So how many of potential owner opted for 6 speed manual

[krispykreme]

After thinking for about 2 weeks, I decided to dump the DCT and went with 6 speed.

This is the last M5 to come with 6 speed. Plus, I kind of miss manual after selling my 135i this week.

Just wondering how many of you guys went with 6 speed intend of DCT.

[journeyguy]

I wish I could drive manual...

[nybimmerfan]

Originally Posted by krispykreme

After thinking for about 2 weeks, I decided to dump the DCT and went with 6 speed.

This is the last M5 to come with 6 speed. Plus, I kind of miss manual after selling my 135i this week.

Just wondering how many of you guys went with 6 speed intend of DCT.

I too went with the manual 6 -- it's one of the reason I went with the M5 as competing models from Mercedes AMG and Audi do not offer manual transmission. I tend to keep all my cars and since the M5 is the last of the manual M5 breed, I am glad to have ordered one.

[stealth.pilot]

80% of the cars I have owned were manual. But I switched to automatics when automatics started outperforming manuals.

I don't drive a classic car for a reason. I want the best technology.

[BarryB]

this car was made for DCT. 6MT is simply to appease the US customers. I LOVE 6MT and have 2 of them however not for the F10 beast.....

[nybimmerfan]

Originally Posted by BarryB

this car was made for DCT. 6MT is simply to appease the US customers. I LOVE 6MT and have 2 of them however not for the F10 beast.....

I have to disagree here, as in previous posts, the 6MT has been developed in parallel with the DCT -- also, you have to know that DCT is technically manual shifting though the actual shifting is not done by the operator, the operator merely tells the M5 that he wants to either up or low shift.

[mwlmd]

I drove a 991 S yesterday with PDK as they didn't have a 7MT in stock yet. I was very impressed with the transmission and am very excited to have the DCT in my M5. As a side note I thought the paddles (or buttons) were in a weird place and were a bit counterintuitive.

I also drove the new Boxster S with PDK. Beautiful car. But so tiny inside!!

Again. Excited for the F10!!

[journeyguy]

how do you drive with your two feet on break and clutch then back to gas pedal, one hand on gear shifter and one hand on steering wheel....so much going one, its so complicated.....LOL

Originally Posted by nybimmerfan

I have to disagree here, as in previous posts, the 6MT has been developed in parallel with the DCT -- also, you have to know that DCT is technically manual shifting though the actual shifting is not done by the operator, the operator merely tells the M5 that he wants to either up or low shift.

[dkoren]

I too went back and forth between DCT and 6spd, but in the end I realized that this was likely going to be my last chance to buy an M car with a 6spd and went for it.

[RPiM5]

Originally Posted by stealth.pilot

80% of the cars I have owned were manual. But I switched to automatics when automatics started outperforming manuals.

I don't drive a classic car for a reason. I want the best technology.

I agree. Every car that I have ever owned has been manual with the exception of my E60 M5, which had SMG. I enjoyed the SMG far more than any manual I've ever driven. I don't care what anybody says, no manual can shift as hardcore as the E60 M5's SMG in S6 at redlines shifts. I'm lucky I still have all my fillings in my teeth from that transmission, it was amazing!

I'm excited about the DCT in the M5 mostly because of the smoothness and lightning quick shiftspeed as well as how amazing the shifts will sound with an aftermarket exhaust.

I've driven M3's with the DCT and an RPi GT Full Exhaust (Full Catless) and it sounded SO amazing!

Additionally, I just don't like the way that the layout of the center console with the 6 speed looks in the F10 M5. Plus they just used the same exact shift knob that's in the 1M, they should have come up with a more M5 looking shift knob. I think the 1M shift knob looks too stubby for the M5 cockpit. I just don't like what they did with the cupholder setup and putting that dumb tray in there like the F30 doesn't look good to me. Seems like the implementation for the looks of how to place the buttons and cupholders with a 6 speed manual in the F10 M5 were an afterthought.

With the DCT the center console is much more flowing and user friendly. Plus I think it just plain old looks cooler. I do wish they would have come up with a different looking and cooler shifter knob for the new M5 DCT, rather than just copying what the E60 M5 and the E90/92 M3's have already used.

Well, that's my rambling for this morning. I expect to ramble again later in the day.

Cheers!

[nybimmerfan]

Originally Posted by journeyguy

how do you drive with your two feet on break and clutch then back to gas pedal, one hand on gear shifter and one hand on steering wheel....so much going one, its so complicated.....LOL

I believe that is the beauty of a true manual which most of those who prefer manuals want -- the involvement in the actual shifting -- this is where the fun is which only the true manual enthusiast can appreciate.
It is an intangible something ("the fun") that a DCT or an Automatic, though may be faster and better at the actual act of shifting, takes away (which most manual enthusiats crave!).

[visualguy]

The only advantage that I see for the manual is that it's less boring to drive than an automatic like the DCT. Shifting an automatic manually isn't the same - you don't operate the clutch, you don't do the rev matching, you shift sequentially, etc.

Other than making the driving more engaging or less boring, the manual is far inferior. I still ordered the manual because having the stick and clutch to play with outweighs the disadvantages for me, but I do realize that it's kind of nutty to compromise this cutting edge car with a stone age transmission.

