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      10-18-2012, 07:38 AM   #14
jsedlak
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Drives: F30 335i 6spd
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Morristown, NJ

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Manual elitist here. Or at least somewhat. Love the feeling. When I'm driving, I'm engaged in a fun activity and a hobby, even if I'm just going to the store or to work. It's not about speed, it's about being in control of the car as if it were an appendage.

I was considering getting floppy paddles this time around. I will admit they are really cool and definitely provide that "I'm an F1 driver now" feel. But then I realized... unless the car is really fast and the transmission is a super-fast DCT megabox, the floppy paddles are really just a rewired "sport mode." It takes all the fun out of them. AFAIK, the 335i doesn't get a sequential dual-clutch gearbox that will only shift when you tell it to.

And that, for me, is the let down.

I've driven cars with the sport shifting and they are fun for about 10 minutes. And then you leave the lever in sport and just go because you know the transmission is going to shift anyways.

I like a manual because I'm in control of the gear I'm in at all times. If I wanted to, I can hold it at 6000 rpm until I run out of gas. So I want paddles that are manual levers - that is the car won't shift no matter what until I tell it to. I want to be in control of the gearbox to the nth degree.

Until then, I'll make do with a simple manual.
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