Originally Posted by Bimmer32' post='355112' date='Nov 11 2006, 10:30 PM

I'm not talking about straight line acceleration here . . . just surprised spirited driving temptation on the road.

Originally Posted by my530i' post='354941' date='Nov 11 2006, 01:26 PM

I agree with you that Toyota 5/6-spd slush box is not drivable in my taste.
What I said was 4-speed automatic one, not 5-spd or 6-spd. Toyota 5-spd and 6-spd slush box is not drivable in D. From 3rd to 2nd or 4th to 3rd :thumbsdown: It hesitates to downshift and all of a sudden it downshift and shooting the car It's a total piece of dung heap. That was why I sold my 5-spd slushbox RX330 after 3 months owned it.
I'm glad that BMW has steps to make up for dung-heap ZF automatic transmission. I don't know why BMW German engineer can except that kind of sluggish. I believe the decision maker has to be from Toyota or the like.
I always like 6-spd manual transmission, but it's not really practical here due to bad traffic jam. SMG should be good, but when I bought my car, it's the only close-to-my-perfect-spec car on the lot.

Originally Posted by Bimmer32' post='355112

The distraction of an "auto" even in SMG will cause seconds and in sudden spirited driving, that's not good. That's why BMW is still the only company that makes manual in luxury line. In professional racing, this is not an issue, but on the street (safety depends on the parties involved), SMG "auto" and steps are no match for traditional manual H pattern shifting.

I haven't driven an SMG, but theoretically, the up/down shifting and the "auto" is its handicap over a manual H pattern. Forget the step . . . it doesn't have a chance. Remember, I'm not talking about straight line acceleration here . . . just surprised spirited driving temptation on the road.

Originally Posted by dlevi67' post='355232' date='Nov 12 2006, 11:39 AM

It does not matter what gear you are in if you are driving an auto. You can kickdown and the box will select the lowest possible ratio for you automatically. Or - if you are in "Manual" Step mode - you can just shift down; the lower gear will not be selected if not safe for the engine. The number of the gear that you are in is completely immaterial. If you need more revs, shift down. Fewer, shift up. Can't do either - change car next time. You either need a Land Rover or a Bugatti.
No handicap at all. That's why F1 and rally drivers use sequential gearboxes. And I'd think they'd get away from you (or me) pretty much on any road, surprise or no surprise.

Please note: I'm not arguing that a manual is better or worse than an auto box. I'm simply arguing that with either, if you need to know what gear number you are in, you don't know how to feel the car, the engine and the road.

Originally Posted by Bimmer32' post='355112' date='Nov 12 2006, 06:30 AM

I'm accelerating calmly in a "step" in "D" or "DS" to 45 mph and climbing. Depending my pedal position, the tranny computer will shift at a preset RPM. Suddenly, at 3 or 9 o'clock, spirited driving demands. At this point, I have to look when I switch over to manual mode, what gear the car is in. It could be in 4th when I want 3rd instead. Or I could already be in 3rd and want to stay in 3rd, but if I didn't know "look" and downshift