So, according to Jussi, the new M3 will come standard with SMG (IV or whatever it'll be named), just like the current M5 when it first came out. I'm not sure what others think (especially enthusiasts like most of us who are really looking forward to the new M3), but I would actually prefer a manual tranny and hope that BMW will be offering that too.
Call me old-fashioned, but I actually prefer the "feel" of being directly connected to the engine and the motor throbbing thru the shifter under my right hand (left hand, I suppose for those driving on the "other" side of the road
). It's like getting a hand massage while driving!
And I actually like rowing my own gears and pressing my own clutch, giving me a more direct involvement in driving the car. The sense of accomplishment when I get the heel-toe downshift perfectly right is rapturous and inexplicable.
Otherwise, it may just feel like driving in a computer game simulation.
Perfomance-wise, SMG IV would obviously blow away the manual tranny, due to much faster and more consistent shifting than we mere mortals can achieve. But how many of us are going to take it to the track in competition?
How often are we going to even have to "prove" ourselves at stoplight races?
So, I sincerely hope that BMW will be offering the manual as an "option" if they expect it to be the "premium" car from the M-division of the maker of the Ultimate Driving Machine.
Please discuss.
