[messi]

I thought I would have enjoyed it and it would have been better for the traffic but I miss driving a stick so much. Just doesn't feel the same way or feel like I am getting the most out of the car esp as my second car is a stick albeit not a powerful car but a small hot hatch. Driving around twisters just doesn't feel the same with the paddle shifters. So bad that I would consider selling my car. I mean dont get me wrong the tranny is great this is just personal preference. Anyone feel the same way.

[bimmerjmac]

Originally Posted by messi

I thought I would have enjoyed it and it would have been better for the traffic but I miss driving a stick so much. Just doesn't feel the same way or feel like I am getting the most out of the car esp as my second car is a stick albeit not a powerful car but a small hot hatch. Driving around twisters just doesn't feel the same with the paddle shifters. So bad that I would consider selling my car. I mean dont get me wrong the tranny is great this is just personal preference. Anyone feel the same way.

Push the stick to the left and try shifting with it if you don't like the paddles...
I think the auto is so much more efficient, and so you do get the most out of
the car.

[cchong4]

No i completely understand you. Sometimes i wish i have gotten the MT but other times when Im stuck in traffic I dont regret it at all. Its a win/lose situation

[135Pats]

Not particularly, I commute daily in DC, it's a 6 mile slog that takes an hour…it would be absolute misery with a 6MT. As far as AT goes the ZFs in 135s and 335s are pretty damn good.

[MSPORTWORLD]

I've never had any issues w/rowing my own gears in stop and go traffic.

If the AT never existed and everyone drove MT drivers on the road would probably be more aware of their surroundings...just my opinion

[Karbon]

With Auto-Sport mode and Paddle Shifters I don't miss manual at all.

We've just hit the point in car tech where auto-tranny's with sports shifting mode are faster than humans in a manual.

Granted some people like the manual tranny's but I personally don't miss shifting up and down in traffic.

OH NO THE ROBOTS ARE TAKING OVER!

[aleksl]

This is my third E90. First one was manual and honestly I didn't like it. I thought the manual in my old Honda S2000 was way way better. Even the Civic Si manual was more fun and felt better to row IMO. My 335 is an auto and I don't regret it at all.

[Goofyguy]

Every now and then when I wanna really launch the car I do miss the 6-speeds Ive had in the past. That being said I drive 90% highway and a 50% is bumper to bumper so the auto for me reins supreme. Dont get me wrong I could drive in that traffic, drink my coffee, be on a confrence call and still drive my manual trans.

What I do like is there is no thinking once your really into it, the car will shift when it knows to shift, none of me bouncing off the redline.

[3MM3]

I completely understand that modern day automatics are more efficient and can shift faster than I can row. That being said when I am driving one it doesn't matter if i am using paddles, in DS, or manual mode; i just don't feel as involved in the experience. Modern day automatics are truly an engineering marvel, especially DTCs. BUT...whenever i drive one I feel very disconnected. I guess for me its more about the experience than actually being fastest.


As for traffic, I truly think it comes down to personal preference. I have been driving a MT through boston traffic for almost 7 years now and have zero complaints. If anything, the traffic i have experienced has made me a better driver.

The MT in my 335xi is not my favorite by any means, but i couldn't imagine the car without it. Again, this is all my opinion. Don't mean to give anyone driving an AT a hard time.

[BigNate]

initially when I began looking for my 335 I was dead set on getting a 6MT but after driving one it wasnt for me, my car is my daily driver though stop and go traffic so it didnt make much sense. I am very happy with the auto and when I feel the need to have more control I just start using the paddles. As previously said the auto is way more efficient than I would be shifting a manual.

[MrQuickR1]

I contemplated on a mt but my wife does drive my car/truck at times for beer runs or whatever so making life easier for her, I grabbed the auto. Still wish I had mt sometimes though

[SaMaster14]

love my 7spd DCT

I will probably have a manual car in the future, as a second car; but I assume that my daily driver will always be a type of automatic/semi-automatic.

[e90335iftw]

Oh yeah, most definitely.
The 335I i got was more of an impulsive buy.
I have actually been thinking of finding someone with the same exact car as me but manual and trading it with them. Maybe even a e92/e93 335i rather then a e90. =/

[AlterZgo]

I'm a die hard manual driver who has been commuting in super heavy So Cal traffic for over 20 yrs. I made the mistake of trying to convince myself I should buy an auto twice - once because it would allow my wife to drive my car (she almost never did anyway) and another time when I kept spraining my ankle and had a bitch of a time driving stick.

So, after a successive series of manual equipped cars, I bought 2 automatics in a row. I hated it so much, I sold both after a short time and picked up a 335is 6MT and couldn't be happier!

Now, I know better and will never buy an auto or DCT or DSG or any other non-manual equipped car until they stop making them.

6MTs are dinosaurs. They are slower, less efficient, and can be a pain in hours of stop and go traffic. But, they add a massive amount of fun to driving, have a very direct feel, and are virtually indestructible if you decide to add more power.

[Mr.Ritz]

I searched hard for my 6spd ZSP 328i... love it and would have not been happy otherwise.

[pits200]

I wanted to show people that I'm richer than the MT guys and could afford to splurge on the automatic transmission, I just wanted to show my wealth and actually didn't want an AT.

Now seriously, 90% of the time I'm content and happy with my AT but then there is that other 10% where I wish I had some gears to row through.

No regrets, you can't always have the best of both worlds.

[Rasher]

I have an e92 335i with a 6MT and I wish I would have gotten the auto instead. Shortly after I bought my car I had to go in for a shoulder surgery so my car sat idle for several months. Now it looks like I will need to go get the other shoulder worked on. My car will sit idle again...

[messi]

This isn't about which one shifts faster as we know the answer here. It's really about that disconnected feel I can't get over.

[cbad335]

I fell for the paddle shifting gimmick and sorely regretted it within weeks. All that money and I picked the wrong tranny. I eventually got rid of the car and back into a MT. My left foot doesn't feel orphaned anymore and is once again a happy member of the family.

[Red_Bean_Bun]

Drove MT once in my life ...... It'll be the only .....

[Quasimodem]

Originally Posted by messi

I thought I would have enjoyed it and it would have been better for the traffic but I miss driving a stick so much. Just doesn't feel the same way or feel like I am getting the most out of the car esp as my second car is a stick albeit not a powerful car but a small hot hatch. Driving around twisters just doesn't feel the same with the paddle shifters. So bad that I would consider selling my car. I mean dont get me wrong the tranny is great this is just personal preference. Anyone feel the same way.

Nope. A stick is just busy work -- work one does to make oneself feel better about not having to work too hard to receive a benefit. If I feel the psychological need to take some credit for my transportation, I will ride a bike.

[GChase]

There is an obvious disconnection with the car having an AT. On long drives I feel like the car drives me, not me driving the car. I definitely regret not getting a MT. The paddle shifters are absolute shit, sorry if I offended anyone. The newer models got it right: downshift and upshift paddles should be separated. When I do try and use the paddles I find myself only using the right side. If I shift manually I just use the boot.

Choosing an AT came down to the fact that there is a larger abundance of used ATs than MTs, which means better options, and much cheaper prices. Sad that BMW doesn't reduce MSRP of a new car and charge more for AT.