jyeh74

Is the shifting in the e60 m5 terrible? I came across this post where the guy claims the m5 shifting is delayed and jerky
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.ph...highlight=m3+m5

I'm going to test a manual myself when I find the chance, but the smg wasnt THAT bad. Not as smooth as the m3 (manual or DCT) but totally different beast.

JMC

No, it's not terrible. When the engine is cold if you try and drive it in D1 it will drive you crazy, but the changes in D4 are OK if you allow for the fact that it is in the end a manual gearbox trying to do an auto tranny's job. But who drives these things in auto mode?

In manual mode (where pretty much everybody who owns one of these stays by the sound of it) things are very different and the poster in your link is talking out his arse. It's the kind of thing you hear all the time from people who have only ever driven an M5 in the pages of a magazine. I usually drive mine in S5/DTC on and have no complaints at all. The shifts are quick and smooth. in S6 with DTC off the changes are incredibly quick. Changing down two cogs at full throttle will indeed give you whiplash but that's hardly the fault of the 'box - it's just 500 horsepower doing its job! I don't know anyone who has one of these cars who would complain about the viciousness of the S6 changes - that is what we bought the car for, and if I had access to the right roads I would drive in S6 all the time.

Anyway, you've done it now - I'm off for a drive on the first fine day for a long time here in smelly ol' London.

Donski-D

My e46 M3 manual didn't like shifting into 1st or 2nd when the car was cold, and my M5 with SMG is not much different, both feel like the grarbox is going to fall out for the first 2-3 minutes of driving !

after that..... pure bliss !!

hondik

It's only as terrible as the driver is

Yeah Man

As much as I like the M5 you need to drive it in manual mode to control those changes. In auto mode its too difficult to drive slowly and only really useful in my opinion in slow moving traffic. I think I actually prefer having a clutch pedal for better control I think there are improvements BMW can apply to the next generation SMG to win everyone over.

jyeh74

Any one with a manual can speak to their experience?

seoulman

The next generation SMG is out. It's called the DCT and it's in the M3.

AV8R

The E60 M5 manual shifting experience is pretty similar to that of the E46 M3. I've been pretty happy with it, though there is a little room for improvement.

-tokz-

i tried searching for this answer but i cant find it. all i have found is some unrelated threads. but this is the closest one.

so this is my question.

Is it true that the 2008 m5 has smoother transmission as it has the new dual clutch? and the 2007 still jerky because it still uses the old SMG?

im currently in the market for used or brand new M5, and now im deciding which year should i go for.

thank you guys.

JMC

I don't know if the 2008 is smoother as I haven't tried an earlier model. However there is no dual clutch transmission in any M5 as yet, and the chances are we won't see one until the F10 arrives (2010? Later?). To my knowledge all the post-LCI SMGs in M5s are identical.