Have you regret your transmission choice?

Cyberdemon · 05-15-2015, 12:56 PM

I would love a MT... if I didn't live in NYC.

Reality is I have a shitty knee, wife who can't drive stick, a traffic filled commuted, and the amount of time I spend on a twisty fun road ends up being about 0.01% sadly.

The AT is smooth, faster than the MT, and gives better fuel economy. The MT used to have a leg up, but not any more.

opfreak · 05-15-2015, 01:16 PM

I chose AT. At this point the choice is entirely preference. Used to be automatics totally sucked, and there were objective reasons to get a manual. Now there are more objective reasons to take an Auto.

But like I said before, the choice is now really an opinion, and like aholes, everyone has one.

Pyewacket69 · 05-15-2015, 03:03 PM

I have the manual transmission in my M235, but I don't drive in rush hour traffic (retired), and I'm beyond the stage of driving like Mario Andretti.

I do have the automatic in my E93, so I feel like I have the best of both worlds.

IMO, automatics are so good now that very few performance drivers could compete with them driving a manual. I just wanted one more manual while I was able to actually enjoy driving it.

MegaMatt3 · 05-15-2015, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanG

I got tired of shifting in stop and go traffic and got the ZF8. It works great. No regrets.

And now my wife can actually drive the car.

Glad to hear I'm not the only one with a wife who refuses how to learn how to drive a manual.

cehlion · 05-15-2015, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MegaMatt3

Glad to hear I'm not the only one with a wife who refuses how to learn how to drive a manual.

My wife refuses to learn to drive a manual. My wife has never driven my MT 2002 325i. My wife will never drive my MT M235i.

Would be a little more convienent is she could...sure...enough to make me give up shifitng my own gears...nope.

It hasn't wrecked our marriage yet (We'll celebrate our 21st anniversary next month while in Munich doing ED

Pyewacket69 · 05-15-2015, 04:19 PM

One side benefit of having a manual transmission is that it significantly reduces the threat of theft, since so many today only know how to drive automatics, and can't drive off with a manual transmission vehicle.

http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/man...icle-1.1153530

OpenAir · 05-15-2015, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramos

You might regret AT, but you will never regret 6MT (unless you live in LA)

You would if you live in the DC area...way too much stop-n-go for a manual.

I picked the AT as it's just quicker.

justinnum1 · 05-15-2015, 08:25 PM

taking delivery this week of my first manual car!

can't wait!

Dattebayo · 05-16-2015, 06:13 AM

I ordered a 228i recently and decided to go with a 6 MT. When I first started driving over a decade and a half ago, all my cars were all MT. Over the course of the last 10 years, all my cars where automatic. Upon purchasing my next vehicle, I had my heart set on a Porsche Cayman, but really wanted a 6 MT to remind me of my first sports cars and the joy of driving them. All though, even though the Porsche PDK was a premium option here in the US, in order to custom order a Porsche with 6 MT, the dealer wanted to charge over $10,000 over a PDK equipped one. Not because the car was worth more, but because it would not be discounted as heavily. So instead or paying $10,000 more for a car that was inherently cheaper to get what I wanted, I started looking into car companies that still proudly made MT vehicles that were competitively priced to their automatic cars.

This is when I stumbled upon the BMW 228i. After test driving it and researching, I was sold on the vehicle and thought I buy a car that had 6 MT before they were all phased out for the mechanically superior performance of the automatic. Porsche seems as though they are planning to completely phase out manual transmissions in the not so distant future, so I figure get the 6 MT out of my system and go PDK Cayman in the latter years.

Now I completely applaud the technological advances in the double clutch automatics, and their mechanical superiority over any human with a gear box is clear with performance statistics, but at this point, I am looking for a car that is fun to drive not so much trying to shave 10ths or even seconds on a track.

I also live in SoCal, but if I must drive in traffic, then I'll take one of my auto cars out for the commute. But for when I was to enjoy the ride, my BMW is there for fun, spirited carving of the Ultimate Driving Machine.

