Quote:
Originally Posted by Penguino
BMW: no manual for upcoming M3.
Enthusiasts: Are you kidding me?! This is the death of the M3!
BMW: Ok ok ok. Next M3 will come with manual transmission.
Enthusiast: No AWD and Manual? Are you kidding me?! This is the death of the Manual M3!
What gives?  :
The manual transmission has never been about having the fastest car out there. It's about the driving experience. That is something that 30hp will not give you. Hardcore 6MT enthusiasts will not care about a slightly slower car if in return they get the thrill of pressing that clutch.
I'm prepared to order a 6MT Core M3. The hp/tq difference is nothing a mild tune can't fix. |
I agree with almost all of what you're saying, but I chuckle at the comment that the manual has never been about having the fastest car. I guess you must be pretty young as even back maybe 20 yrs ago, the manual versions of most cars were almost always the quickest and fastest variants, and typically by a wide margin. Look up any old R&T or C&D car test and if they have an auto vs. manual variant, you will see that the manuals are typcially about 1 second quicker in both 0-60 and 1/4 mile acceleration times than the automatics.
Even Porsche GT cars were exclusively manual until the 991 GT3. Not only that, but the McLaren F1 was the quickest accelerating and fastest top speed car for about 15 yrs and it had a 6 speed manual.
Of course, manuals were not always just about speed, but about the joy and experience of feeling directly connected to the transmission and what's going on with the car. Even though the G80 M3 6MT is underpowered and undoubtedly slower than the auto, I will 100% be getting the manual. In the past 20 yrs or so, I've made the mistake of buying 2 automatic cars. Both cars, literally as soon as I brought them home, I would immediately begin thinking about how to get rid of it and get back into a manual.
I'll keep buying manuals as long as they make them and when they finally stop, instead of buying an automatic, I'm going to go right to the electric powered self driving egg with no steering wheel and no transmission controls.