I have a 5AT and i wish i would have got a 6mt. Dont get me wrong though...the 5AT transmission is awesome and provides nearly identical performance with the 6mt. Its awesome when there is traffic. When theres no traffic, just switch it over to manumatic. I admit though, its not as fun as driving a 6mt, but for practical purposes and living in the city, the 5AT on this car is sweet

 

best alternitive is the SMG type of transmission. in fact, in many ways, the SMG (sorry, i just like how it sounds plus im a big bmw fan ..so dont flame me here) is better than the normal manual.
however, with that said, i would still pick the manual over an auto if i can only have one car. now, if im getting a M3, then i might have to think VERY hard on whether to get smg or 6m..

but pure auto is just boring!! even its in manual mode...still not right.

 

SMG is boring too.

 

Been around SMG II M3's a lot.. and may I ask what is so different about the driving experience between an SMG and a manumatic? SMG shifts faster than a human (a little arguable). SMG Drivelogic lets you adjust your shifts. It has launch control. It has paddles. You don't have to keep your foot on the brake when stopped. Anything else that's so cool about it that I'm missing? Just like a "pure auto" the computer does all the work, the only difference is it has a computer controlled clutch too.

 

First 5 months of the car I was fine with the AT. At the time of purchase, I wanted an MT but was hesitant to learn manual for the first time on a brand new 35k car. This is my daily driver and I encounter a fair amount of traffic. If I could do it again, I would have learned manual on some beater car then bought a 6MT. Either way, the auto transmission is still a good performer and MM mode does the job. I still love my car. Think about it this way, we will all look good whereever we go, manual or auto

 

But the Brembos bling more, right? J/k, I don't have Brembos either

 

I have an auto and i love it ... and besides its faster anyways .. haha
i would get an MT anyday .. but i love my car for what it is ...i guess it depends on whats more practical... for me either would be fine .. but since it was a present from my parents ... they insisted that it would be an auto .. and hey .. at that point i could care less .. i was getting the car that i really wanted!

 

Love the a/t and everyone is saying that stock for stock the a/t trans will beat the 6mt.

 

No regrets here...well....most of the time I don't. There are those times I would love to have the 6MT. If you like automatic but want better performance...you can always get the AT and the upcoming SGP valve body upgrade.

 

im happy with AT, more then happy

 

Who is this "everyone" you speak of?

 

I got the A/T

I wish I coulda gotten the Manual sometimes, but then sitting in traffic 5 days a week reminds me why I didnt get one lol.

If it was a weekend car tho, it woulda been manual.

 

The G is my daily driver, and I do a lot of driving, so absolutely no regrets with the 5AT. If the G was my weekend car, it would be a 6MT. My other two cars in the driveway are manuals and I still prefer to drive the auto sometimes.

If I could do it again.. I'd still get the 5AT, but in a different color. DG is nice, but I love IP and BO.

 

I have a 6MT & drove 5AT loaners. I colud live with a Triptronic setup. Would like the AT but with a paddle shifter. A-LA Formula 1

 

there are days which im glad i got AT and days which i regret it. the MT seems fun to drive, esp with the 05 +18 HP. Really depends on how your going to drive it, if its your daily driver and your stuck in traffic half the time than i don't think MT would be to convinient for you. Maybe go with AT