3PedalMINI · 05-16-2015, 07:54 AM

I'm 25 and all my cars since my first 06 mini have been manual. It makes me sad that it is going away

so thankful BMW still offers the choice for us enthusiasts!

The amount of people in my generation that can't drive stick is tragic but I suppose it goes with the times. I do have a feeling this will probably be my last chance at getting a bmw in manual, it's just a matter of time before the executives kill it.

Reading your comments I cannot freaking wait to get my 2er in manual

ABPReader · 05-16-2015, 12:30 PM

.

Pyewacket69 · 05-16-2015, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jet_00

I have my 8AT m235i for 2 weeks and for the moment I don't regret it, I love the car how it is !
Transmission here seems to be worse than religion, "MT are for real enthusiasts" LOL It's like saying christianism is for real believers.. Everybody can choose its own transmission, the only important thing is to be satisfied.

Testify, Brother... Testify!!!!

Can I get an AMEN?

Funky Cold Medina · 05-18-2015, 10:42 PM

The press is full of praise for the AT, but I find it flawed. The transmission gets caught with its pants down to its ankles when you mash the gas from a near stop. The typical situation happens when traffic is inching along, and you find a hole in the traffic in the next lane and you punch it. For at least a full second, NOTHING happens. You have already committed by having your right foot smashing the floor pan, and you really cannot change your mind and stay put. For that second or so, your car is motionless, the electronic throttle control is not sending any gas to the motor, and you pray that your car will eventually get over into the next lane, and scoot out of the way before the shocked driver behind you smashes your rear end.

This happens pretty reliably in these situations, and it made a chicken out of me trying to do such maneuvers. The transmission is not trustworthy, and that sucks. This problem seems to occur even if you are in sport mode.

Count me in the AT regret camp.

akuan99 · 05-18-2015, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Funky Cold Medina

The press is full of praise for the AT, but I find it flawed. The transmission gets caught with its pants down to its ankles when you mash the gas from a near stop. The typical situation happens when traffic is inching along, and you find a hole in the traffic in the next lane and you punch it. For at least a full second, NOTHING happens. You have already committed by having your right foot smashing the floor pan, and you really cannot change your mind and stay put. For that second or so, your car is motionless, the electronic throttle control is not sending any gas to the motor, and you pray that your car will eventually get over into the next lane, and scoot out of the way before the shocked driver behind you smashes your rear end.

This happens pretty reliably in these situations, and it made a chicken out of me trying to do such maneuvers. The transmission is not trustworthy, and that sucks. This problem seems to occur even if you are in sport mode.

Count me in the AT regret camp.

I'm glad you mentioning this.
I have exact same experience with my former 128i steptronic AT and 228i AT during test drive.
I was surprised that ZF8 had same flaw although it took about one second compared to steptronic's 1.5 seconds.
All I did during test drive is move slowly from full stop and let it coast for about 5MPH and then floor gas pedal. There was about a second of absolutely no response (and bit scary).

BarryJI · 05-19-2015, 12:13 AM

Best technique in that situation is to override the AT with the left paddle to downshift. Then hit the gas. It works when you are approaching a red light in third gear and need to hit it when it changes; foot momentarily off the gas, paddle-shift down to second. Same on the freeway when you want to accelerate past a truck doing 80mph; hit the paddle twice from eighth gear; you'll grab sixth quickly and get going almost as quickly as you would downshifting in a manual. Flooring the gas is a brute-force way to get the car moving with this transmission and not the best way if you have an MT override option.

eBlue2 · 05-19-2015, 12:57 AM

My last car was a manual (Mazda3 that I had for 8 years) and when the time came to upgrade I strongly contemplated the 8AT with the GTA's traffic woes. After back-to-back test drives in both models, however, it was clear that the 6MT is the more engaging choice. Haven't regretted it for a second!

one1er · 05-19-2015, 02:11 AM

I'm still surprised at how many went for the MT...I thought it would be around 50% of the AT buyers, at best, but its quite even!

cehlion · 05-19-2015, 03:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by one1er

I'm still surprised at how many went for the MT...I thought it would be around 50% of the AT buyers, at best, but its quite even!

