of them have kids, carry passengers frequently, and just generally drive like grannies in Comfort mode and with near 30MPG averages. That's just not me. I've always had a manual transmission in all of my cars and it was a no-brainer to me on this car. I consider myself an automotive technology AND driving enthusiast, I regularly drive just to drive with no destination in mind, I've never driven in Comfort mode except for more than a couple blocks by accident, I've never used Eco Pro and don't care that I average 18.8MPG average (with 90 percent highway commute). I exclusively drive in Sport/Sport+ mode...I heel/toe it even pulling into the parking lot of my office building, accelerate HARD almost all the time, and hear my tires chirp or squeal at least once during every drive...and I've never once felt like an MT is a pain or a nuisance in traffic...it's just part of driving...which I really like to do. Working a third pedal and a shifter is just part of being engaged in my driving experience...the connection is important to me...and brings a smile to my face on a daily basis.

At the end of the day, only you can know what's best for you and brings the biggest smile to your face. Good luck and have fun!

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen

2 pedal setups are only going to get better while the manual is likely not going to be improved over it's zenith from the past few decades.

Porsche and Chevy have the 7 speed manual transmission with automatic rev matching now

Debatable I guess if the auto rev match is an "improvement" but the wider ratio spread is welcome news in my books

I was a bit surprised by how many people here were formerly loyal MT owners who have "converted" to the 8AT but ... have kids, ... generally drive like grannies in Comfort mode and with near 30MPG averages.

. I exclusively drive in Sport/Sport+ mode.. accelerate HARD almost all the time,

LOL at this post.... I feel the value judgement directed at those who opt out of the third pedal! If you get 8AT its because you are getting OLD

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

Porsche and Chevy have the 7 speed manual transmission with automatic rev matching now

Debatable I guess if the auto rev match is an "improvement" but the wider ratio spread is welcome news in my books

The 7th speed is just for MPG-not sure if that makes it better. Then 911 has a 7th gear only because the PDK did and it made it cheaper and easier to share components.

Manuals in the S2000 and some Miatas still seem to be the high point of the MT.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen

Manuals in the S2000 and some Miatas still seem to be the high point of the MT.

True, but the metal gated ones in the R8 or Ferraris back when they had manuals are pretty hard to beat too. The noise alone of shifting those just adds something to the experience.

Maybe it doesn't hurt that my dad had a 330 GTC when I was kid.

[tony20009]

From the standpoint of "fun factor," manual still is preferred. Also, manual transmissions allow the driver to directly select the desired gear, whereas in an automatic, one must move sequentially up and down the gear range, and manuals provide an immediacy that one can feel. Having said that, however, from a pure speed perspective, automatics are now faster, notwithstanding the immediacy point I noted. Also, they seem to be matching, if not bettering, manuals in terms of fuel economy. So, for the overwhelming majority of consumers, there's not much reason left to buy a manual transmission car.

Now, if one just likes it better, one does, and that's what one should buy, but one is mistaken if one thinks that better performance can be obtained by having done so.

Above, some folks have descended into a discussion about the types of enthusiast and what makes one more or less of an enthusiast. I happen to think that is a ridiculous topic for there simply is no empirical measure by which one can be deemed more or less enthusiastic about cars, driving, BMWs, etc., although one can certainly say for oneself that one is more or less enthusiastic about cars and driving and BMWs than one is about other things. Trying to measure whether one is more or less of an enthusiast than someone else is a pointless endeavor.

For example, let's assume I don't even own a car because I can't afford one, despite liking cars (perhaps BMW specifically). However, I am intimately aware of the history of cars, and BMW in particular, and I'm intimately aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the various engines and transmissions, the paint colors offered, what BMW is doing it this or that country, etc. Now let's say that you, in contrast, own a BMW and drive one and have cared lovingly for your car and have modified it to make it the fastest, most bad ass BMW in your state,, and you joined the BMW car club, and you spend time at the track to enjoy driving fast and building you driving skills, and yet know none (or few) of those things that I do about BMW or cars in general, which of us is more enthusiastic? You invested the resources available to you to do what you can to satisfy your interest in your car. Assuming I can't afford a car, but have done all that studying to become as knowledgeable as I can about cars, I've also invested the resources at my disposal to satisfy my interest in cars. Which of us is more enthusiastic? I don't know. All I know for sure is I have less money than you.

