Bedford530i

Anyone else notice this? Does this mean you can't get a 550i 6-speed MT?

raleedy

No.

hinckley

It's from the British brochure. BMW North America has announced that a 6-speed manual will be available in the US 550. It looks like it's the only market where that combination will be offered.

Bedford530i

Good to know. Thanks!

bha7176

Funny, while in Iraq earlier in the year I was searching for my 550i. Originally I wanted a 5 sp MT, but was talked out of it by an AAFES car sales guy on base in Taji who was from England. He sold BMWs in Germany for years before volunteering for this job.

He swore up and down that the SAT on the new BMW's was by far the best ever, and would be quicker than the MT for MOST drivers who are not professionals or who don't spend time on the track or practicing daily.

Seems, from discussions with him, that the rest of the world is going AT. This just verifies his assessment.

By the way, I couldn't be happier with my choice, SAT!

hinckley

In the "old days", we loved manual transmissions because they were faster than automatics, they forced us to be more vicerally connected to the car and the driving experience and they required a developed driving skill. Today, many of the auto-manuals - and even some of the pure automatics - can shift faster than a pure manual. But the viceral connection and the driving skill just isn't there.

I'm willing to give up speed for (what is for me) a better driving experience. I think that's why BMW put (a shitty) manual in the US market's E60 M5 and will put a manual in the US F10 550.

But I also understand that for others, "the need for speed" is paramount. I only wish that the choice wasn't going away. I've been driving manuals for 35 years (I'm 51) and I'm certain that the time will come - maybe soon - when I will no longer have that choice.

sdg1871

I have a Steptronic in my 550i Sport which has the same transmission parts (but different software and exterior controls) as the SAT. I am still very surprised by how fast the Step shifts both in full automatic and manual modes. During our meets, I keep it in manual mode and it always astonishes me how well and fast it performs. But, of course, any automatic won't give the driver the same visceral/sensory connection to the car.

Bedford530i

I'm not really into measuring how fast I can go from 0-60... I enjoy driving - heel and toe, rev-matching, etc.

porsche911targa

I don't see what pushing a clutch and shifting have to do with driving skills. Driving is much more than just shifting. It's about paying attention to your surroundings, it's about hard braking before entering the apex and knowing when and where to enter it. It's about steering yourself out of trouble and many things. Had the technology been in place, back in the day, they would have never made MT. Can you imagine an airplane pilot complaining that flying is not all that fun because he can't shift his airplane?

Heel and toe, rev matching, etc. were skills learned out of necessity to compensate for the shortcomings of earlier transmission/engine synchronization. They weren't skills learned for the hell of it. Today's MTs don't even require it any more, but people still do it because it gives them a feeling of superior driving skills. Whatever rocks their boat. That's silly. If people wanted to stay true to the motoring experience, they should clamor for crank handles to start their cars, or window handles to raise their windows or the little handle thing to operate their wipers. How about asking for actual candles for exterior lighting instead of HIDs, or a rubber bulb for horn?

Like it or not, this is progress. Today we have computers, but you can't say I am not a good typist because I don't have a handle to physically slide to the left to go to the beginning of the line. Some people still refuse to use computers (those are the ones who are being left behind) and look how well they are doing.......

cobradav

Before synchromesh gears in MT the better drivers knew how to "double" clutch to get the engine/gear mesh without the gggrrriiinnnddd. I did that for years even after I had a modern MT. But the knees became a weak link for me so I went the way of the AT. But I use manual shift mode probably 95% of the time as I think I am better than the computer (EGS). I do want to be in the power band coming out of a turn as I think I know the "situation" and whats required. I am waiting now for the DCT which will be my next tranny in the F12/13