tried the manual mode
- Thread starter cprogrammer
- Start date
Manual mode is great fun. I use it often and never let up on the gas. My most common practice is to be in regular "D" mode and then when I want to pass someone or have a little fun on a cool curve, I pull the shifter into manual and pop it forward once or twice to downshift and hit the accelerator. The car flies forward, I get to be Dale Earnhardt Jr. for a minute or two. Life is good in 330i ![[:D]](/images/smilies/biggrin.png "Big Grin [:D]")
[driving2]
[driving2]
I think manual mode is why BMW calls their automatic "Steptronic." Sure you can shift in any auto car, but they might not let you choose every single gear. Steptronic and all those manual mode autos do. Not really a big deal other than to trick dumb Americans into thinking they have a semi-manual (like the F1 cars). I don't really find it any more useful than a regular auto w/out the manual mode option. However, I can say that BMW's manual mode at least feels more authentic than say Chrysler/Mercedes b/c BMW shifts up/down instead of sideways.
The steptronic is very different from a regular automatic that you manually shift. On the steptronic there is no hunting for D1, 2, 3 etc. Once in manual mode every forward movement is a downshift and every rearward pull is an upshift (on earlier models this direction was reversed) So I can be cruising the highway in 5th and pop the shifter forward once to go to fourth or twice to go to third without having to hunt for for the proper gear or accidentally going into Neutral. It's very fast, its alot of fun, and yes it does sort of remind me of my manual shift days. [driving2] Living and commuting on Long Island just minutes from New York City with all of the traffic jams, has made manual shifting more of a chore than a joy. The Steptronic is perfect for my needs. Get over the "it's not a real manual" thing and enjoy it for what it is..........[:X]
I like it too, by the way I also tried sport mode today. Sounded very different then the regular mode (I just pushed the 'A' button and push it down to '3' gear to get it to sports mode). The engine revved higher and I think it was a bit faster...
It just felt a bit unusual when I was in 'manual mode' yesterday. I've driven real manual cars and I like the way real manual cars work, how the shift seems more smooth. With this 'manual mode' it feels weird presses the button , pushing the shifter up/down, hearing it click, etc.
It just felt a bit unusual when I was in 'manual mode' yesterday. I've driven real manual cars and I like the way real manual cars work, how the shift seems more smooth. With this 'manual mode' it feels weird presses the button , pushing the shifter up/down, hearing it click, etc.
For me, I get faster acceleration in Sport mode than in manual. The transmission changes gears much faster that my hands can (but then I was never good with manuals). Also another problem: if you are used to automatic and decide to play in manual it is easy to forget and leave it in a particular gear.
Sport mode is noticably different that Drive. In another thread, someone commented that Sport mode gave better mileage and I found that hard to believe. For the past four weeks I have driven in Sport exclusively in town and on the freeway and have averaged 24mpg (per the on board computer). When I always used Drive, I got 22.8mpg. My daily trips have been unchanged but I drive more aggressively in Sport just because I love the sound of the engine and the faster acceleration. I'll see if my average mileage goes down any more as time goes on, but for now I'll leave it in Sport mode.
[driving2]
Sport mode is noticably different that Drive. In another thread, someone commented that Sport mode gave better mileage and I found that hard to believe. For the past four weeks I have driven in Sport exclusively in town and on the freeway and have averaged 24mpg (per the on board computer). When I always used Drive, I got 22.8mpg. My daily trips have been unchanged but I drive more aggressively in Sport just because I love the sound of the engine and the faster acceleration. I'll see if my average mileage goes down any more as time goes on, but for now I'll leave it in Sport mode.
[driving2]
sport mode rocks! manual's cool too but i love not having to think about shifting while flooring the pedal. it's like i tend to go faster in sport because i'm not tentative since i'm not thinking of when to shift...anyway, love the sound of the engine and seeing the high revs. i don't regret not getting a manual anymore since the dc metro area is filled with traffic and the steptronic is still fun.
on a slight curve the other day in sport mode i was at around 80-85mph and it was as smooth as if i was going 50...i love this car
on a slight curve the other day in sport mode i was at around 80-85mph and it was as smooth as if i was going 50...i love this car