I spoke to the BMWNA rep at the NY Auto Show where he said that the Sport Auto was replacing SMG on non-M cars. I asked him why BMWNA though that those that bought the SMG would like the Sport Auto. He said that their statistics showed that most buyers of the SMG got it because their wifes were also going to drive the cars and the wives felt the Auto-mode on the SMG cars were not smooth enough and that they would like the smoothness of the Sport Auto. I told him that I make the decisions on what transmission I get and that my wife has her own car and that I was disappointed that they discontinued the SMG.
What are the reasons that you got SMG and maybe BMWNA will see we want it back.

 

You are not going to get a random sample for this poll on this website.


This message board is an enthusiasts' board, and therefore by definition you will see a disproportionate number of drivers who purchased the SMG after significant research. It is unlikely that most SMG drivers here purchased the SMG because of their wives. More than likely, they read about the technology and found it interesting and liked it.

There might be a lot of people who bought SMG because of their wives, but they would probably not spend any time in this forum.

 

had a 2007 550 sport with smg, had it for 6 months and 1700 miles and sorry to say hated the smg. sold it and ordered a 2008 550 sport with sport auto shift. Hope this time around, made the right choice...just my experience

 

I dont have smg but I have something simerly to it which is in my smart and it is bad in citys, not smooth at all.

 

No way... the smart SMG is crap. Sorry to say but compared to BMWs SMG its really bad... shifts like a granny and isnt smooth... Dont forget I test drove a Smart and have a deposite down for one. and I drive BMWs SMG day in and day out. Completly differnt. If driven correctly BMW SMG is smoother than automatic... not 100% of the time just like a manual car but 85-90% of the time.

BMWs reason about wife and husband wanting manual is wrong... but lets hope their sport auto is really what they say it is... I think I much rather have their proposed ZSG tranny than sport auto.

 

you can say that again "smart SMG is crap" :thumbsdown:

 

My suspicion is that you are exactly the type of person BMW discontinued the SMG for.

My guess is that no one showed you how to drive it properly, so you thought it was rough and jerky and blamed the transmission. It's too bad, because it's a fantastic transmission when driven the right way.

In the end, it is BMWs own fault for not educating the consumer about SMG, it's benefits and how to use it correctly.

 

bmw probably discontinued smg for non-m's because it doesn't sell well.
they're already going against the industry by offering manual, which doesn't sell well either, so they're just cutting costs.

for me, i have family members who can't drive stick so i went smg.
if i didn't, i wouldn't even have gotten an e60, i wouldn't gotten a manual m3.

 

Ya... it is sad... if one is taught properly how to drive SMG or one spends enough time to learn it themselves its a really good transmission. And I can hear it already... Manual and SMG is no good for traffic... not true. I drive in traffic. I live in LA. I cant avoid traffic... I actually prefer to drive a manual car in traffic. I can contol it better with the engine braking and letting it engine brake vs. automatic where it flys ahead making me move my left and right too much.

 

do they do couses to teach you how to drive SMG from BMW, like the Ferrari.