The brain said DCT, the heart said manual, and the heart won... Getting an M5 doesn't make a whole lot of sense from a purely rational perspective anyway.

[krispykreme]

I hated SMG on my E60 M5. My wife has DCT on her M3.

I know that DCT shifts smoother and faster than manual.

But i like to have a clutch. I have not driven a manual for almost 15 years until I got my 135i back in 2009. It reminded me how fun manual is.

Biggest thing is - My wife can't take my car . She can't drive manual.

The other thing- this is last of M5 with manual. Sentimental value i guess.

I agree with visualguy comment. Its stupid to have manual in a M5. But that is my heart is. And i totally agree that owning a M5 to begin with does not make sense at all in US. No place to run.

[stealth.pilot]

I don't find the DCT boring at all. In fact I find it more fun than a manual. I get lazy in manual. I use the gears more comprehensively. Plus it reminds me of playing F1 video games.

[visualguy]

Originally Posted by krispykreme

And i totally agree that owning a M5 to begin with does not make sense at all in US. No place to run.

I was struggling with this exact issue for a couple of months until deciding to order the car, and I'm still uncomfortable with this aspect to some extent.

I don't go to the racetrack, and clearly the M5 is way overkill for US roads and speed limits, so what sense does it make to spend all that extra money on performance you can't use? Even worse, one could make the case that in the US it's more fun to drive a weaker car which you can run closer to its capabilities. With the M5, you can barely let it breathe.

This has been a tough dilemma for me, but I managed to convince myself that even in the US I will still enjoy some of the superior handling provided by the M5 when compared to the regular 5-series cars.

[stealth.pilot]

Originally Posted by visualguy

I was struggling with this exact issue for a couple of months until deciding to order the car, and I'm still uncomfortable with this aspect to some extent.

I don't go to the racetrack, and clearly the M5 is way overkill for US roads and speed limits, so what sense does it make to spend all that extra money on performance you can't use? Even worse, one could make the case that in the US it's more fun to drive a weaker car which you can run closer to its capabilities. With the M5, you can barely let it breathe.

This has been a tough dilemma for me, but I managed to convince myself that even in the US I will still enjoy some of the superior handling provided by the M5 when compared to the regular 5-series cars.

You should check out the countermeasure setup on my 550i. Once I migrate that to the M5, I will have some room to run.

[truths2k05]

Dct is for people that prefer automatic, as 99.99% of the time I leave mine in drive and never use the paddles. Manual by default is engaging 100% of the time. I'm glad I got my m3 manual and wish my 135i was stick. Dct is great on the track, how many people will end up taking the m5 on the track <1%

[visualguy]

Originally Posted by stealth.pilot

I don't find the DCT boring at all. In fact I find it more fun than a manual. I get lazy in manual. I use the gears more comprehensively. Plus it reminds me of playing F1 video games.

It's the opposite for me. If it's not a true manual, I end up letting the transmission do the shifting - they are really good at it these days to be honest.

Also, like I said before, shifting an automatic manually is just not the same - no clutch, no throttle blipping, sequential control, video game feel...

[stealth.pilot]

Originally Posted by visualguy

It's the opposite for me. If it's not a true manual, I end up letting the transmission do the shifting - they are really good at it these days to be honest.

Also, like I said before, shifting an automatic manually is just not the same - no clutch, no throttle blipping, sequential control, video game feel...

I also let the automatic do the shifting on my 550i. But with the M5, the M HUD makes using it in manual mode much more fun. The M HUD combines with the paddles provide a digital experience for high performance driving which is really very very exhilarating.

[visualguy]

Originally Posted by stealth.pilot

I also let the automatic do the shifting on my 550i. But with the M5, the M HUD makes using it in manual mode much more fun. The M HUD combines with the paddles provide a digital experience for high performance driving which is really very very exhilarating.

Yes - this was one of the things that I was considering when making my transmission decision. It seemed to me that having the changing RPM bar and gear display in my field of view constantly would get annoying and distracting after a while, and I would just turn the HUD off, and put the transmission in automatic mode.

[chillin4now]

Im not a fan of a stick in a car this big and bulky. It seems to jerk the car around and be "lungy". Maybe a new word there....
Anyway. I am assuming this car is going to hit redline very quickly and first gear is going to be all but worthless with the exception of parking lots.
I will leave all the big decisions inlcuding, but not limited to, keeping me out of trouble to the computer

[visualguy]

Originally Posted by philly-dee

Im not a fan of a stick in a car this big and bulky. It seems to jerk the car around and be "lungy". Maybe a new word there....

I haven't had a chance to drive the manual M5 yet, but I drove the manual BMW 550i, Cadillac CTS-V, Audi S4, and Infiniti G37. They were fine. Sure, not as smooth as the automatic versions of those cars, but that's the case for lighter cars as well. I didn't notice any particular bad effect of the size or weight of the car when combined with the manual transmission.

Manual transmission has many disadvantages when compared to a modern automatic, but I don't know of anything that's specific to the size of weight of the car. I see people mentioning this once in a while, but it's not clear what is bothersome exactly.