BMW 1 Series Coupe Forum / 1 Series Convertible Forum (1M / tii / 135i / 128i / Coupe / Cabrio / Hatchback) (BMW E82 E88 128i 130i 135i)
 





 

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      08-04-2007, 08:47 AM   #1
Big Red One
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Sorry, I couldn't resist.

This is from a C&D test drive of the 335i:

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Maybe BMW got bored of hearing the same thing over and over again, because suddenly we had to come up with new words to describe the 3: controversially styled, technologically overwrought, and now this: quicker with the automatic.

Fantastic as an Automatic

Yes, the 335i’s ZF-sourced six-speed automatic is among the world’s very best transmissions, and we can’t heap enough praise on it. Responsive and quick to act, it is the perfect autobox for this kind of car. In normal automatic mode, shifts are virtually invisible, but the character changes dramatically when prompted. Deputy editor Dave VanderWerp says, “Full-throttle downshifts are quite severe, but to me, that’s fine when I’m pushing the pedal all the way to the floor. The automatic generally does a single multigear kickdown instead of stopping off at other ratios along the way.” We also noted snappy rev-matching throttle blips when downshifting using the manumatic function (or paddles), and in the sport-shift mode, it eagerly takes the liberty of automatically downshifting during braking to set you higher in the meat of the power band whenever your right foot returns to the other pedal.Now, as for the paddles themselves, a $100 option on top of the $1275 automatic, they are lovely pieces of satin metal sculpture, both of which perform up- and downshifts depending on which way you push: toward you for upshifts, away from you for downshifts. VanderWerp is among those on staff who prefer the “right for upshifts, left for downshifts” approach. Others, including this author, think it’s proper that each does both. Whatever. Once accustomed to it, any driver will enjoy a willing partner in his or her shifting shenanigans.
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      08-04-2007, 08:52 AM   #2
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The 335 is notably quicker with the auto and paddle combo. I am a manual purist but the auto is quicker no doubt.
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      08-04-2007, 09:17 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BMW Nashville View Post
The 335 is notably quicker with the auto and paddle combo. I am a manual purist but the auto is quicker no doubt.

True, but which one is still more fun to drive? :wink:
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      08-04-2007, 09:33 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheUltimateDriver View Post
True, but which one is still more fun to drive? :wink:
It depends... If you grew up with a MT and take pride in shifting yourself with a clutch then a MT is a natural choice. OTOH if you have never used a MT, think that they are a PITA, the MT just plain stinks, or are looking for the best lap times then maybe an AT is a better choice. I'm perfectly content with a MT, but that just me. :biggrin:
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      08-04-2007, 09:38 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BMW Nashville View Post
The 335 is notably quicker with the auto and paddle combo. I am a manual purist but the auto is quicker no doubt.
Welcome, Nashville.

This is sort of an inside joke here, but I'm what you might call a "Steptronic purist" :biggrin:
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      08-04-2007, 09:47 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ibeam81 View Post
It depends... If you grew up with a MT and take pride in shifting yourself with a clutch then a MT is a natural choice. OTOH if you have never used a MT, think that they are a PITA, the MT just plain stinks, or are looking for the best lap times then maybe an AT is a better choice. I'm perfectly content with a MT, but that just me. :biggrin:
Hey, now! Some of us have grown up driving MT, have driven it in a race car (if you can call a Skip Barber Formula Dodge a "race car") on a track, and find nothing painful in any part of our backside region about using them, but just plain prefer the Steptronic.
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      08-04-2007, 01:06 PM   #7
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I really need to test drive one. The wife got tired of the MT in her LGT, so we traded it for as AT. The Subi is rev happy and quite dependent on boost. Lag is quite noticeable. My point is I really miss the MT.

It was so much more fun to drive and geared better. The Subie AT is probably no match for a BMW. It is slow and goes into each gear on down shifts. Stabbing the throttle takes about a minute for it to figure out what it wants to do. It constantly upshifts to 5th. In a MT, you don't forget you have one. Using sport shift it is easy to forget. I've hit the limiter a couple of times.

I had my mind made up to get a MT in the 135, but I will have to test drive an auto first. It will have to really impress me though. MTs are by far more fun. That is about 80% of why I want this car.
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      08-04-2007, 01:17 PM   #8
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The N54 uses two small turbos, in parallel - one on the header attached to cylinders 1-3, the other on the header attached to cylinders 4-6. The firing order ensures that each turbo is fed a near constant supply of exhaust gas and the direct injection (and the valve timing tricks that can entail) help the small turbos produce all 300 lb ft of torque at approximately 1300 RPM (right off idle!). There shouldn't be noticeable turbo lag.

The ZF supplied auto is a six-speed that can pretty much duplicate an MT experience w/o a clutch pedal. Control of shifts are accomplished through the console gear lever or optional paddles on the steering wheel. The thing even rev matches downshifts (as has been noted). This may be the best auto trans made if someone wants an MT experience yet also needs the 'put-it-in-D' capabilities of a slushbox. The only thing better in my mind is the DSC manual that VW/Audi has, but it's a true manual (w/o clutch) that can imitate an auto - rather than an auto that can imitate a manual.

