How often is she driving it and how long????

You might be surprised that once she gets the stick in her hand she actually enjoys it (no pun attended) .

My wife I thought won't really be to overtop about the SMG but she loves it. In fact she made a comment that she wishes more cars where like this.

I'd say if your mother is only driving it a once or twice a week I won't worry about it. In auto and sport mode it isn't that bad. But if your expecting buttery smooth shifting then it isn't going to give you that. To put it into words on how it drives in both auto and auto/sport................ Auto simulates a "Sunday driver" shifting, all the time in the world, the shifts are paused out a bit to help with smoothness. Tranny just isn't in a hurry to do anything. In Auto/Sport the shifts are much quicker. More like your typical driver driving a manual. But if you not feathering the gas pedal the overall ride isn't going to be very smooth. SMG is truely a manual system so all parties driving need to understand Manual feel not Automatic feel to the car.

 

I second what Rudy says... it is no substitute for auto. She will hate the car. Its slow in shifting and lags and makes drivers head bobble if not driven correctly. SMG is a drivers car. Its not suitable for those who just like to get in and drive from A to B.

 

I'm with everybody. Auto mode is useless.
I'm also driving 2005 545i with smg.
Only time my wife drives the car is on the interstate highways where she's only in 6th gear.
She never drives the car otherwise.
BTW she smacks me if I put in sport mode too jerky for her lol

 

get the SMG... then mom won't like it and you'll be driving it more often!!! its a "win win" if you ask me!!

 

I have to agree.. When I first got my 545i SMG (after driving a Toyota automatic) I thought the car was very jerky. Once I dumped the auto-mode and remembered what it was like driving a manual it was amazing. The SMG is great for the suburbian or the city person that likes to get out every once in a while.... But... for the person that wants a smooth automatic.. they will certainly hate the car.

If it is a weekend car... then it would be great. If it is a car for the traditional mother during the week, then you should consider going with the full-auto options and even the 530. The 545i SMG is not for the faint of heart. I drive in traffic but love to take the long way home some days.... the 545 SMG is built for that... not the normal family daily driver!

 

She won't like it because she will have to "learn" how to drive. Most people don't like to relearn new ways of doing anything.

 

SMG auto mode is in no way smooth. It is like someone else said earlier on in the post, if you dont have the manual feel for a car, then you it will be horrible for the driver. The rpms tend to rise way too high in auto mode and the shifts dont come on like they would in an auto. Your mom will hate driving it because of its lag in auto mode. Very jerky aswell. The car still feels like a manual would in auto mode, but the shifting is being done for you.