pennetta

Any people that have actually drove the E60 SMG can you comment. The US models should be coming out soon. I ordered a 545 SMG at the end of February, it finished production yesterday, awaiting delivery.

sj3

Penneta: If you don't mind me asking, what part of the country are you in? My 545i was ordered on 2/17 and there is no production number available for it yet and probably never will be without the assistance of higher-ups at BMWNA.

Thanks much,

Sam

Vik

I have an E60 530i with SMG since the end of January, delivered a couple of weeks ahead of the latest announced delivery date. I have driven it about 1200 miles by now. My location is Geneva, Switzerland.

SMG is REALLY GREAT and a lot of fun to drive!
My reference is my previous car, an E39 523i with manual transmission. I didn't want a Steptronic which is best driven in automatic mode (I find its 'manual' mode quite inconvenient), but I wanted some additional ease of use.

SMG vs. Manual
- Much easier to use since there is no clutch. But you are still in full control of the transmission.
- Shifting is faster and most of the time smoother
- Downshifting is done with 'double-clutching', i.e. the clutch is first opened to disconnect the gears from the engine, then it is closed and the engine is revved up to match the new predicted engine speed, then it is opened again to engage the new gears and finally closed again (hope this is not too confusing). This makes for very smooth downshifting. Onlookers might even get the impression that you really are an expert driver!
- There is full protection against overrevving the engine on downshifting, i.e. it would refuse a downshift if the new engine speed would be unsafe (for the engine).
- When the engine speed reaches too low a value (< 1000 rpms), SMG automatically downshifts. Typically, this happens only when you get very slow, e.g. when approaching a stop sign. On a stop, it automatically shifts down to 1st gear, while in a manual you have to do it yourself. I find this nice, as it takes your mind off the shifting and lets you concentrate on the traffic.
- Since shifting is so fast and easy, I often find myself shifting one gear higher even on quite short distances, where I might not have done so with the manual transmission.

SMG vs. Automatic (i.e. with torque converter)
- I appreciate the full control over the transmission, particularly when approaching turns. With a manual transmission, I downshift on the approach and accelerate out of the curve. I can do the exact the same thing with SMG. With an automatic transmission (including the automatic mode on the SMG!), the car would typically stay in a high gear all along, until you accelerate. At that point, you get a delay while the automatic transmission shifts down. Very annoying!
- When driving downhill, an automatic transmission typically stays in a high gear, forcing you to get on the brake, all the time! With SMG (and with manuals) you select the most appropriate gear and use the engine to 'brake' the car.
- SMG is supposed to have similar fuel economy as a manual transmission, whereas a torque converter usually takes some 5 - 10% more fuel. I have not really been able to verify this.
- The overall acceleration with SMG is probably better than with manual, at least for most average to good drivers. Real experts might do as well (but barely better!) with a manual transmission.

Other comments
- Shifting up requires a bit of training. If you shift up while accelerating hard, the short interruption of the engine power results in a somewhat jerky ride (all your passengers are likely to nod with their heads!). You can achieve quite a smooth transition if you ease off the accelerator just a bit while simultaneously shifting up.
- The transition between 1st and 2nd gear should be faster. Despite the fact that it seems quite slow, it still has the highest potential for 'jerkiness'.
- You can use SMG in a fully automatic mode. This is useful mostly for people who drive the car very rarely. My wife first used it in automatic, but quickly discovered the fun of the sequential mode. I NEVER use the automatic.

In summary, SMG adds a lot to the fun of driving an E60, as do Active Steering and Dynamic Drive!

Kris Kiger

Thanks VIk for the news. I just ordered a 530 and delivery will not happen till June. I ordered the SMG for the same reasons and I think it is much better over the Steptronic. I test drove the steptronic and was not pleased when it was on the manual mode.

jonboy

kris

i have to disagree with the comments on smg.

first off - my experience is based on 12 months with a 330ci smg and 9 months with an m3 smg. prior to that I drove manuals.

First distinction is the smg software on the 5 series is not as advanced as that fitted to the M3, different mechanicals and electronics and it's half the price. reason for saying this is don't read up on the M3 smg and assume it applies to regular smg.

experience in the "regular" smg is mixed. initial impressions were favourable, remember there is a big novelty/wow factor. Downshifting is excellent, double de-clutching and blipping the throttle automatically to match the revs. As mentioned makes you look like a pro. However, upshifting was not so good. Firstly it can be very jerky, you can't leave your foot in, you have to lift off and re-apply and even then smooth and quick changes can be elusive. In addition, smg does automatically downshift as you slow down, for example approaching a junction. i found that the box would be changing at the exact time I wanted to plant the throttle and make a quick getaway. this made me very wary in these situations and i was never able to quite relax as never sure when it was going to change down.

You can drive around this by prematurely downshifting through the box as you approach junctions but there are many times when I just wanted to be lazy.

forget the auto mode, unless you know when it's going to change it's impossibe to get a smooth shift - in 12 months i used this mode about 3 times.

the m3 smg is a whole lot better, upshifts are quicker and you CAN keep your foot in, although i stilll have the problem of not knowing when she's going to downshift.

i'm about to order a 545 auto - reasons - not having had to bother with a clutch for so long would make a manual a backward step. auto mode is of course very relaxing but in manaul mode you can more of less treat the box as if it were smg. change speed is on a par but it's a lot smoother. so if you do need the control of a manual, say when downchanging for a corner, put it in manual mode and away you go.

i really would advise against smg - when the novelty wears off it's neither fish or foul!!

jonboy

bobi

I have an E60 545i with SMG in NYC. I took it out of the city a few times and its phenomenal. The auto mode in the city btwn 1-2 nd is jerky and I'm learning how to smooth that out.

I havn't had the road or weather yet to use the sport mode in SMG to see how much shorter the shifts are.

Overall I'm impressed with the car.