m630

city traffic!!!!

Canada545

DS is still just automatic, while Manual is like SMG (not really but kind of) ...

E60Sim

Mostly D, but sometimes when braking I select DS or M, for downshifting...

I love to use the M6 mode at highway at speeds between 130-160 km/h, because I hate when the car make a downshift when I accelrate fast (140 km/h++++).. A diesel has a nice torque bestween 1750-3000 RPM, so there isn't a very big point of going over 3500 RPM...

my530i

1. Significant other does not know how to drive manual
2. City traffic
3. Not available on the lot at the time buying the car
4. SMG is the next choice.

new-kid

Mostly D - goes fast enough right the way to redline if you nail it in kickdown

But use DS for
(a) faster step off at busy roundabouts and lights
(b) preparing to overtake - smoother than nail it kickdown
? manual change for intensive cross-country

Use M6 mostly on motorways - like somebody said, with such diesel torque the standard mode kicks down far too easily

znod

I have a clutch in my Z06 and wanted a car I could use automatically when desired--like an SMG, but with little complexity and few issues.

AC_S5

Probably due to the clucth

znod

You're kidding right? Hey if you like to row your own feel free but let's not pretend that you could drive a track lap any faster using the manual mode of your steptronic than you could in DS mode. And better gas mileage using manual mode? How do you figure that??
[/quote]You simply have more control in selecting the optimal gears on a track when using manual versus comfort. I am not pretending anything. How do I figure better gas mileage? I figure it by comparing the mileage I get using comfort versus the mileage I get using a combination of DS and manual--but mostly using manual. I get about 16.5 MPG using the combination and was unable to do nearly that well using comfort. Obviously, I am able to shift manually in a way that produces better gas mileage than comfort can do. But, that's not necessarily true for everyone.
[/quote]



The manual mode is as my opinion fully uninteresting as to be efficient, you have to shift the gear 1s before the time you really want the shift is made because the transmission cannot prepare itself without knowing when and even if you will shift. The only way I see a use of this is in specific conditions such as snow where you want to limit the drifts by forcing the car to shiftup. On this last point, it appears that the auto transmission can manage such conditions but I never experienced it yet.
[/quote]

well imho, if you first were to track the car, you should certainly be able to do better in M mode vs DS mode, as you could hold the gears longer and gain the high end torque power, and why you could get better gas mileage using M over DS is due to the fact that you can manually shift into 6th, but DS will not automatically go to 6th....i agree that you will have more control in manual mode

as for the second point, i personally find m mode very efficient and you have to realize that your step tranny is what they call adaptive and will eventually remember your driving style and act accordingly...i say this from my prior experience with my E46 that i had for 5 1/2 years, you will learn to anticipate your shifts and the 1s time will be reduced further to a quicker change as you use it more,...i definitely drive my tranny more like smg than an auto, but opted not for the smg option due to the unreliability....by using the m mode, you have much greater control of the car in nearly all situation
[/quote]
I don't like to sacrifice too much quickness when emphasizing mileage. To drive for mileage and, at the same time, maintain some quickness, I use manual, accelerate somewhat briskly moving quickly from M1 to M6 having shifted each time at 3.5K to 4K RPM. I end up cruising in M6 at 2.5K to 3.5K. And, incidentally, when I mentioned 16.5 MPG above, I meant with only a small amount of freeway driving and no highway driving. In sum, my procedure minimizes the time spend below 15 MPG, as shown by the instantaneous MPG guage, and maximizes the time that the gauge shows 30+ MPG. Also, using this procedure implies that I use the more economical of the two DS/M maps.

Simple1

soorrie to bust the bubble in this tread! but I was wondering whether someone could post the picture of the options being talked about and what the differences are! obviously I know manual means more control but for the not so soon to be owners I would love a wittle more help from you guys, thankz in advance.

fred1976

I'm sorry but I have to disagree with certain of these issues.

it appears, tell me if I'm wrong, that in the US, the use of automatic transmission is widespread whereas in Europe, it is the opposite and most of the cars have a Manual transmission, I mean, a real one, with a clutch that the driver has to manoeuver. From the beginning I always drove with a clutch and only with the 535d, I was obliged to accept the use of an automatic transmission because it simply doesn't exist with a manual one.
With a real manual trans, you have to manage the clutch (which is not boring -even fun- except in long traffic jams) but at least there is no additional mecanichal constraints and as soon as you release the clutch, power is transmitted according to the move of your foot.
I really like my steptronic transmission but the philosophy is totally different : you let the machine doing the clutch work for you + the gear change according to maps. These maps are only provided in the full auto modes which are DS and D mode.
If I have well understood, the pseudo-manual mode of the auto trans allows you to be responsible for the gear change to the extend you do not cross a "security limit" that would bring you to the red zone or to stall the engine. BUT it still manage the clutch and HERE is a mechanical constraint that you cannot remove compared to the real manual transmission : the clutch has to be open in order to switch the gear and then released. At the time you want to change the gear, you have to wait as a driver, simply because of this physical constraint.
Of course, I understand your point about the adaptative behaviour of the box even if I have never read anywhere that an adaptation is possible in the pseudo-manual mode. I have however serious doubt about the implementation of such a function because:
- In full auto, it is conceivable (and written in the tech doc) that an adaptation of the box gearshifts is made according to the driving style due to the fact that the box is responsible for the whole process and "knows" when the clutch has to be relesed and prepares in advance the next gear it has selected.
- In pseudo-manual mode, the clutch cannot be activated when the car "expects" you will gear shift simply because it would cause a standby in the transmission of power. Preparing the next gear is also risky because it may be that for a external reason, you want to down shift instead of upshifting. In this case, it is a loss of time which is even dangerous if you need a prompt reaction...

So, if you have a tech note talking about how the problem is overcome and how -I cite you- the "step tranny is what they call adaptive and will eventually remember your driving style and act accordingly", I'm really intereted but for me still, the pseudo-manual mode is still introducing more contraints without having the possibility of doing the funny stuff you do with a real manual clutch.
About the consumption, maybe you can have a better number in M than in DS but certainly not as in D. I fully trust the engineers of BMW and I'm sure that their "Extreme Economy" map is well designed and low-consumption oriented.

About the torque, it is not a concern for me to use the pseudo-manual mode to get it as I have a diesel which benefit from a maximum torque very rapidly (2k if I well remember) and the torque response curve is almost like a rounded square meaning you get the benefit of a high quantity of torque at very low rpm. I think this actually why BMW do not propose the manual gear box in the 535d (It would simply not be manageable by a common driver).
With a petrol engine, I know it is different but in this case, why not using a real manual gear box with a clutch??? SMG is also much faster than ST...

Have a nice day.