This is an enthusiast web site and I'd take a guess that the MT crowd (self included) are a bit zealous in their adoration for their 3rd pedal. Although I'm sure the manual take rate is much higher on the 2 series vs any other current BMW, I am sure it's is still south of 20%. The take rate on the entire BMW's line up is ony 7%. I'd love to see some published #'s on this, broken down by model.

david.orr · 05-19-2015, 07:46 AM

I suppose the step change would be greater for those jumping from an auto 2er to a manual M2...... well, at least that's how I'm consoling myself for choosing the auto 2

SmoWilly · 05-19-2015, 07:52 AM

Never looked back....every day in my stop and go commute for 22 miles makes the 8-speed worth it....besides, more gears, faster and better fuel mileage with manual shifting...why would I consider the manual? "More connection with the car?" It's a car...I'll save my connectivity for my wife and kids.

Funky Cold Medina · 05-19-2015, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BarryJI

Best technique in that situation is to override the AT with the left paddle to downshift. Then hit the gas. It works when you are approaching a red light in third gear and need to hit it when it changes; foot momentarily off the gas, paddle-shift down to second. Same on the freeway when you want to accelerate past a truck doing 80mph; hit the paddle twice from eighth gear; you'll grab sixth quickly and get going almost as quickly as you would downshifting in a manual. Flooring the gas is a brute-force way to get the car moving with this transmission and not the best way if you have an MT override option.

That takes the A out of AT. In my opinion, it is flawed. If they cannot reprogram the transmission, they should reprogram the throttle response. Most cars with automatic transmission will shift down without hesitation, no drama, no tricks, just a kick down button feature that works.

At any rate, if you want AWD, you are stuck with AT. Unless you go with 3/4 series.

alihashemi · 05-20-2015, 11:02 AM

The fun I had learning manual and the fun I have driving the car everyday make all of the SoCal traffic PIA worth it. The 6MT gives meaning to driving! If the car had DCT instead of ZF8 I may have regretted it, but, even then, it would've been a tough choice. Definitely no regrets here.

View Poll Results: Have you regret your transmission choice?
I went for the M/T and don't regret it	141	43.38%
I went for the M/T and regret it	7	2.15%
I went for the ZF8 and don't regret it	157	48.31%
I went for the ZF8 and regret it	20	6.15%
Voters: 325. You may not vote on this poll