Can either of us invest even more effort to further our interest in cars? Maybe. Would it be practical for either of us to do so? Perhaps, perhaps not. The point is that being an enthusiast is about doing what it is you can to satisfy your interest in the car. It's not about trying to show that you are more enthusiastic than the next guy. It's not a competition; therefore, trying to rank levels of enthusiasm is of no value.

[s1k0ne]

i'm paying my monthly to have fun driving my car which is why i got a manual.
All my previous cars were auto and this is my first manual.
I don't think i'll ever get another auto!

[Falafel Combo]

As a manual enthusiast, i really feel like i gave the 8 speed auto all the chances one reasonably can. I tried to live with it, like it, accept it for what it is ... But after 4 short months, the car is parked in my garage and is up for sale.


The 8 speed auto, to its credit is good enough for most drivers. It's fast, more economic gas mileage, smooth when you want it to be and shifts come very fast when you need it to be. Superb transmission. But ... It still does not make up for the fact that its an auto, with no mechanical connection to the engine. It's a computer. It feels artificial, because it IS artificial. Basically a series of buttons, that relay information electronically to the power train and tell it to do whatever information you have to input. Zero soul.


Personally, i am going back to 6 mt and there is no looking back.


Have you ever heard of anyone selling a 6 mt to get an auto, because the 6 mt was too boring? Maybe challenging to learn, but definitely not boring.


Go out and drive them both.

[335rocket]

I came soo close to ordering my 328 in the 8 sp auto. I just knew though that after a few weeks, I would regret not getting another 6 sp. I don't care of this new tranny shifts faster. I love the feeling of quick heal to toe shifting!!!

[JohnVidale]

I was glad to switch to an automatic - my last manual was a '76 Datsun Z that I got rid of back in 1997.

This discussion reminds of people forswearing computers because they would never switch from typewriters. Or their 8-track tape players and vinyl records. Or their manual washboards.

They're plenty of ways to engage with a car, the road, and ways to get to the destination aside from grinding every gear shift in a now-clumsy way.

[dinonz]

Originally Posted by JohnVidale

grinding every gear shift in a now-clumsy way.

Sounds like an auto is ideal for you

[Jamesons Viggen]

Originally Posted by JohnVidale

I was glad to switch to an automatic - my last manual was a '76 Datsun Z that I got rid of back in 1997.

This discussion reminds of people forswearing computers because they would never switch from typewriters. Or their 8-track tape players and vinyl records. Or their manual washboards.

They're plenty of ways to engage with a car, the road, and ways to get to the destination aside from grinding every gear shift in a now-clumsy way.

There are now writing clubs where people are bringing back the typewriter, those who still buy vinyl for purity of sound etc etc.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by KORALLROT

But after 4 short months, the car is parked in my garage and is up for sale.

Whoa. That's a pretty extreme move. Too bad I am out of the market and not able to capitalize on your indecision

[JohnVidale]

Originally Posted by Jamesons Viggen

There are now writing clubs where people are bringing back the typewriter, those who still buy vinyl for purity of sound etc etc.

I've had a number of arguments with those who think that vinyl can be more accurate, given the "loss" caused by discretely sampling sound, not understanding the Nyquist frequency and the limited dynamic range of our ears.

Also, I have an IBM Selectric typewriter on my office bookshelf, which was amazing technology (one could erase the last few letters typed with white-out!) when it was first introduced. No one has asked to use it for a while.

[Seagull]

Originally Posted by EB_F30

I personally think the 8 speed auto is awesome but I like banging my own gears and having more control of the car. Yes you can do that with paddle shifters but its not the same. I think you get more of the "fun factor" with a 6MT.

I agree. Sometimes I miss the old 6MT for the fun and involvement. But sometimes I love the way the 8AT just slams into the next gear. Plus I can't heel toe very well so... the 8AT is definitely faster than I could ever be.