# stick ( manual transmission ) BMWs???



## DACZ4 (Apr 22, 2013)

I bought a 2014 Z4 35i for fun, half the fun is the 6 Speed MT, the other half is driving with the roof down! I test drove the 2014 Z4 35is which only comes in automatic with manual paddle shifters. I did not feel that it was a true roadster! You need the clutch to get that true roadster feeling. I guess I am old school.


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## lib (Dec 24, 2001)

DACZ4 said:


> I bought a 2014 Z4 35i for fun, half the fun is the 6 Speed MT, the other half is driving with the roof down! I test drove the 2014 Z4 35is which only comes in automatic with manual paddle shifters. I did not feel that it was a true roadster! You need the clutch to get that true roadster feeling. I guess I am old school.


I couldn't agree more...

How was the steering in the 2014? It's electronic right?

I feel a bit stupid for not test driving a Z4 while waiting for our X3 to be readied.... but I don't expect I'll get one in the next 15-18 years as my wife and I are just starting our family. :angel:


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## DACZ4 (Apr 22, 2013)

Yes the steering is electronic and I do not have any issues with it. But I do not run the Z on a track. Just a pure pleasure roadster:thumbup:


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## lib (Dec 24, 2001)

DACZ4 said:


> Yes the steering is electronic and I do not have any issues with it. But I do not run the Z on a track. Just a pure pleasure roadster:thumbup:


I am really impressed with the feel of the electronic steering. And if anyone were to complain I would expect it to be from a Z4. Good to hear :thumbup:


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## eazy (Aug 20, 2002)

One thing I notice when I was in Germany this past May was that most e46 & e90 on the road were manuals however the f30 the autos were the majority


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

Tom K. said:


> According to the BMWUSA brochure I just received, the current US models available with the 6 MT are:
> 
> 1 Series - All
> 3 Series - All except Diesels, Wagons and GTs
> ...


Don't forget MINI 

Here in the UK, MT is available on X1, most 3 series including diesels and wagons, some 5ers and most X3s.


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## DaWards (Dec 18, 2004)

*the dirty, with a safe*



kmorgan_260 said:


> Wow, I didn't know you could get a 750i with a stick.


indeed! and that is why the 750 has been retired for '13 535 MT. i try to be open minded and always curious about new technology, i have tried automatics in all flavors and keep going back. for me driving an AT is like s** wearing a con*** ( they cen***ed that before ).

:freakdanc


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## DaWards (Dec 18, 2004)

*factual and to the point*



Tom K. said:


> According to the BMWUSA brochure I just received, the current US models available with the 6 MT are:
> 
> 1 Series - All
> 3 Series - All except Diesels, Wagons and GTs
> ...


thank you for the reply, my understanding is that you cannot get the 550 MT, certainly in '14 and maybe in '13? as your chart suggests, the M6 gran coupe can be had mit MT.

i appreciate your reply, factual and to the point. spot on.

:thumbup:


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## DaWards (Dec 18, 2004)

Keyser Soze said:


> 528/535 both have 6 speed MT's available. I honestly can't recommend them on cars this heavy, isolated and complicated though, and I wouldn't order one with it again as it doesn't really add anything to the driving experience, is slower, and gets worse mileage. 5 years ago I never would have said this but the new auto's are comparable or better than an MT now on these larger cars, at least IMO. You look like a cupholder enthusiast as well and the MT versions only have a single, poorly placed one (right in the way of the idrive controller


valid points all :thumbup:, i appreciate the views of a fellow enthusiast with well reasoned shared thoughts.

the photo is of a run on the high desert traveling to Santa Fe, thus prudent hydration. my friend was driving and excitedly celebrating driving 100 mile per hour, a first for him. thus the photo.

we later easily, effortlessly, and with total comfort and lack of drama, reached 120+, limited only with my lack of confidence in my left front tire.

i haven't experienced any problem with my '13 535 MT cup holder, except 2 days of figuring it out, pilot error. it holds my beer perfectly now as i joyously alive wind through the gears on the back roads of Oregon. YEOW! see my posts on 5 series dawards! :roundel:

cogito ergo zoom


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## JeffInSeattle (Mar 1, 2005)

I'm holding out in pretending that manuals still matter, just ordering my 3rd 6-speed BMW this past week; BMWUSA seems to be finally coming around to the market realities here and just dropping the ZMT option on so many lines. A lot of the new tech, stop-and-go radar, EcoPro, better mileage do all seem to be tied up to these modern autos that are quite fancy, just a little less engaging.

I figure my next car in another half decade will probably be some sort of slick new generation of Tesla roadster, mid-size sedan or maybe some BMW all electric option, and so then the transmission point will be mute.

Congrats on your ride DACZ4: only the sDrive28i can be ordered with ZMT now, the straight 6 twin turbos + Z4 are all only auto now in the new year.


