Anyone Bought A Manual and Wish They'd Gone Auto?

[LeeZ4MR]

My first zed was a manual and my second is an auto with paddles.....the auto is so much better!

Do you find the paddles soon wear off as a novelty though our TT has paddles & I enjoyed them for 5 or 10 minutes & then i hankered for some involvement & I soon got bored of the lack of interaction.

Autos/twin clutches don't offer a reward imo & it's nice to swap cogs yourself, but I also accept its really just personal preference & both suit different cars.

I have found it has gone from being a novelty to simply a part of driving. When I first started driving mine in manual/auto I liked banging the gear lever back and forth to change up or down (still do occasionally), but now I tend to keep both hands on the wheel more and use the paddles to shift when driving enthusiastically. I would rather have one paddle for up and one for down a la most other flappy paddle systems, but it does the job. I enjoy, like others, having the convenience of the auto but also the choice to go semi-auto.

I agree Bing autos are now the the accepted norm nowadays & people enjoy the ease of just jumping in & driving but then if they want a little extra they have an option of the paddles.

I do find the TT far more relaxing to drive with only two pedals as you don't have to think about it & when in my m3 in stop/start traffic that's when the manual becomes a bit wearing so I can see why two pedals are mostly preferred by the majority.

 

[Simon_P]

As I get older and when I am stuck in town traffic I sometimes think - oh to press the auto button. I have looked at autos/paddles but I just like changing gear and being able to heal and toe and left foot brake all on my own. I did however try the M135 paddles and my god that was a great setup, I think if I was to get one of these cars I would be searching for a car with the 8 speed box, whether I stuck with this in the future who knows.

 

[StevenH72]

Having an ///M I had no choice, but I'm 100% glad I have it as a manual.

I love autos and they certainly have their place. However, (in my opinion of course) I love the interaction of having a manually operated clutch, the feeling of nailing a heel-toe down change before a tight corner is second to none .

No doubt that the decent auto boxes these days are quicker than manuals, but I think the feel and sensation of driving a manual is far above that of an auto.

4.8 seconds 0-60 in a manual or 4.5 seconds in an auto......manual all day long for me.

 

[Bing]

Yeah, tbh I am quite ambivalent about it - like the auto, good for the wife (if she ever drives it :roll: ) as she only has an auto licence, but if I ever climb in an ///M then that'll be fine too. And the second car will always be auto anyway.

 

[lux]

You don't need to heel and toe with an auto coz it blips the revs up for you!!

 

[cj10jeeper]

Bought an auto coupled to the 3.0 and never regretted it for one moment.

Much better suited to modern day driving conditions that exist 99% of the time and when the road clears the combo of big engine, quick responding auto and paddles is perfect.

 

[ranski]

Auto also gets my vote

 

[inkey$]

Auto=town car
Manual=hoon car

 

[StevenH72]

Auto=town car
Manual=hoon car

x2

You don't need to heel and toe with an auto coz it blips the revs up for you!!

Exactly where's the enjoyment/ satisfaction/ skill in that.

You don't even need to accelerate, brake or steer when being chauffeur driven, they do it ALL for you....Sounds like you'd love a chauffeur driven "sports" car

 

[tomscott]

I like both, but in a sports car its nice to be in control, heel and toe and I think the auto makes things a bit lazy doing it all for you. But if its a daily/motorway machine an auto is perfect.

 

[lux]

Exactly where's the enjoyment/ satisfaction/ skill in that.

You don't even need to accelerate, brake or steer when being chauffeur driven, they do it ALL for you....Sounds like you'd love a chauffeur driven "sports" car

Yeh you're right I do miss all the 'skilled' :lol: heel and toe driving in rush hour traffic every day!! :roll:

 

[ranski]

I always assumed that autos would have had less abuse in terms of being hard driven?

By which more wear and engine strain from redlining and poor gear change

Saying that, you can never tell how a car has been treated by a previous owner

 

[olliemk1]

Exactly where's the enjoyment/ satisfaction/ skill in that.

You don't even need to accelerate, brake or steer when being chauffeur driven, they do it ALL for you....Sounds like you'd love a chauffeur driven "sports" car

Yeh you're right I do miss all the 'skilled' :lol: heel and toe driving in rush hour traffic every day!! :roll:

Exactly, it entirely depends what the car is being used for.

Driving around traffic I'd take an auto box every day of the week. Constantly changing into first and second is not enjoyable.

But you can't beat a manual for spirited driving. I took my Dad's M3 out for a spin yesterday and whilst the DCT is undeniably impressive, I'd still much prefer a manual. It's so much more satisfying and engaging.

 

[LeeZ4MR]

But you can't beat a manual for spirited driving. I took my Dad's M3 out for a spin yesterday and whilst the DCT is undeniably impressive, I'd still much prefer a manual. It's so much more satisfying and engaging.

You think just like me the DCT is an awesome box in the M3 i have drove one aswell but I know the novelty would wear off quickly for me personally so I had to have the manual in my M3 & there aren't many cars where you get a nice V8 mated to a manual gearbox.

 

[tomscott]

I drove the E92 M3 DCT at Oulton park and it was incredible, the blip from 3rd to 2nd was such an epic noise. But thats the track not the road.

The E92 M3 manual we had was awesome, wouldn't buy an flippy paddle for the road I dont think but we might not have much choice in the future.

 

[StevenH72]

Exactly where's the enjoyment/ satisfaction/ skill in that.

You don't even need to accelerate, brake or steer when being chauffeur driven, they do it ALL for you....Sounds like you'd love a chauffeur driven "sports" car

Yeh you're right I do miss all the 'skilled' :lol: heel and toe driving in rush hour traffic every day!! :roll:

Hence why I placed parentheses around the word sport, sometimes it's easy to forget that E89 drivers participate on this forum :wink:

 

[pvr]

Interesting enough, my E70 X5 has the one paddle up and one paddle down setup, consistency across the range then.

 

[lux]

Exactly where's the enjoyment/ satisfaction/ skill in that.

You don't even need to accelerate, brake or steer when being chauffeur driven, they do it ALL for you....Sounds like you'd love a chauffeur driven "sports" car

Yeh you're right I do miss all the 'skilled' :lol: heel and toe driving in rush hour traffic every day!! :roll:

Hence why I placed parentheses around the word sport, sometimes it's easy to forget that E89 drivers participate on this forum :wink:

This is a Z4 forum and the E89 is a Z4.

I'll take a look to see if there's a forum for big headed narrow minded arse holes and point you in the right direction if I can find one!! unish:

 

[Bing]

Interesting enough, my E70 X5 has the one paddle up and one paddle down setup, consistency across the range then.

I think - though could be wrong - that the newer e89 autos are set up this way ?

 

[lux]

Interesting enough, my E70 X5 has the one paddle up and one paddle down setup, consistency across the range then.

I think - though could be wrong - that the newer e89 autos are set up this way ?

I'm sure you are correct Bing, the first E89 autos had an up/down on each side!