i saw somebody post that if you got the paddle shifting its a different kind of sports package then just buying the sports package with the steptronic shifting. is this true? he said that if you got the paddle shifting you also got the sport mode button which changed the shifting and suspension. if i put my steptronic over into ds doesnt that do the same thing? thanks

 

The steptronic in DS does not equal the sport automatic with the sport button pressed. The transmission choice shouldn't be confused with the "sports package" since you can get that package with any transmission choice.

Take a look here to see the six discrete modes you can use with the sport automatic transmission:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=43318

 

i read that and still dont understand fully. so my car does not have the sport automatic transmission,even tho i got the sports package right? and when my car is in d/s what does that do for my car? if i dont have the sport mode button which makes for better steering,throttle response what does my sports package do?.what is smg/non smg? mainly i just want to know whats the difference from when my car is in d or d/s. im pissed off now when i was buying my car the salesman told me that the extra $500 was only for the paddles and since i couldnt get them for months down the road i said screw it,but now it seems like i missed out.

 

What car do you have? (model, year, etc.)

Also, it's always a good idea to place your location in your profile (at least the country) so we can better help answer your questions...

 

i have an 08 535i sports package,steptronic. and im from california.

 

The sport package (code ZSP) is an option that is available regardless of which transmission you choose.

On your 535i, the package gives you larger wheels/tires, sport suspension calibration, active roll stabilization, as well as cosmetic things like blacked out trim around the windows (shadowline trim), a sport steering wheel, and 20-way multi-contour (comfort) seats.

The new sport automatic transmission, although similar to the steptronic automatic, adds some additional features. The paddles on the steering wheel are the most noticeable feature and the 2008 brochure didn't really give much more information than that. I'm betting that your salesman read the brochure and concluded that the only real difference between the two transmissions was the paddles. Believe it or not, information about this new transmission was very difficult to get until much closer to the June production date. Even then, until a few forum members began taking delivery of cars with this transmission began posting comments here in late June and early July, very little information was available.

The sport automatic has the normal 'D' mode as well as an 'S' mode (equivalent to the steptronic's 'DS' mode, I think.) In addition to these automatic modes, there is a manual mode that allows for almost 100% manual shifting.

What confuses people is the addition of a "sport" button located near the gear selector on the center console. This button activates "dynamic driving control" (or DDC). DDC remaps the transmission to optimally use the entire speed range of the engine, executes faster shifts, allows a more spontaneous response to accelerator pedal movements, allows a more spontaneous response to steering wheel movements, and prevents 6th gear from being used in the two automatic modes.

DDC was available on the SMG cars that were available pre-LCI. (To learn more about SMG, take a look here to read the SMG FAQ.)

I hope this post and the others I linked earlier help clear things up for you. I wouldn't get too upset that you don't have the sport auto transmission -- you have an amazing car as is.

 

Rudy -

As always, thanks for your well thought out, detailed posts. I learn something from every one.

One additional question regarding the SAT...do you have any performance info? All the books reflect "TBD" 0-60 since it had not gone to production when the books were printed. With the SAT, is it fair to say that 0-60 is the same as the manual? Given the feedback on the quick shifts, it seems it should be.

 

I don't have any specifc (or trustworthy) performance figures for all three transmission types but the BMW published numbers show the automatic only 1 tenth of a second faster than the manual. If that's to be believed, then I'd imagine that the sport automatic, in it's fastest modes, would certainly shave at least a tenth of a second off the automatic's time due to the lightning fast shifting. Can't say for sure but it might end up being faster than the manual...