I'm still getting a stick because my commute to work is from the upstairs bedroom to the den downstairs each morning. (Very light traffic!! ; -)
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      08-04-2007, 02:20 PM   #9
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And for those of us buying the 135 for the long haul, I've never liked the current BMW maintenance philoshophy of "lifetime tranny fluid" or guessing how long the service life of this auto-tranny will be. If it was a true DSC like the Audi (which is supposedly coming in the near future) I'd get in line for it.
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      08-04-2007, 04:20 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by atr_hugo View Post
I'm still getting a stick because my commute to work is from the upstairs bedroom to the den downstairs each morning. (Very light traffic!! ; -)
Daaaaang. I guess the 1er is a LOT smaller than I thought. If you have a turn in your stairway the razor-sharp BMW handling will come in handy.
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      08-04-2007, 04:24 PM   #11
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My wife struggles with a manual. Being a nervous driver she concentrates obsessively on everything going on around her making it difficult adding something else to focus on. It's hilarious watching her try to park in a lot. She's so nervous pulling up a couple feet to get closer to a curb. She's afraid the clutch will engage suddenly and cause us to crash over the curb. I just try to be supportive and hope she'll pick it up but so far I can't convince her to drive outside of empty parking lots...*sigh*

That being said my next car will still be a manual. It's a big part of what makes driving fun for me. I'm not interested in track driving competitively, just having fun, so the slightly quicker lap times are not a big draw for me. It's more about the experience, which is why any of us are interested in BMW's at all I suppose.

I guess I'll have to try to take her out to a country road and practise some more with my dad's Carolla. I wouldn't want her to miss out on all the fun! I'd love to get her out to a track day instruction school or even better a rally school some day. You'd probably never guess it, but she watches F1 religiously with me so I'm hoping that spark is in her somewhere!

-Erich
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      08-04-2007, 04:57 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by atr_hugo View Post
I'm still getting a stick because my commute to work is from the upstairs bedroom to the den downstairs each morning. (Very light traffic!! ; -)
Thanks Art. I do realize the N54 will be a different animal. I'm not hating on my LGT either. That car is a heck of a lot of fun. I really do love it. I have always liked German, and wanted a BMW. Looks like the 1 will be it. I am a newb to BMW though and don't know much about their trannies.

I also want to chip mine. BMWs effort to eliminate lag has left a lot on the table. Adding software will negate that. Response will be compromised, but I am OK with that.

I wasn't looking at a coupe, or a rear wheel drive, but now I am really on board with it. So getting a MT goes with that well. I told the wife that a coupe won't be that practical. She said, "What the hell do you care, we don't have kids." God I love her!
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      08-04-2007, 06:02 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Powerman View Post
I told the wife that a coupe won't be that practical. She said, "What the hell do you care, we don't have kids." God I love her!
My wife said the same thing! Wasn't what I was expecting to hear for sure. I think she just likes the look of the BMW over the STI. Can't say I blame her!
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      08-04-2007, 06:39 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1erich View Post
My wife said the same thing! Wasn't what I was expecting to hear for sure. I think she just likes the look of the BMW over the STI. Can't say I blame her!
Sweet. The LGT is really hers. She said If I want a 135i, she would just get something more reasonable and we could trade in the LGT for a 135i.:wub:



Excuse me....Sorry... I got a little choked up. :biggrin:


I told her we would keep both, cause the LGT is much better in the winter. All she wants is a jet ski next summer and I'm golden.:w00t:
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      08-04-2007, 07:04 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ibeam81 View Post
It depends... If you grew up with a MT and take pride in shifting yourself with a clutch then a MT is a natural choice. OTOH if you have never used a MT, think that they are a PITA, the MT just plain stinks, or are looking for the best lap times then maybe an AT is a better choice. I'm perfectly content with a MT, but that just me. :biggrin:

I've only had one autotragic, '92 E34 525i. What a mistake...
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      08-05-2007, 01:33 PM   #16
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but remember if your going to be adding modifications to up the performance, the transmission must be up to the challenge.....http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46264
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      08-05-2007, 01:36 PM   #17
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with procede...exhaust...and down pipes.... your already reaching the ceiling
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      08-05-2007, 02:31 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Powerman View Post
I'm not hating on my LGT either. That car is a heck of a lot of fun. I really do love it.
Us LGT owners need to stick together... :biggrin:

Potentially moving from a stage II car, I would hate to buy something slower that what I already own. I have to think the stock 135 will give me a run for my money, and a few mods here and there will make it an all-around superior performance auto.
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      08-05-2007, 03:20 PM   #19
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Driver of a manual was asleep or shifted early.. Plus manual will ALWAYS be faster on the track..
:roundel:

Quote:
Originally Posted by BMW Nashville View Post
The 335 is notably quicker with the auto and paddle combo. I am a manual purist but the auto is quicker no doubt.
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      08-05-2007, 03:32 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by amdmaxx View Post
Plus manual will ALWAYS be faster on the track.
I'm a fan of manuals, but I'm afraid that I would have to disagree. Pls check F1 racing. Manuals have gone the way of the dinosaurs. It's kind of tough trying to beat a computer. :frown:
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      08-05-2007, 03:49 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by coolbluelb View Post
Us LGT owners need to stick together... :biggrin:

Potentially moving from a stage II car, I would hate to buy something slower that what I already own. I have to think the stock 135 will give me a run for my money, and a few mods here and there will make it an all-around superior performance auto.
I can't believe how much I have grown to like my LGT. I look at others and am disappointed. Living where I do, I can't go back to NA engines. (TL, G coupes, 128, R32 ect...) The N54 really has me excited. I really like Audis too but they are underpowered and take another 20% off the top for me. The 135i really fits the bill. I am so excited about the car. If it wasn't for the 135, I would start moding my LGT.
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      08-05-2007, 08:54 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by amdmaxx View Post
Driver of a manual was asleep or shifted early.. Plus manual will ALWAYS be faster on the track..
:roundel:
I'll bet you my 1er that you won't find a true manual transmission in ANY car in ANY of the world's top racing series. Reason? Being able to change gears (that's the proper term because you're not actually shifting) simply by pressing a button on the steering wheel while keeping your right foot on the accelerator and your left foot on the floor will ALWAYS be quicker around the track.
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