Will steptronic reduce the perf. of 330i a lot?
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I spent many hours reading valuable information on this forum and discussions over leather, leatherette, manual, automatic and so on. However, I still cannot solve this one:
I love the performance of E90 330i and the comfort of automatic transmission. I am just afraid that automatic may reduce 330i performance to the degree of 325i with manual. Am I totally wrong?
Also, does anybody know something about fuel economy of E90 325i and 330i?
I love the performance of E90 330i and the comfort of automatic transmission. I am just afraid that automatic may reduce 330i performance to the degree of 325i with manual. Am I totally wrong?
Also, does anybody know something about fuel economy of E90 325i and 330i?
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If it bothers you that much, just hold out for the SMG to come out... Then you can drive your car like Michael Schumaker. :thumbup:
My Name is SCHUMACHER. Not Maker. And that´s from a fellow german... 
voltron1011 said:
Entschuldigung, Herr Schumacher.... Und, ich bin nur halbes Deutsch!
Mike.Schumacher said:My Name is SCHUMACHER. Not Maker. And that´s from a fellow german...
The latest article on E90 that I read said that the official BMW claim is that the auto will be 0.2 sec slower in 0-62mph.
That means 6.5 sec versus the manual's 6.3 sec.
Is that what you call performance?
That means 6.5 sec versus the manual's 6.3 sec.
Is that what you call performance?
Greg220 said:
The loss of performance in the E90 is substantially less than that of the E46 so I would
say go with the auto. based on your comments. I have to admit that I plan on SMG
myself however which would always be another option if you are willing to wait til the
fall.
say go with the auto. based on your comments. I have to admit that I plan on SMG
myself however which would always be another option if you are willing to wait til the
fall.
Unless you drive very aggressively with manual with very quick shift, auto performs better than manual most of the time.
I agree that SMG will give us the best performance because it will help the launch and computer shifts faster than human.
To me, manual is for the sake of FUN, not performance anymore.
I agree that SMG will give us the best performance because it will help the launch and computer shifts faster than human.
To me, manual is for the sake of FUN, not performance anymore.
The auto does not compare.
0-60 times do not tell the whole story. Autos simply do not allow you to optimize the engine performance across the rev band and in various driving conditions.
An automatic transmission saps engine power to operate. Have you noticed what happens when you turn on your AC? Well, think of an auto as AC on all of the time. That is also why the fuel mileage is less with an auto. Plus they cost more.dkfchan said:
0-60 times do not tell the whole story. Autos simply do not allow you to optimize the engine performance across the rev band and in various driving conditions.
It does sap some power. But modern day auto is so efficient that you won't notice it. In general, it even gives better fuel econ because it pick the optimal shift point.
Technically, performance of auto is a little bit worse than manual. I am just saying that you won't notice it for non-aggressive driving.
Technically, performance of auto is a little bit worse than manual. I am just saying that you won't notice it for non-aggressive driving.
*cough* bullsh*t *cough*
I don't know if you know how to drive a stick shift or have EVER driven an identical stick and a manual back to back, but there's a HUGE performance drop between a manual E46 330i and an automatic 330i, even in regular street driving.
An automatic 330i performs slightly better than a manual 325i. Very slightly.
On the E90 the different isn't that dramatic per published figure, but I would still bet on a significant performance drop. I have NEVER driven an automatic version of any car that's remotely comparable to its manual counterpart, period.
I don't know if you know how to drive a stick shift or have EVER driven an identical stick and a manual back to back, but there's a HUGE performance drop between a manual E46 330i and an automatic 330i, even in regular street driving.
An automatic 330i performs slightly better than a manual 325i. Very slightly.
On the E90 the different isn't that dramatic per published figure, but I would still bet on a significant performance drop. I have NEVER driven an automatic version of any car that's remotely comparable to its manual counterpart, period.
dkfchan said:
Alright. Your definition of huge performance loss may be small for me. That's all.
I am sorry to offend someone who thinks manual is a must have.
I am sorry to offend someone who thinks manual is a must have.
