I'm planning to order an 07' 550 this week but I'm having trouble deciding between an SMG or 6-Speed. The guy who is selling me the car said that the SMG on the 5-series was completely different than the one from the new M5, and that it shifts horribly. I don't mind rough rides to a certain extent, but if it's that bad I would rather just have a 6-speed.

Does anybody with a current e60 SMG have any complaints with theirs? How does it shift?

I heard the exact same thing and went with a 6 speed.

I was almost sure I was going to get a 6-speed, and then I read a few post about how some users absolutely love their SMG. Now I'm just really confused...

Did your 6-speed come with hill-start assist?

Steps are faster in a straight line. I would have nothing but a Step unless race-track style driving is important. Then, I'll go with the manual. The manual is as good as the driver. The SMG is likely to be worse than the driver IMO.

Do a search on this topic, as it's been discussed at great length by members that have SMG....and they are the ones you want to hear from.....I shied away from SMG because I had heard it shifted rough, and more importantly I couldn't find a car to drive that had SMG, and I wanted to know first hand what it was like. I ultimately went with another step over over the 6-manual.....still have slight reservations about it...but I didn't like the gearbox for the manual, just felt like it was too long a throw for me.....no matter what tranny you get.....AMAZING car :)

The person who told you about the SMG being different was correct on one point, but incorrect on another.


He was correct to say that the 550i SMG is different than the M5 SMG.

He was incorrect to say that the 550i SMG shifts horribly.



The truth is... HE shifts horribly. It's not the SMG. I shall explain further.


Let's say you bought the 6-speed manual. With a manual, you know that the shifts will be as smooth as your feet can make them. A skilled driver can shift a manual like butter.... a novice can give you whiplash. So... would this person therefore say the Manual shifts horribly? No... because he probably understands the manual is up to the driver.


Well... guess what... SMG stands for Sequential MANUAL gearbox. SMG is a manual transmission. And, like a true manual, the SMG requires a skilled driver to operate it properly. This means you can't just floor it and flick the paddles.... well.. you CAN do that.... but you'll get rough shifts.

A skilled SMG driver knows how to moderate his throttle pressure when shifting. The trick is to lightly release pressure on the gas pedal just before you shift. Then, once the next gear has engaged.... you can accelerate again. The result will be a much smoother shift.


So... that guy was incorrect to say SMG shifts horribly. He obviously is just an SMG novice.





I can certainly appreciate you dilemma. This is a big decision. I don't want you to think I am trying to push your decision one way or another.... I just don't like hearing people give bad advice, though. And saying that the SMG shifts rough is not true. So I just wanted to be sure to put that fact out there, so your decision is made with all the info.

I bought my 545i SMG having never seen an SMG car before, nor driven one. But all I can say is.... BEST DECISION I MADE. I love it. Honestly, I feel more connected to this car than any I've ever driven before.... and that includes both of my brother's manual M3's.

Well put........I would still like to drive one before I buy one. Subterfuse, were you able to test drive a car with SMG before you bought?

No..... I bought my SMG with no test drive, or having ever seen one in person.

Not even my dealer had seen an E60 SMG when I got mine. Everyone wanted to test drive it before I took delivery. :cool:

Go with 6 speed, you will never be bored and always be able to truly feel the 360 hp V8. My brother has a 2002 540 manual and simply loves to drive that car. Needless to say if you live in a major city or bumper to bumper commute, its a no-brainer to get STEP over either SMG or manual.

Kmslo is correct, this has been discussed quite a few times before on this forum with lots of different opinions. The one that got me was something about forget letting valet or others drive/park your car for you with SMG.

I went with 6 speed and can't wait for it. Note the dealer even told me that I would lose about $5,000 out the door because getting manual, and he made me put down deposit before they would order the car. He said it would be hard to sell the 550 in manual in a few years because at $70,000, most want automatic tranny. My thinking was that I would have one of the few 6 speed manual tranny and while finding a buyer down the road may take longer, it will actually be easier because I have unique version.

Good luck.

subterFUSE is right on but as I've said here a bunch of times, anyone considering an SMG purchase really owes it to themself to read the entire SMG FAQ and all links to other threads contained in it...

http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=2106

After that, whatever decision you make is more than likely the right one for you!