Quote:
Originally Posted by Tony
oh yeah. I absolutely loved the BMW 8-speed Auto. Didn't really feel any different than a DCT imo. Though I have heard that the gear shifts gets sluggish when the transmission gets really warm.
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I test drove an M235i with the ZF8 automatic (optioned with the sport auto). IMO, there's a gulf of difference between the two. For day-to-day, Average Joe driver, the ZF8 is worlds better. The DCT has to shift between physical gears and actuate a (dual) clutch. This results in choppiness at low speeds that simply isn't present with the ZF8. The ZF8 upshifts and downshifts very, very quickly. Anyone who plans to drive their car in auto most of the time will prefer the ZF8. I don't blame them.
The DCT wins in the ability to skip-shift (I wasn't able to get the ZF8 to do this), in adjustability, and in overall responsiveness when manually shifting. When cranked up to the max (S5), the DCT will bounce off the rev limiter. It will grab gears immediately when you tell it to. It doesn't second guess you. Unless, of course, you're asking the car to shift outside of a range that the engine can even run (over redline or at an RPM that would stall).
The DCT also
feels different. This is a hard one to quantify. The DCT feels like driving a manual transmission to me. It comes down to the lack of a torque converter. Even a very good torque converter still feels like a torque converter. The dual-clutch in the DCT feels like a clutch. My poor dad (also a manual driver for most of his life, and a committed gear-head) was so confused. He asked me, "Is that clutch slip I feel?" And that was from the passenger seat. I hadn't explained the transmission to him yet. As far as he knew, it was an automatic, but he identified the sensation between the sound, and the feel of the uptake when pulling away from a stop sign.
Anyway, this has been a real digression
I've very much enjoyed owning a DCT car. It has been a contrast to the manual transmissions I'm used to driving, and has introduced me to learning new techniques after all these years of car ownership. I find it laughable when people (not you) imply that DCT drivers aren't "true enthusiasts".