Manual or Auto?

A

Armscarf

Member
 Sheffield
Folks, I'm in the market for a second Zed, late E85 (long story) but I've only driven a manual. I don't want to start a forum debate to rival "long vs stubby" but what's the best gearbox? Put another way, is the auto box any good?
 
The auto is very good. Personally I find the stick more engaging and engaged is what I want to be while driving the Z
 
If you're fine with either then buy the best car you can regardless of the box, purists will say it has to be manual, anyone that runs these cars with an autobox will tell you its just fine and suits the car well if you're happy enough with the slightly less "involved" drive.. and next to the whippy/stubby this is probably the most divisive thread :D or is it 6 pot v turbo :poke: :x we mostly manage to keep it friendly enough though. :D
 
Only the E85 30Si had the ZF 6 Speed auto which was the first of the 'more intelligent' auto boxes..

All others either had the SMG which was a manual box semi robotic or the ZF5HP which. compared to manual or later ZF HP boxes is a bit of a 'slushmatic' which may or may not be an issue for you..
 
Thanks all, very helpful indeed. I'm looking at picking up an E85 3.0Si so it looks like the best thing to do is wait for the right car and not worry too much about the gearbox. [ref]Pbondar[/ref], love the yellow by the way.
 
Armscarf said:
Thanks all, very helpful indeed. I'm looking at picking up an E85 3.0Si so it looks like the best thing to do is wait for the right car and not worry too much about the gearbox. [ref]Pbondar[/ref], love the yellow by the way.
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You either love it or hate it.. :thumbsup:
 
Drive it mostly with the lever pushed over to the left, it’s vastly better. If you are cruising down the motorway then leave it alone and it changes up a couple of gears, revs drop and you save fuel.
 
I have a 3.0 auto and I love it, press the sport button as well and it’s stunning. I’ve not driven a manual car for quite a few years now and I don’t really plan on getting another. Auto driving for me is so much more relaxing, even when you are pressing on a bit. I can understand why some people say it’s not as involving though.
 
Why couldn't I be like that? Searching for a car with all the right options, motor, transmission is such a fuss.
 
If you can try them both. Then buy the one that works for you. A manual works for me. :thumbsup:
 
6 speed Paddle shift gives you the best of both worlds!
Drove the 2.5 auto round the Allps and missed being able to change down into corners although the auto managed it all very well.
Now got the 3.0si with paddle shifts - cant wait to go back and try again with both hands on the wheel.
 
Also, worth remembering that these days the auto doesn't have to stay as BMW designed it change wise.

You can remap them to suit your driving style.

For example, you can set it so that in D it acts the same, but with slightly quicker shits and with the torque convertor locking up quicker, so it feels far more like the ZF8.

In S auto you can have it so it changes much quicker and so that it still uses top gear when cruising.

Then you can have it so when you press the Sport button it changes extremely quickly, and you can set it so it changes at the rev points you want it to change at for each gear.

You can set Manual to do the same.

It completely transforms how the 'box acts out of the tin to something extremely sporty that feels more like a PDK transmission than a ZF6.

You can get it feeling more like a proper track gearbox while in SPORT and super smooth while in Drive.

https://www.xhpflashtool.com
 
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