I think the SA is better for 90% of the BMW consumers. The SMG made it a shared spirit with the M's. I enjoyed the more visceral feeling from the SMG and liked that it was not smooth because I did not think it was supposed to be smooth.

 

Your comment about the smoothness is bang on. Intellectually I know the SA is faster and way smoother than anything I have every driven. But even in full manual it is just not as sporty as a manual (or I would assume SMG). Truth be known though, I probably only want that level of involvement for less than 5% of the time I am in my car.
I did some spirited launches today and it is just so smooth it doesn't really feel like you are accellarating. You don't realize how fast you are going until it shifts into 3rd and you look back at the intersection you were just at and the other cars are just getting through the intersection. I think this perception is also related to the very flat torque curve of the I6TT. You don't immediately appreciate the power because of the ridiculour smoothness. Does anyone else get this feeling?

 

Frank -

I sure do. I bought a new '89 Mustang LX 5.0 with a 5-speed manual which was rated at 225 hp. I took it to the drag strip and ran the quarter mile at 15.2 sec and 93 mph in third gear...seemed like I was screaming! 0-60 mph was 6.9 secs if I remember correctly and it just seemed to launch so quickly. First gear was extremely short and spun up to redline very quickly as I fishtailed everywhere totally out of control.

When I read the specs on the 535i and saw it ran 0-60 in 5.7 sec, I was sold. A sports/ luxury car that can comfortably seat 4-5 adults and runs over a second faster 0-60 than my old mustang! GET OUT OF HERE! I'm sure it is that much faster but the feeling is different...more controlled...refined. It's also much quieter. Many times the mere sound of a loud v8 makes it seem faster/more powerful than it really is and the road noise was very loud in retrospect.

Perhaps with DSC/DTC disabled, the bimmer behaves more like an unrefined hot rodder...don't know. Haven't tried it. Again, I am VERY pleased with my 535i and actually prefer its smooth band of power delivery over the mustang which felt like you were riding a bucking bronco at times with associated whiplash.

Note - I just got my car back after having it at the dealership for 2 days to have the high pressure fuel pump replaced and I must say, it's noticeably faster then before.

ace

 

I'm in sport mode and use the paddle shifters 100% of the time. You are correct about the I6's smoothness, thats why BMW has kept this configuration.

 

I think we both like the feeling of SA and the feeling of SMG at the same time. I can't say that I think SA is better over SMG or SMG is better than SA. In reality I think the main reason why SA does not feel like SMG is because it shift extremely fast.. even downshifts are way quicker than on SMG. If your bimmer is a 2nd car in the family I think SMG is a better choice if you are single and have one car and drive it every day and for long trips SA is the best choice.

By the way I can't seem to tell any different when I switch to S mode on my SA if SPORT button is on. However if sport button is not on then I do feel the difference and difference seems the same as if I pushed the sports button. I know I'm wrong but I can't feel it yet, maybe because I'm not pushing it hard enough but I'm still in my 800 miles break-in Any can explain?

 

Hmmm.... You should not take the 535i to an unfair challenge.... trust me!!! it is a very nice car and you should keep on loving it.............. I have gone against a 335 coupe and have beaten him very badly!!! the 535 is not expected to do better than a 335 coupe ;-)

 

Are you sure the driver of the 335 knew you were racing? That's a 4.8 sec car, the fastest I've seen a 550 was 5.0 in Road & Track.