i got impatient and didnt wait for this option as i took my 2008 550i sport in early june.
what do those of you who have it think about it?
does it do throttle blips during downshifts like the m5?
does it shift much faster than the old auto?
is it uncomfortable and jerky?
is there software that i can plug into my car to get the same effect?

thanks!

 

I don't want to induce buyer's remorse but you asked. This week I drove my 550 with the new sport tranny in Germany. The transmission is awesome. It definitely shifts quick even in non-sport mode. In sport mode it works even better. You actually downshift and have it stay in gear, except in !st gear. The only thing that I did not like is that when you are using the paddle shifters, it does not want to stay in the manual mode when using the paddle shifters. It somewhat quickly for my taste reverts back to automatic mode. It is not umfortable or jerky. In sport mode it revs higher and has a nice snap to the gear change. All things considered this is a great transmission. I was really impressed with it. In my opinion it is a must have option for anyone placing an order now and in the future.

 

Is that true when it's moved into the sport auto mode (vs "D")?

Lou

 

If you are in sport mode (gear shift moved to the left), the car does not revert back to full auto.

 

Here's pretty much all I know about the transmission (most of your questions should be answered after reading all the posts):
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=42608

 

I was really keen on an M5 primarily for the SMG experience. Given I drive into London everyday I would never have used all its power. On non M cars, I was not too passionate about the conventional auto box with steptronic shifting. I test drove several M5 cars and was convinced I would buy one. I wasnt lookig
ng forward to the fuel costs but felt that if I could afford the car I could afford the fuel.

When the spec of the new Sports Auto box appeared I was very interested and proceeded to buy a 535d with SAT even though I had not driven one.

Sports mode is activated only when you press the sports button. Not to be too dismissive, Sports mode gives better throttle response, steering sensitivity changes, and longer time in each gear. It is superb.

Moving the gearstick to the left simply enables what I assume to be the former steptronic mode where you can move through the gears using the stick. Lets call this "Manual mode"

The paddles operate in all modes, Auto, Manual, and Sports. When in Auto mode, using the paddles gives you instance gear change. However after about 20 seconds, if you dont operate the paddles again, the system return to full manual mode. When in Manual mode, you can go up through the gears using the paddles (and/or the stick) and the box wont change upwards by itself. If you are in a high gear the box will shift down if there is a risk of stalling.

Based on my zero experience of SMG, I think this is a fantatstic gearbox solution.

So far my typical driving style is either relaxed, naughty, or agressive. In relaxed I dont use sports mode and use full auto.

Naughty mode is sports on at the traffic lights if I am first, and use the paddles to get away quickly. then when up to the speed I want the box assumes full auto and I switch off the sports mode.

In agressive, I switch on the Sports mode, and put the stick across to the left into manual, and use either the stick or paddles to change. I find the paddles great for going up the gears and the stick for going down.

Regards

Mike

 

Can you clarify something for me. In the old steptronic, you had three modes:

Auto (D), Sport (S), manual mode. You could go :
1) from D to S to manual using the stick
2) from S to D using the stick
3) From manual to D using the stick

From reading your thread, there seems to be a sport button. Does that mean that in order to move from D to sport you do not move the stick but rather just press the sport button? So there is no more S mode with the stick shift? Also, the sport button seems to do more than just hold the gears longer. Is the manual mode affected depending on whether the sport button is engaged or not.

Thx,

Yves

 

To try to clarify, just think of the sport auto's stick as the same as the "old steptronic." Yes, it has the same three modes and you can access them the same way as you described above.

The sport button, however, activates the "Dynamic Driving Control" which, according to the owner's manual, does the following:

Dynamic Driving Control
The Dynamic Driving Control makes it possible
for your BMW to react in an even more performance-
oriented manner at the push of a button:
> The speed range of the engine is optimally
utilized.
> Gearshifts are faster.
> The engine responds more spontaneously
to accelerator pedal movements.
> The steering responds more spontaneously
to steering wheel movements.
> In the automatic mode, the 6th gear is not
engaged.

Basically, the sport button changes the car into a completely different car -- no matter what mode the transmission is in!

 

It now seems to me after thinking about all the SAT permutations - a driver has essentially 4 full-time modes and 1 temporary mode available:

1) Auto/Norm = stick right, sport button NOT pushed, like basic steptronic auto tranny
2) Auto/Sport = stick right, sport buttong pushed (all the changes Rudy describes above from manual)
3) Manual/Norm = stick left, sport button NOT pushed (like auto/norm but use stick or paddles to shift)
4) Manual/Sport = stick left, sport button pushed (manual shifting w/stick or paddles plus the sport button changes)

5) Temporary Manual mode = stick right (regardless of sport button) and make a shift with the paddles - 20 sec or so in manual then reverts back to auto

Rudy does this sound correct? One uncertainty I had was when you initially move stick left -- does it still shift automatically (like a steptronic) UNTIL you change gears manually (paddles or stick)?

 

I think you have to list them a little differently. Here goes:

1) Stick right/Auto shifting/Normal mode
2) Stick right/Auto shifting/Sport mode
3) Stick left/Auto shifting/Normal mode
4) Stick left/Auto shifting/Sport mode
5) Stick left/Manual shifting/Normal mode
6) Stick left/Manual shifting/Sport mode

And yes, the first two have a "temporary" manual mode that allows manual paddle shifting that reverts back to automatic mode if a gear isn't manually changed after a specific time interval.

So you sort of have 6 permanent modes and 2 temporary modes. When you slide the stick left, it's in mode #3 (or #4) until you manually shift it (then it goes into mode #5 or #6, respectively.)

Make sense?