Litster

E60's SMG will be similar to Z4's SMG. There will be only the sports or regular programs (2 programs) for auto and sequential modes. M3 has 5 programs for auto mode and 6 programs for sequential mode.

Woodstock

Is SMG really sufficiently different than the steptronic? It just seems more gimicky than anything. If you need the level of control/precision over the steptronic, I would think that only a real stick would do. If you want a manual transmission, get the stick. I don't understand the half-way thing. But then, I've never driven either. ;-)

zbim

Well, imagine I do not like automatics at all. However I reckon that there are times, when it would be useful in traffic. How to accomplish such a thing, with a manual gearbox? How about an auto? Well, SMG might be the answer...

Also, from safety point of view, paddles may keep your hands on wheel at all times.

zbim

Hell yeah! SMG is a manual gearbox. No torque convertor, just electronically controlled and hydraulically actuated. Very big difference. Huge. Steptronic does not even come close. I imagine you are from us...

Woodstock

I guess my question is more "why not stick". I've never owned a car with an automatic transmission. My wife's first automatic is a VW PASSAT that has the pseudo-stick "steptronic" thing. I can't imagine (again, speaking from ignorance , since I've never experienced it) that SMG is anywhere near as good as a stick for control (clutch control is a big part of the "stick" control) of gearing. It seems like SMG operates in a kinda middle ground between automatic (with steptronic so you can "sort-of" do manual shifts), and a real manual.

One question about it, will the engine stall if you leave it in 6th, and slowly come to a stop from speed? Or will it downshift through the gears to protect itself? What about redlining? Will it allow you to overrev, or does it upshift if you accelerate up to speed from a stop? Does the answer change if you're in "Drive"/"Sport"/manual? If it does all these things, it just seems like a "slightly" better steptronic (remember you can "shift" the steptronic manually) in function, but with better name, and perhaps better implementation.

Mind you the SMG, as I recall, isn't significantly more expensive than the steptronic, so maybe it is just the next gen of what an "automatic" transmission should be.

zbim

I experienced the SMG II on M3 but then this is much more complex than the one we're talking about on E60. However...

I strongly resent what you are implying that SMG is more close to automatic than to manual. It is Sequential Manual Gearbox. Note the word manual. Forget your wife's steptronic when you think at this. Of course it is not a stick, but when you upshift or downshift, the clutch is controlled by the electronics with a speed, no ordinary driver could possibly achieve. Probably on 5er, it is not so frightening, but even so. There is no resemblance with Steptronic/Tiptronic/etc gearboxes you ever known.

I've driven V10 TDI Tuareg with Steptronic, and with a diesel engine with 700 N/m torque, Steptronic is just a joke, nothing useless in using it, maybe when you need to really block transmission in first, but even then it upshifts automatically if overrevving. The first three gears should be changed when flooring it in about 3-4 second, in order not to overrev the engine. As a result, it has in fact 2 gears in normal drive: 4th and 5th. Just think about it.

SMG does not automatically upshift, so you will hit the rev limiter... It will downshift however, just before the engine stalls...

Quote from 5er manual...

"In the following situations, the SMG in the sequential mode assists you:
> Upshifts and downshifts are executed only when they will result in a plausible combination of engine and vehicle speed; thus, for example, a downshift that would cause the engine to overrev will not be executed by the system
> When the vehicle is stopped, the transmission automatically downshifts into
first gear
> Shortly before dropping below a geardependent minimum speed, the transmission downshifts automatically even without your intervention."

Hope this helps...
zbim

PS Please do not compare Steptronic with SMG or other sequential manual gearboxes as they are not in the same league.

Woodstock

ok, ok, I touched some nerves here. ;-)

Remember, I said up front, I haven't driven an SMG, so I was just looking for some other opinions and help in understanding. You've convinced me; I guess I'll need to try the SMG, sounds like it's a really good thing.

The paddles on the steering wheel just looked gimicky (like a video/computer game steering wheel) which is what made me wonder. I agree that keeping hands on wheel is a good thing, so maybe that's a good thing, too.

Eddie D

Before you order a new 5 with the SMG check out the November 2003 of Motor Trend page 144. The Z4 has the same SMG as the new 5 series. The 5 will not get the SMG used in the M5. The review said the SMG was giving staffers fits with sluggish shifts, grinding gears and lodging itself in neutral.

Sweet 5

Yes, a lot of Z4 owners are not happy with the SMG and I believe Motor Trend or another car mag wish they had not ordered the SMG.

mspeed76

those smg issues were said to be fixed in a recent (1 month ago) "blue dot" software upgrade, but it still was enough to scare me away from SMG.

the 545/step is only 0.1 second slower from 0-60 than 545/smg/manual so i went auto

it is also said that bmw will devlop a "double clutch" smg for smoother shifts in a few years