Z4 SMG

[steeevvvooo]

Having just drove an "automatic", I'm a bit confused...

It was auto, but pushing the gear stick to the left when in drive entered "sport" mode, and then flicking the stick up and down changed gears manually.

Is this actually ans SMG box, or do the regular autos have this manual override?!

[mmm-five]

Not all autos have this feature, some do, some don't.

It's basically just a pre-set range of ratios that are selected dependent on what 'gear' you want to be in - you pull the lever and the box selects the next ratio in its range.

A proper SMG box is a manual box with hyraulically/electromaganetically actuated gears - you pull the lever and the gear change is done for you.

[AB]

That is just steptronic.

SMG has the paddle shift - anyhow, you would have known if it was SMG.

[steeevvvooo]

AB said:

That is just steptronic.

SMG has the paddle shift - anyhow, you would have known if it was SMG.

Why is that (apart from know knowing there are paddles). I knew SMG was some sort or middle ground between auto and manual,and just assumed what I had driven was the SMG.

Is steptonic anygood?

[PJR]

steeevvvooo said:

AB said:

That is just steptronic.

SMG has the paddle shift - anyhow, you would have known if it was SMG.

Why is that (apart from know knowing there are paddles). I knew SMG was some sort or middle ground between auto and manual,and just assumed what I had driven was the SMG.

Is steptonic anygood?

You drove it, tell us what you think!? But yes, what you drove was a regular auto. BMW auto's have had the steptronic feature on them for quite a few years now. It's quite good, but to be honest, auto's with fancy modes rarely change gear any better than just leaving the thing planted in 'D'.

P,

[steeevvvooo]

PJR said:

steeevvvooo said:

AB said:

That is just steptronic.

SMG has the paddle shift - anyhow, you would have known if it was SMG.

Why is that (apart from know knowing there are paddles). I knew SMG was some sort or middle ground between auto and manual,and just assumed what I had driven was the SMG.

Is steptonic anygood?

You drove it, tell us what you think!? But yes, what you drove was a regular auto. BMW auto's have had the steptronic feature on them for quite a few years now. It's quite good, but to be honest, auto's with fancy modes rarely change gear any better than just leaving the thing planted in 'D'.

P,

I liked the flexibility, so in my (30 mins) experience, it gets the thumbs up

[noumenon]

Steptronic is excellent. Normal driving = D. In a hurry = DS. Overtaking/really ragging it = tiptronic.

Automatics are so much better than they used to be. I'm recently converted. People will say you loose the feel and control of a manual car. But hey, it's not any worse than the corruption that power steering (especially electric power steering) does to the feel from the front tyres.

So the usual skeptics claim:
- looses feel/ control - see above
- lower mpg - looking at a 530d, BMW claims 1.3mpg less (44.1 vs 42.8) not much really
- slower - again 530d is the same for manual and auto. Plus in the manual you'll need good clutch control and plenty of beans. With the auto you can repeat that figure all day. So in the real world from the traffic lights, my money is on the auto.

Look at dsg, that's where manual is evolving to. Auto has evolved just as far......

[bimmer_87]

Have to admit though, DSG is miles ahead of BMW's SMG, that's why they've dropped it now and replaced it with a new system called DCT, with 2 clutches i believe similar to VAG's DSG

[noumenon]

bimmer_87 said:

Have to admit though, DSG is miles ahead of BMW's SMG, that's why they've dropped it now and replaced it with a new system called DCT, with 2 clutches i believe similar to VAG's DSG

Agreed. Having driven DSG, I would take it over an auto every time. But modern auto versus SMG, or manual, I'd take the auto....

Edited by noumenon on Monday 12th January 09:47

[mmm-five]

Can only see one downside to DSG and that's the cost (new or repairing) other than that it makes the official 0-60 faster, fuel economy is better and lets you keep your hands where they need to be while on a country road blast.