SMG VS Stick

Hi,

I am in the market for an M3, new. I am having trouble deciding on what transmission. I wanted the SMG, but have heard some bad reviews from it. I can easily drive the stick, but I wanted some owner feedback. Pro's and con's would be nice. Any info to help me make a educated decision. Thanks a lot!

Bad reviews regarding SMG usually come from journalists that only spend a day or so with the car. There is a bit of a learning curve with the SMG transmission to get it to drive properly.

My E46 has SMG, and I hated it for the first month or so and considered bringing it back for a manual. After a little while I learned how to use it. I've learned that if you let off a little bit when shifting the shifts come much more smoothly.

As for performance, 99% of drivers will do better with SMG then a manual transmission. The launch control and perfect shifts make even the least experienced driver capable of running consistant 13.3-13.5 second 1/4 miles runs. Supposedly some professional drivers can get it down to about 13.2 with the manual, but I personally havn't seen evidence of this. For track use SMG lets you keep both hands on the wheel and frees up your left foot to break. So unless you are a very confident professional driver, SMG will be better for performance driving.

SMG probably isn't as reliable as a manual transmission, but I havn't had any troubles with it yet.

I try both and like the stick. Call it traditionalist or old fashion. I learned on a stick and its always been dependable for me. I am glad my M is stick.....less movable parts equate to less trouble.