Quote:
Originally Posted by Eau Rouge
Very interesting report.
MT: "Rumours of my demise are premature."
In the event that a torque converter automatic replaces DCT in the next gen M3, I can only wonder how many will be running back to the timeless MT.  |
I think that the article is predicting the demise of the DCT rather than manual transmissions. The torque converters on high performance ATs are out of the picture once the car gets moving and some of the newer designs replace the torque converter with a multi-plate clutch. The shift times of both a "converntional' AT and the DCT are so fast that further improvements are moot. Both types of transmissions are capable of shifting much faster than human reaction time and in fact both are faster than "The Blink of an Eye" whch is about 300-400MS.
I have driven the DCT in both the 335is and the M3 and found it to be an excellent transmission but did not find it to be significantly better than a good AT. IMO a lot the appeal of the DCT is that it does not carry the stigma of being a "Slushbox"
CA