Originally Posted by Rudy' post='447332' date='Jul 13 2007, 11:41 AM

How does it compare to the SMG? Right now, I'm not yet sure. Here's what I found in the short time I tested it. An SMG driver will need to do some "reprogramming" of their timing to get everything to work smoothly. Just like when people transitioned from the traditional manual to the SMG, I think there is a learning curve to tackle before it feels "normal." Specifically, what I noticed was that on the downshifts, the car still felt a little like an automatic downshifting (like a parchute was deployed or an anchor was dropped) but I don't think it's as bad as a "normal" automatic. What I think was happening was that I was waiting too long to reapply the throttle after the downshift took place.

Let me explain the above a little further. On an SMG, when you downshift, the car blips the throttle before engaging the new gear to match the engine speed to the drivetrain. Once the gear is engaged, the driver would reapply the correct amount of throttle to maintain the desired speed. On the E60 SMG, there is a certain "delay" between the time you hit the paddle to downshift and the time you actually reapply the gas. On the E60 sport automatic, that delay is so much quicker that I found myself not applying the throttle soon enough to prevent the car from slowing down in the new gear. (Does that make sense to anyone else?) Again, it is an automatic so it's going to feel like an automatic more than a manual and this downshifting may end up being something I get used to or it could be that it's simply never going to perform like a true SMG. Another thing that felt funny but isn't a big deal is that I had to hold my foot on the brake at a red-light to stop the car from creeping. (Yes, it's an automatic so I expected this, it just feels strange right now.)

Originally Posted by EBMCS03' post='447500' date='Jul 13 2007, 10:00 PM

Excellent.. kind of what i expected from a quick analysis... Now I just need to wait till you get a few hundred miles under your belt and see how bad the parachute feeling really is...

Also what i really want to know is when in manual mode say in 5th... and you mash the gas pedal will the tranny downshift? Like sometimes when I'm in the IS i'm in 4th and dont want to downsift... but I'm a little harder on the gas then I should the car decides for me that I need to downshift and then I end up having to let off the gas and then it'll upshift again... quite annoying... I hope the new sport auto behaves like SMG.

Originally Posted by Rudy' post='447332' date='Jul 13 2007, 07:41 PM

Okay everyone, my actual delivery is going to end up being tomorrow

Originally Posted by BMW#6' post='447645' date='Jul 14 2007, 10:32 AM

Interesting.
Did you try downshifting without lifting the throttle?

Originally Posted by gwf545' post='447347' date='Jul 13 2007, 03:03 PM

In manual mode, the Steptronic will never upshift unless you either redline or request it. In sport and automatic mode I am pretty sure the computer will hold off doing an up or downshift if the steering angle is significant.