early impressions of my AW M-DCT

[HammerM3]

Have about 300 miles on this car and I still drive my old SMG M3. First off, it's a great looking car. Feels solid and way more refined than the old one. BUt we all know what it looks like and I'm more about performace so I'll move on.

When you get in a start the car, the engine sounds really good. Although i think it could have been a tad louder.The one thing that concerned me was when i went to step on the gas , there was quite a bit of lag (almost like I was slowly letting out the clutch on a manual car) once this "lag" is over the car is very responsive.I've played with all the settings to get rid of this "lag" but to no avail. It's not a deal breaker but for those of you going to get this car, i would suggest you test drive it first.It's very different from the SMG. When I hopped back into my SMG I could really tell the difference. The SMG felt like immediate response. I think this will take getting used to.

The car handle great. I think better then the SMG that I have. I haven't pushed it hard yet but it feels solid and balanced.

The Gas consumption is pretty dismal. I watched the fifth gear review and I don't know what that is talking about this car being more economical. It's not. I was getting 22 mpg on my old SMG. This car cruises on the free way no better than 23. And when averaged with the street driving, this car is around 15 MPG. Not good in my book.

Overall i like the car and will need more time to fully evaluate it. But these are my opinions so far and wanted to share it especially with people who are about to buy this car.

[!Xoible]

lol nice review, but im laughing at 5th gear review. u know that thing deceived me too. i thought if it's at least as good as E46 M3 then im happy with it. lol

anyway, good review. im sure that lag is curable by the right throttle settings with the right tranny settings. i'll let MDCT people talk about it more coz i wouldnt know. all i know is 6MT improved drastically when i put the sport or sport plus throttle

[HammerM3]

well I've tried all settings....it's just a little lag getting off the line. I think several people have that same feeling so I think it's just part of the deal

[MDCTFTW]

Originally Posted by HammerM3

well I've tried all settings....it's just a little lag getting off the line. I think several people have that same feeling so I think it's just part of the deal

Ya I have gotten that impression, but then again I only have 60 mi on the clock and haven't tried the different throttle settings much. Doesn't bother me too much.

[!Xoible]

^^ LOL u only got 6 miles??? what's wrong with u guys? i have over 3k mils in 5 weeks now

[gorun]

Originally Posted by HammerM3

well I've tried all settings....it's just a little lag getting off the line. I think several people have that same feeling so I think it's just part of the deal

Having Power ON improves this quite a bit.

[HammerM3]

I've tried all setting including "power ON" , which helps in the overall throttle response. But does not help in the initial lag when taking off.

[footie]

Originally Posted by HammerM3

I've tried all setting including "power ON" , which helps in the overall throttle response. But does not help in the initial lag when taking off.

It doesn't go away, you just learn to work round it. Anyway the manual M3 still takes a decent prod of the throttle to get it off the line.

[rick berry]

I think it has to do with the way the DCT initially engages from a stop. Starting off with
the power button on helps. I also notice it more when the engine is cold the first time you start it up. As my car has gotten more miles on it, the "problem" seems to have diminished slightly. Don't worry Hammer, after your car is broken in and you hit it with DSC off, you'll not worry about ANY initial sluggishness.

[Davinhci]

Originally Posted by ///Mantis

^^ LOL u only got 6 miles??? what's wrong with u guys? i have over 3k mils in 5 weeks now

i know right? I have 2500 in about 5 weeks.

[kuruptracing]

is it only when taking off or throttle response in general?

[HammerM3]

taking off.....when its underway it's much less noticeable. But when I jump back into my e46 SMG, the difference is huge!

[Tut]

Mine is AW coupe and I had it for 3 days. I agree with you as far as the slight hesitation but as other members mentioned it's more pronounced when the engine is cold, and with my limited time behind the wheel so far, I have noticed a significant improvement when I press the power button, it improves about 70%. Only time will tell if it will improve as we put on more miles. Otherwise, it drives great.

[Hammer]

how about lc?

[MDCTFTW]

Originally Posted by ///Mantis

^^ LOL u only got 6 miles??? what's wrong with u guys? i have over 3k mils in 5 weeks now

No no ... 60 not 6. I flew out of town right after I picked her up. Let the miles begin. I also need to learn how to use the damn computer/idrive/settings galore.

[adamr]

i feel somewhat disappointed, its an M3 ... throttle response should be immediate ... this aint no 320i ...

[Yonkers]

Keep in mind, mileage is supposed to get better as you break the engine in too.

[Davinhci]

Originally Posted by Yonkers

Keep in mind, mileage is supposed to get better as you break the engine in too.

agree

[ihyln]

Originally Posted by Hammer

how about lc?

LC isn't available till the 1200 mile service. correct?

[!Xoible]

lol guys, be realistic. my gas mileage only got significantly worse once i broken in.... wake up! it wont get any better. not the way ur supposed to drive anyway

[eclipsisNA]

Originally Posted by ///Mantis

lol guys, be realistic. my gas mileage only got significantly worse once i broken in.... wake up! it wont get any better. not the way ur supposed to drive anyway

My mileage got WAY better between 0 and 3k miles. It went from 7 to 15.

[kuruptracing]

I wonder if it would get better if an intake and exhaust was added or less noticable?