05-15-2015, 12:56 PM	#111
Cyberdemon Brigadier General 1538 Rep 3,331 Posts Drives: 2020 X5 40i, 2018 M3 Comp Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Long Island NY iTrader: (3)	I would love a MT... if I didn't live in NYC. Reality is I have a shitty knee, wife who can't drive stick, a traffic filled commuted, and the amount of time I spend on a twisty fun road ends up being about 0.01% sadly. The AT is smooth, faster than the MT, and gives better fuel economy. The MT used to have a leg up, but not any more. __________________ Current: '20 X5, '18 M3 ZCP Previous: '11 E90 335i, '11 E90 M3, '16 VW GTI, '15 M235i, '13 335i, '08 TL-S, '00 Corvette
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05-15-2015, 01:16 PM	#112
opfreak Second Lieutenant 39 Rep 281 Posts Drives: Rabbit Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: wisconsin iTrader: (0)	I chose AT. At this point the choice is entirely preference. Used to be automatics totally sucked, and there were objective reasons to get a manual. Now there are more objective reasons to take an Auto. But like I said before, the choice is now really an opinion, and like aholes, everyone has one.
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05-15-2015, 03:03 PM	#113
Pyewacket69 Second Lieutenant 76 Rep 288 Posts Drives: 2014 M235i Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: South Carolina USA iTrader: (0)	I have the manual transmission in my M235, but I don't drive in rush hour traffic (retired), and I'm beyond the stage of driving like Mario Andretti. I do have the automatic in my E93, so I feel like I have the best of both worlds. IMO, automatics are so good now that very few performance drivers could compete with them driving a manual. I just wanted one more manual while I was able to actually enjoy driving it.
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05-15-2015, 04:19 PM	#116
Pyewacket69 Second Lieutenant 76 Rep 288 Posts Drives: 2014 M235i Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: South Carolina USA iTrader: (0)	One side benefit of having a manual transmission is that it significantly reduces the threat of theft, since so many today only know how to drive automatics, and can't drive off with a manual transmission vehicle. http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/man...icle-1.1153530
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05-15-2015, 08:25 PM	#118
justinnum1 Major General 651 Rep 5,803 Posts Drives: 2018 330i Msport 6mt Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: South Florida iTrader: (0)	taking delivery this week of my first manual car! can't wait! __________________ F30 330i Alpine white/Coral red Msport 6MT
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05-16-2015, 06:13 AM	#119
Dattebayo Private 16 Rep 72 Posts Drives: 2015 BMW 228i M-Sport Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Orange County, CA iTrader: (0)	I ordered a 228i recently and decided to go with a 6 MT. When I first started driving over a decade and a half ago, all my cars were all MT. Over the course of the last 10 years, all my cars where automatic. Upon purchasing my next vehicle, I had my heart set on a Porsche Cayman, but really wanted a 6 MT to remind me of my first sports cars and the joy of driving them. All though, even though the Porsche PDK was a premium option here in the US, in order to custom order a Porsche with 6 MT, the dealer wanted to charge over $10,000 over a PDK equipped one. Not because the car was worth more, but because it would not be discounted as heavily. So instead or paying $10,000 more for a car that was inherently cheaper to get what I wanted, I started looking into car companies that still proudly made MT vehicles that were competitively priced to their automatic cars. This is when I stumbled upon the BMW 228i. After test driving it and researching, I was sold on the vehicle and thought I buy a car that had 6 MT before they were all phased out for the mechanically superior performance of the automatic. Porsche seems as though they are planning to completely phase out manual transmissions in the not so distant future, so I figure get the 6 MT out of my system and go PDK Cayman in the latter years. Now I completely applaud the technological advances in the double clutch automatics, and their mechanical superiority over any human with a gear box is clear with performance statistics, but at this point, I am looking for a car that is fun to drive not so much trying to shave 10ths or even seconds on a track. I also live in SoCal, but if I must drive in traffic, then I'll take one of my auto cars out for the commute. But for when I was to enjoy the ride, my BMW is there for fun, spirited carving of the Ultimate Driving Machine.
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05-16-2015, 07:54 AM	#120
3PedalMINI Saving The Manuals! 207 Rep 357 Posts Drives: Manual 18 M3 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Delco PA (Philly) iTrader: (0) Garage List 2014 Wrangler Unlim ... [0.00]	I'm 25 and all my cars since my first 06 mini have been manual. It makes me sad that it is going away so thankful BMW still offers the choice for us enthusiasts! The amount of people in my generation that can't drive stick is tragic but I suppose it goes with the times. I do have a feeling this will probably be my last chance at getting a bmw in manual, it's just a matter of time before the executives kill it. Reading your comments I cannot freaking wait to get my 2er in manual __________________ Ordered M3 6/30/18 PCD Delivery 9/17/18. Manual Sakhir Orange, Cloth Interior, Black 437M's M235i 5/1/2015 ED July 8th @ 4:40pm with PCD Delivery September 9th Gone July 2nd 2018
