RE: PH Blog: eighth wonder

[Wills2]

E38Ross said:

Wills2 said:

they don't put the 8 speed auto in the 335i.

yes, in the new one they do. PH actually reviewed it!

Silly me I was thinking of the e92, yes in the F30/31 they do.

[Church of Noise]

Even though I've not been a fan of automatic gearboxes for about all my life, I ordered an F31 BMW 318d Touring with the 8 speed automatic in September and got it in November.

As was mentioned before, it's an absolutely sublime gearbox and it can't be compared to the 'old school' slow and laggy automatics. This one changes gear quickly and smoothly, making my city and motorway trips a lot more comfortable (the purpose of these is to get somewhere rather than to have fun). If I want to have some fun, I can take out one of the MGBs and enjoy the mechanical gearshift and total lack of comfort!

Bottom line: if you haven't tried one, do so and report here

[Thebaggers]

Old topic dug up, sorry. I will make a prediction that in the next few years we will see some really solid steps forward in cvt. It must be the best solution for ultimate performance and economy; if the power consumption needs can be addressed.

[Church of Noise]

The other thing with CVTs is that the 'public' tends to be rather freaked out because of the way they keep the revs more or less 'stable'.
Audi offered an A6 with a CVT a couple of years ago and they didn't sell well... at all...

[Stick Legs]

Housey said:

I've got this box in my F10 530D and it is an incredibly impressive combination. It works better than any auto I've driven, it's not perfect but its changes in sport mode are incredibly quick and well spaced to get the most from the car and engine. You can left food brake too for the person that asked, it's doesn't sap the power so you can play with it that way if that's your thing.

Ditto,

My F10 530d has this with paddles, so a degree of manual control is possible. Would not have a three pedal manual in the F10 after driving this.
Not in a 911 or similar though, but in fast saloons and GT cars it is perfect.