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## sixpot_simon (Sep 13, 2013)

It's MT all the way for me (although I'd probably make an exception for the latest M135i!). Manuals are frustrating rare in Australia, and for many years have not been offered on many of the models. Even E34 manuals are rare, and this was the last 5-series to offer a manual in Australia (aside from the M5)


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## milsalespurchas (Jan 26, 2014)

I'm wondering how long until BMW doesn't offer at MT at all anymore. As far as I know, only BMW and Audi still offer any MT's. Mercedes, Cadillac, Lexus.....they're all auto. Think it's only a matter of time before BMW does the same?


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## tim330i (Dec 18, 2001)

milsalespurchas said:


> I'm wondering how long until BMW doesn't offer at MT at all anymore. As far as I know, only BMW and Audi still offer any MT's. Mercedes, Cadillac, Lexus.....they're all auto. Think it's only a matter of time before BMW does the same?


It is only a matter of time. Non-Ms will all be 8 and 9 speed autos with an occasional DCT thrown in. All M cars will be DCT.

Tim


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## lib (Dec 24, 2001)

Not in Europe


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## captainaudio (Jul 17, 2007)

I think manual transmission cars from all manufacturers are going to become less common and MT diehards are going to have a hard time finding cars. 

MTs are already almost non existent in high end sports cars.

I'm looking at M4s and debating whether to get an MT while they are still available.


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## Autoputzer (Mar 16, 2014)

The M5 and 535i were the only F10's that offered manual transmission for 2014. But, they soon dropped the 535i manual for the U.S. The last ones were built in February 2014. I got one. But, turbocharging and Valvetronic have taken a lot of the joy out of driving a BMW with a manual transmission. There's a reason previous M cars had neither turbochargers or Valvetronic. M car have both now, out of necessity to improve fuel economy. The manual is particularly hard to drive smoothly with low RPM shifting. The various modes (EcoPro, Comfort, Sport) change the throttle mapping, making it impossible to learn how to drive the car smoothly regardless of mode.

Also, the ZF eight speed automatic transmission is a work of art. BMW's use of the automatic got better in 2014 with the addition of coasting in neutral. Part of the reason I got a manual was to coast in neutral to improve fuel economy. 

I've never bought a new passenger car with an automatic transmission. In some respect, my goal with this car was to have a classic BMW, i.e. an inline six-cylinder engine and a manual transmission. But, knowing what I know now, I probably would have gone with an automatic, and going with an automatic would have caused me to get a diesel instead for a "road trip car." I've also decided that my next go-fast car will have a DCT, with perfect, instant shifts.


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## f30jojo (Jun 4, 2013)

My 07 530i weighs 3478 lbs... pretty light, all things considered. 

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## Autoputzer (Mar 16, 2014)

captainaudio said:


> I think manual transmission cars from all manufacturers are going to become less common and MT diehards are going to have a hard time finding cars.
> 
> MTs are already almost non existent in high end sports cars.
> 
> I'm looking at M4s and debating whether to get an MT while they are still available.


They had a manual M4 at the last M school I went to, and it was there for people to try. I've had a manual E45 M3, and driven lots of DCT M cars. I didn't even bother with a test drive of the manual M4.

Before pulling the trigger, I'd suggest hitting an M school and arranging a test drive of the manual M4 before you spec out a car. That's probably the only way to test drive a manual F80 with a manual.


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## captainaudio (Jul 17, 2007)

Autoputzer said:


> They had a manual M4 at the last M school I went to, and it was there for people to try. I've had a manual E45 M3, and driven lots of DCT M cars. I didn't even bother with a test drive of the manual M4.
> 
> Before pulling the trigger, I'd suggest hitting an M school and arranging a test drive of the manual M4 before you spec out a car. That's probably the only way to test drive a manual F80 with a manual.


I actually don't have a problem with Automatics and agree that the ZF 8 Speed is a great transmission. I got to test a Bentley Continental GT today, both on some New England back roads and then on the track at Lime Rock. The AT was so good it was left in automatic and we never used the paddles. Rode shotgun for a couple of hot laps with a pro driver friend and he got pointed by a couple of Porsche Caymans with full track setups.

One of the members of my drivers club who is very experienced and had raced at Lemans and in the 24 hours of Daytona showed up with a new Porsche GT3 and said the transmission seemed telepathic in full auto mode and always seemed to be in the right gear. He found that he was getting faster lap times in full automatic mode than when he used the paddles.


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## Leadfootsie (Mar 16, 2012)

My Z3 Coupe has a stick, and our X1 has the 8-speed ZF.

I have to be honest: shifting the ZF in manual mode is really fun and easy. I love the control of shifting yet the peace of mind in not worrying about burning out a clutch. And I don't have to downshift when approaching a stop; the tranny does that for you.

Would I want that tranny in the Z3? I don't know, but probably not. The Z3 is all about an _involved _driving experience--not an easy one. In driving the Z3, I like having to focus 100% and having to think about what gear I'm in. It is, however, a giant pain in the ass in stop/go traffic, going from neutral to 1st over and over. I try to avoid that whenever I can, of course.


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