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05-16-2015, 12:30 PM	#121
ABPReader Deserter 215 Rep 401 Posts Drives: BM&W Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Earth iTrader: (0)	. Last edited by ABPReader; 10-14-2015 at 03:09 AM..
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05-18-2015, 10:42 PM	#123
Funky Cold Medina Leader of The Free World 5 Rep 28 Posts Drives: 2011 128i 6MT Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	AT gets bogged down, can be scary and dangerous The press is full of praise for the AT, but I find it flawed. The transmission gets caught with its pants down to its ankles when you mash the gas from a near stop. The typical situation happens when traffic is inching along, and you find a hole in the traffic in the next lane and you punch it. For at least a full second, NOTHING happens. You have already committed by having your right foot smashing the floor pan, and you really cannot change your mind and stay put. For that second or so, your car is motionless, the electronic throttle control is not sending any gas to the motor, and you pray that your car will eventually get over into the next lane, and scoot out of the way before the shocked driver behind you smashes your rear end. This happens pretty reliably in these situations, and it made a chicken out of me trying to do such maneuvers. The transmission is not trustworthy, and that sucks. This problem seems to occur even if you are in sport mode. Count me in the AT regret camp.
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05-19-2015, 12:13 AM	#125
BarryJI Captain 424 Rep 980 Posts Drives: 2015 BMW 228i M Sport Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: United States iTrader: (0)	Best technique in that situation is to override the AT with the left paddle to downshift. Then hit the gas. It works when you are approaching a red light in third gear and need to hit it when it changes; foot momentarily off the gas, paddle-shift down to second. Same on the freeway when you want to accelerate past a truck doing 80mph; hit the paddle twice from eighth gear; you'll grab sixth quickly and get going almost as quickly as you would downshifting in a manual. Flooring the gas is a brute-force way to get the car moving with this transmission and not the best way if you have an MT override option. Last edited by BarryJI; 05-19-2015 at 12:28 AM..
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05-19-2015, 12:57 AM	#126
eBlue2 Private 11 Rep 72 Posts Drives: 2014 estoril blue M235i Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: GTA iTrader: (0)	My last car was a manual (Mazda3 that I had for 8 years) and when the time came to upgrade I strongly contemplated the 8AT with the GTA's traffic woes. After back-to-back test drives in both models, however, it was clear that the 6MT is the more engaging choice. Haven't regretted it for a second! __________________ 2014 EBII M235i 6MT \| MP Kidneys \| MP Front Splitter \| MP Side Splitters \| MP Rear Diffuser \| MP Carbon Spoiler \| MP Pedal Set \| 30% Pinnacle F1 \| iND Painted Relfectors \| OEM Style 225m \| H&R Sport \| More to come...
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05-19-2015, 02:11 AM	#127
one1er Private First Class 19 Rep 138 Posts Drives: M235i (Yet to come) Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Portugal iTrader: (0)	I'm still surprised at how many went for the MT...I thought it would be around 50% of the AT buyers, at best, but its quite even!
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05-19-2015, 07:46 AM	#129
david.orr Lieutenant Colonel 123 Rep 1,852 Posts Drives: Cars Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Australia iTrader: (0)	I suppose the step change would be greater for those jumping from an auto 2er to a manual M2...... well, at least that's how I'm consoling myself for choosing the auto 2
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05-19-2015, 07:52 AM	#130
SmoWilly Private 25 Rep 63 Posts Drives: 2018 X3 M40i Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Parker, CO USA iTrader: (0)	Never looked back....every day in my stop and go commute for 22 miles makes the 8-speed worth it....besides, more gears, faster and better fuel mileage with manual shifting...why would I consider the manual? "More connection with the car?" It's a car...I'll save my connectivity for my wife and kids.
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05-20-2015, 11:02 AM	#132
alihashemi New Member 2 Rep 8 Posts Drives: M235i Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Orange County iTrader: (0)	The fun I had learning manual and the fun I have driving the car everyday make all of the SoCal traffic PIA worth it. The 6MT gives meaning to driving! If the car had DCT instead of ZF8 I may have regretted it, but, even then, it would've been a tough choice. Definitely no regrets here.
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