Originally Posted by t1328

FYI, BMW is not that different. When I purchased my '06 330i in '05 (I traded it for the G35x a year later - long story), they only had one MT on the lot at one of the biggest BMW dealers in the country. I called around and every dealer in the DC metro area had no more than 2 MT's max, with one typically being a 325i. In the US, far more people buy AT's, even in sports sedans like the G and the BMW 3 series. I think another factor that plays into this is that the AT's have gotten so damn good. I drove MT's for 16 years prior to switching to the G35x - obviously with AT gearbox, and one of the factors that made me make the change other than DC traffic, is that I felt like the G's AT could practically read my mind. It shifts relatively quickly, and seemed to shift at exactly the right time - especially in DS mode. Now that I have the paddle shifters installed, it's even better. I hear that the 3 series' AT gearbox is as good or possibly better.

Cheers
T1328

Originally Posted by gstais

TI328,

I fully concur with your objective viewpoint here. Although, I must admit I am now tempted to test drive a 6-Speed MT G so I can see for myself what I may be missing.

For whatever it's worth (and at the risk of dating myself), the last manual I had was a 91 Eagle Talon. I can honestly say it was really a blast to drive. Actually, now that I think about it, I kinda' miss my old "pocket rocket"!

Regards,