Manual or SMG 550i?????

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06-20-2006, 11:24 PM

#21

heezy545i

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Quote:

Originally Posted by UUronL' post='300629' date='Jun 20 2006, 08:09 PM

You're just trading headaches in my opinion. The boards have more than a few threads about cars that are in the shop with SMG woes and replaced transmissions. I'd rather deal with the headaches associated with the normal expectations of a reliable, properly functioning device than the headaches associated with a quirky, broken, or unreliable one.

Whatever problems you read on the boards are normally quite exaggerated. There are plenty of people who have SMG that are problem free. Other than launching the car, SMG allows the normal driver, even those quite skilled with a manual transmission, to extract more performance out of the car.

I wouldn't put to much emphasis on what the magazines say however. Car and driver still can't get over i-drive and well, I'm sure you don't have any difficulty with it.

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06-21-2006, 07:57 AM

#22

markt540i

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My Ride: 2010 750Li M sport

I love my manual and if I get another 5 series will get it again. Too bad the 7 series does not come with a manual.

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06-21-2006, 08:03 AM

#23

znod

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My Ride: 2014 X5 xDrive 5.0 M Package Carbon Black Metallic/2008 M Roadster Imola Red

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdubbs' post='300611' date='Jun 20 2006, 09:15 PM

Oh yeah, people who don't own SMG cars (and uninformed magazine reviewers) looooooove to complain about the SMG Auto mode, how it's not as smooth as a steptronic or whatever (and admittedly, it's not). But the truth of the matter is there is no real reason to use the Auto mode (I rarely if ever do) so it's kind of irrelevant. Since you're not asking people to compare the SMG to the Steptronic, I have to assume you wouldn't use it much either. And, despite the Road & Track review, it was ONE review compared to many, many more that have heaped praise on the M5, including its transmission. (R&T rated an Audi first... how knowledgable can they be?)

Often a car needs to satisfy the preferences of more than one driver. So, while auto shifting is not pertinent to you, and maybe not to me much of the time, it always would be pertinent to my wife. I brought the Stepstupid into the conversation because it should not be dismissed without serious consideration--especially if one is interested in straight-line performance. I called it the Stepstupid because it also has some questionable "features."