I think the power difference between AC and auto is massive. My ac is on in my BMW 24/7. When the car is on, the AC is. I've turned it off a few time (very few as I'm not comfortable in a car without AC running) and didn't find the car was really any more responsive. Maybe slightly but not like the penalty of driving a 4 cylinder with AC on all the time (how I drive my mazda pro).
Rmart said:
Go drive them back to back. There's really no comparison. The steptronic is no replacement for a real manual.
dkfchan said:
I am talking about complete "auto". If you shift with the steptronic, then you will get worse performance. The steptronic idea is a marketing toy only. It is not fun and efficient at all.
Believe it or not, I am a manual car person. I am just saying modern day auto is closing the gap greatly. E46 auto has 5-speed but E90 has 6-speed. This will close the gap even more.
Believe it or not, I am a manual car person. I am just saying modern day auto is closing the gap greatly. E46 auto has 5-speed but E90 has 6-speed. This will close the gap even more.
blueguydotcom said:
and the normal auto mode sure as hell isn't fun. more than that you can't force a double gear downshift heading into the corner, blip the throttle and have max torque on exit with the step.
dkfchan said:
That is what I said. Manual is fun to drive. I doubt you will be much faster even you perform what you mentioned. With an auto, I can slow down by braking at the right point, kickdown when about to exit and let the auto pick the right gear with optimal torque.
Fun, definitely manual. Speed, I see the difference is small. You make one shifting error and you lose 0.5 sec more.
I didn't know that there is another thread about this already. I am shutting up now.
Fun, definitely manual. Speed, I see the difference is small. You make one shifting error and you lose 0.5 sec more.
I didn't know that there is another thread about this already. I am shutting up now.
blueguydotcom said:
ROFL
Yes, let the computer decide.
Yes, let the computer decide.
dkfchan said:
Is this some sort of April Fools joke?
dkfchan said:
You have no idea what you are talking about. Really, you don't. :tsk:
A manual car, in the hands of someone who actually knows how to handle one, will blow away an auto car. In modern BMW's, I can be going 70 in 6th, or 5th, or 4th, or 3rd, depending on how much power I need, and I can do this easily enough, way faster than the slushie box can ever hope to. If you know heel and toe and rev matching, you will outperform a slushbox neutered car by a large margin.
And please refrain from posting further misinformation about SMG. SMG is good because it is consistent, and does not miss shifts, and always matches revs perfectly. Sure it shifts fast, but if you are using S6 all the time, you are putting undue stress on the box, just like if you were dumping the clutch at every gear change.
It will be a crying shame to neuter a nice sport sedan by sticking a slushbox in it. At least get the SMG.
A manual car, in the hands of someone who actually knows how to handle one, will blow away an auto car. In modern BMW's, I can be going 70 in 6th, or 5th, or 4th, or 3rd, depending on how much power I need, and I can do this easily enough, way faster than the slushie box can ever hope to. If you know heel and toe and rev matching, you will outperform a slushbox neutered car by a large margin.
And please refrain from posting further misinformation about SMG. SMG is good because it is consistent, and does not miss shifts, and always matches revs perfectly. Sure it shifts fast, but if you are using S6 all the time, you are putting undue stress on the box, just like if you were dumping the clutch at every gear change.
It will be a crying shame to neuter a nice sport sedan by sticking a slushbox in it. At least get the SMG.
dkfchan said:
Yeah, I think 'crying shame" just about sums it up.
I own a 323Ci w/manual transmission, and have an E90 330i on order with the same.
I thought about getting the six-speed auto, but after I drove several 530s with the new six-speed auto & also a few new 330s with manuals, it was clear to me. Even though the new auto is better than the old 5 Speed, there is no comparison. There is something about how easily the manual gearbox shifts combined with an unhampered engine response that convinced me it is the better performer....
A BMW manual transmission. There is no substitute.
I own a 323Ci w/manual transmission, and have an E90 330i on order with the same.
I thought about getting the six-speed auto, but after I drove several 530s with the new six-speed auto & also a few new 330s with manuals, it was clear to me. Even though the new auto is better than the old 5 Speed, there is no comparison. There is something about how easily the manual gearbox shifts combined with an unhampered engine response that convinced me it is the better performer....
A BMW manual transmission. There is no substitute.
Stuka said:
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