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Written by JST
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Sunday, 11 July 2004 |
Thanks to Nick for letting me co-drive his car today. It was far from my finest day of driving, but I had a good time.
Today's driving really reaffirmed my impression of SMG transmissions,
though. Even after I figured out how to use it (i.e., do not put it in
auto mode and then force it to stay in 3rd the whole way around the
course, do not try and go through tech with the hood open because the
car won't move), it still seems to me a solution in search of a problem.
Positives:
As far as I can tell, the only unequivocal positives about SMG are that
you don't have to hold down the clutch in traffic, and you don't have
to heel and toe in order to brake and shift at the same time.
Theoretically, SMG shifts faster than "normal" M3s, but IMHO this
difference is just not that noticeable.
Negatives:
The biggest downside is the launch, which is damn near impossible to do
well in an SMG. Sure, there are all sorts of programs and options built
into the system, but I don't think any of them work as well *across a
variety of situations* as an experienced driver with a clutch pedal.
Today, the launches were either bog slow (if you didn't romp on the
pedal), or tire-smoking (if you did). There was no "break the tires
free slightly to rotate the back of the car around a bit before getting
hard on the gas after the tires find traction" setting that I could
find in the computer. I have such a program in my brain and leg, but
was unable to implement it due to lack of the proper interface.
The second biggest downside is that you have to look at the dashboard
to determine what gear you're in. I've never been confused about which
gear I'm in with a traditional manual, but today I ran the whole course
in 3rd because I didn't look down to check the gear display.
The third biggest downside, IMO, is the weird delay between pressing
the button and when the shift completes. You click the button, and in
your brain you're thinking "I've shifted" and you move on to thinking
about something else, but the car is still completing the shifting
thing, and especially on downshifts, the completion of that action can
take you by surprise (despite the much vaunted throttle blip that the
computer does). I'm sure you get used to this, but it's a bizarre
feeling.
Of course, that leaves out a further beef with SMG, which is that it just isn't a whole lot of fun.
After having sampled a number of SMG cars, I can honestly say that I'd
never buy one over a traditional stick--in fact (and I probably
shouldn't say this too loud) it would be worth maybe 5K to me to have a
normal transmission instead of an SMG. I'd even rather have a
traditional torque-converter automatic than one of these
electro-manuals.
To a future of SMG-only M cars, I say :thumbdown:
Originally posted on carmudgeons.com.
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JST's Cornered Test Drives 
