Manual or automatic transmission on a 530d?
10-03-2006, 01:14 PM
#2
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My Ride: E61 535d Apr 05. UK spec + Media Pack, Luxury Pack & Visibility Pack
How are you going to use the car?
How much do you enjoy driving really hard?
How important is consumption to you?
If you will use the car mainly in traffic, the auto is much more relaxing, though it loses something in terms of driving enjoyment when you are "out in the wild". IMHO, the Steptronic is little more than a marketing gimmick - especially on the E60 I find it very slow and trying to be too clever by half, and not shifting when you want it to. Having said that, the auto leaves you free to focus on the road in 99% of cases; programming is generally excellent and takes into account many many variables (e.g. it will downshift when you are coasting downhill and you brake).
There are videos on this forum of people with E60 autos extracting very high performance from their cars (on racing circuits - not just straight line), and performance penalties seem to be fairly limited unless you are into drag racing.
Consumption penalty (of say 10-20%) is definitely there in most cases for autos - but if you are driving mostly motorways/dual carriage it may get down to zero or even negative (normally taller gearing on autos - can't find the data for the E60, though!).
In the end, I think the solution is very simple. Buy a 535d.
How much do you enjoy driving really hard?
How important is consumption to you?
If you will use the car mainly in traffic, the auto is much more relaxing, though it loses something in terms of driving enjoyment when you are "out in the wild". IMHO, the Steptronic is little more than a marketing gimmick - especially on the E60 I find it very slow and trying to be too clever by half, and not shifting when you want it to. Having said that, the auto leaves you free to focus on the road in 99% of cases; programming is generally excellent and takes into account many many variables (e.g. it will downshift when you are coasting downhill and you brake).
There are videos on this forum of people with E60 autos extracting very high performance from their cars (on racing circuits - not just straight line), and performance penalties seem to be fairly limited unless you are into drag racing.
Consumption penalty (of say 10-20%) is definitely there in most cases for autos - but if you are driving mostly motorways/dual carriage it may get down to zero or even negative (normally taller gearing on autos - can't find the data for the E60, though!).
In the end, I think the solution is very simple. Buy a 535d.
10-03-2006, 01:16 PM
#3
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My Ride: 525D
I would go for Auto no doubt about that 
But it all goes down too do u wear a helmet and is your wife your codriver then go for manual
No serius do u drive a lot in the city u would love the auto after first ride just imo
But it all goes down too do u wear a helmet and is your wife your codriver then go for manual
No serius do u drive a lot in the city u would love the auto after first ride just imo
10-04-2006, 07:23 AM
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My Ride: F11 535i M-Sport,, Silver, Black Leather, LED Adaptive headlights
Model Year: 2015
Engine: N55
I bought auto for the first time with my 530D and although the box is far from perfect, I would not want to go back to manual.
If you are buying new ask about when the upgraded auto box will be fitted to the 530D, it is a lot better than the standard box by most accounts.
If buying used test drive carefully to see if your chosen car suffers from the dreaded 'Transmission slam', it does seem to vary from car to car.
Search on this term for further info.
If you are buying new ask about when the upgraded auto box will be fitted to the 530D, it is a lot better than the standard box by most accounts.
If buying used test drive carefully to see if your chosen car suffers from the dreaded 'Transmission slam', it does seem to vary from car to car.
Search on this term for further info.
10-04-2006, 09:20 AM
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My Ride: 530 2006
msport package, steptronic, pdc, mystik blue, grey dakota leather, sunroof, Bi-Xenon, heated rear seats, Hi-FI system, velour carpets
I would go for automatic.
10-04-2006, 10:36 AM
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Hi,
You surely know, but I say it again. You do have to drive both until you make your decision
Everytime I configure a new car I lean towards the auto. But after testdriving I always come back to the manual transmission.
IMHO there's only one situation where the auto has advantages: in traffic jams
<_<
Matts
You surely know, but I say it again.
You do have to drive both until you make your decisionEverytime I configure a new car I lean towards the auto. But after testdriving I always come back to the manual transmission.
IMHO there's only one situation where the auto has advantages: in traffic jams
<_< Matts
10-04-2006, 11:44 AM
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Originally Posted by tri' post='341320' date='Oct 3 2006, 08:57 PM
I'm gonna buy a 530d and are unsure whether it?s gonna be with manual or automatic transmission. Can someone please help me?
The auto 'box suits the 530d but you do impact the fuel economy unless you're pounding up and down the motorway... But the laziness is great and if you want some spirited driving you can use the step function manually... (Tap up/down)
10-06-2006, 07:13 AM
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My Ride: On Order, due in May - 2007MY 530D SE, Silver Grey, Black Dakota, Auto, Brushed aluminium shadowline,sports seats / wheel, hi fi speakers, mats, space saver wheel and a few more bits
Originally Posted by colejl' post='341666' date='Oct 4 2006, 08:44 PM
Try both and see.
The auto 'box suits the 530d but you do impact the fuel economy unless you're pounding up and down the motorway... But the laziness is great and if you want some spirited driving you can use the step function manually... (Tap up/down)
The auto 'box suits the 530d but you do impact the fuel economy unless you're pounding up and down the motorway... But the laziness is great and if you want some spirited driving you can use the step function manually... (Tap up/down)
The manual box is near the limit with so much torque. It would rule out a remap to similar figures to a 535(275hp / 590Nm). 535 is not available as a manual because of this torque.
10-06-2006, 12:00 PM
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Originally Posted by 07530d' post='342277' date='Oct 6 2006, 04:13 PM
The manual box is near the limit with so much torque. It would rule out a remap to similar figures to a 535(275hp / 590Nm). 535 is not available as a manual because of this torque.
10-06-2006, 01:31 PM
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With a diesel engine, i would prefer a automatic gearbox.. I've driven a few manuals diesels and some autos and the automatics have always been the best ! 