[nepats81]

I currently drive a 2018 F82 comp DCT. Finally ready to get into a G80 M3. I need 4 doors and life is going well.

When the G80 was announced I assumed I would just get the XDrive. At the time I lived in the northeast and liked the idea of the versatility. I also always went with auto bmws because I’ve been a city cat, always living in Boston or nyc .

Well now I live in palm beach county florida, and I’ve always been wanting the driving engagement of a manual transmission. I’m not in a congested city and work from home, so stop and go traffic is limited to my nights out or road trips. So the stars have aligned. Only problem is … I’ve never driven a manual.

Is the G80 too powerful of a car to learn manual on? Will I be a danger to everyone around me? Should I get a slow car to practice on first? Or is going with a 6MT just over rated , and maybe I should forget it and go xdrive.

Hoping for your guys thoughts and some sensible discussion on if it’s worth it for me to go down this road

[jimbethesda]

Manuals are slowly going away. If you’ve always wanted to try one, now’s the time.

Just my $.02.

[SwankPeRFection]

Get a beater and learn manual if you’ve never driven one. It may turn out you don’t like it, but it would not be a good idea to go manual on the M3 if you’ve never ever driven manual as it’s not cheap to fix if you suck at it enough to ruin the clutch or something else and if you end up hating it, it’s too much money to be like “well shit”.

In the end really only you can decide. I know there’s people out there who never ride bikes and went out and bought a liter bike with everyone saying they’ll kill themselves and it was fine because they weren’t stupid and had respect and a love for the bike, so they stuck with it and they also didn’t waste money on some lesser shit they really didn’t want, but it’s because of who they were, but even those people knew at least how to basically ride. If you’ve NEVER driven manual, find one to try out.

[dtronics]

Alright playboy! Look at you leaving us New Englanders for Palm Beach... good for you! I went the reverse going from a standard M4 to an automatic G80. The whole reason I did it... living in the northeast.

Manual cars rule, end of story. I loved my F82 but living with traffic/ snow, a wife who can't drive a stick (hehe), and a toddler were a bad mix. I had my F82 for a weekend car but I ended up never driving it.

A modern M car with a manual is so easy to drive. Rev Matching and all the tech makes it a piece of cake. It's actually the perfect car to learn to drive a manual on. It's older cars with a manual that are far less forgiving. Go for it man. If I was living in Palm Beach, i'd be rowing gears with you.

[kgelfen360]

Xdrive holds most value. Just fyi. Just consider options if u are unhappy or it’s not what u expected with manual. Maybe consider leasing it and then buyout if u happy but if not just give it back. I dunno. A lot to consider…

[AhsanU]

This thread makes me happy.

OP: I have a friend that has a G80 M3 Competition xDrive, and I was able to teach him how to drive my 6MT G80 within about an hour and a half or so. He was a complete beginner and he became confident in his abilities and took my car out of the parking lot and on public roads (late at night). Fact is, with auto rev match, a very soft clutch, hill assist, and some anti-stalling features built in, it's not hard to learn on at all. Mastering it is a whole other story, but learning the basics to get around town and enjoy the connection between you and the transmission? That can be learned pretty quickly.

However, if I were you, I'd look for someone to teach me to drive a manual first so I have some sense of what's going on with my hands and feet, then jump into a 6MT G80 to see if it's something I really want. The fact that there are many 6MT G80's for sale out there means you should be able to find one to test drive after you've gained some experience and see if it's something you really like. It's important to understand why you're really buying this car and what purpose it's meant to fulfil. If you're more interested in dead hooking on any road and love acceleration from a standstill, then the 6MT is genuinely not for you.

However, if the joy of rowing your own gears overcomes the joy of 0-60 acceleration and less money lost in depreciation, then you have your answer. The 6MT is fun and can still be plenty fast, but it won't ever be as fast as xDrive... but xDrive will never be as engaging as 6MT - pick your poison.

Personally, there's 0 regret after 2 years of ownership of my G80 with a 6MT. I wish I had xDrive just so I can put down more power, but I wouldn't trade my 3rd pedal for xDrive. Some have different priorities and do trade the 6MT for xDrive/ZF8, but to each his own. We're currently at the point of the G8X life cycle that you have the ability to test out different versions only a bit shamefully while you pick the right fit - use it to your advantage.

[geko29]

So your primary question of what you should do, none of us can answer for you, just provide our own insights and thoughts. But as for some of these:

Originally Posted by nepats81

Is the G80 too powerful of a car to learn manual on? Will I be a danger to everyone around me? Should I get a slow car to practice on first? Or is going with a 6MT just over rated , and maybe I should forget it and go xdrive.

Absolutely not too powerful to learn on. I taught my 16 year old on it earlier this year, and he did great. There's just enough torque at idle that you can easily learn the clutch's bite point and take off with zero throttle. If you let the clutch out too fast, it stalls. Step on the clutch and it automatically re-starts, try again. Then you can gradually work the throttle into your starts. The V8 F150 I learned on would buck and thrash violently if you let the clutch out too quickly. I will say that while the G8X is a very easy car to learn stick on, it's one of the more difficult manual cars I've driven to drive smoothly.

There's no need to get a slower car first, as the S58s power doesn't come on hard until you're really into the throttle, so it's pretty easy to just putter around as you're gaining confidence. That said, from a financial perspective it would probably behoove you to find a car to learn on before spending almost $100k on a car whose experience you may not prefer.

Is the manual overrated? Absolutely not. I gave up AWD, more power, and a convertible (all of which I very much wanted) to get my third pedal, and have little regret (can't say zero) having done so. If I had it to do over again, I'd make the same choice.

That said it may or may not be the right choice for you. Every person is different, and none of us can tell you what will make you the happiest.

[Llarry]

I agree with the several posters above that you can learn to drive the manual on a G8X without much problem. If you order new, getting it home from the dealership could be an issue, I suppose. If you have a good relationship with your client advisor, I think you could probably arrange to have a "test drive" of a used manual transmission car on the lot (rare, I know) before taking delivery.

I also think it may be "now or never" on a new BMW with manual.

[thopwood4]

Originally Posted by nepats81

I currently drive a 2018 F82 comp DCT. Finally ready to get into a G80 M3. I need 4 doors and life is going well.

When the G80 was announced I assumed I would just get the XDrive. At the time I lived in the northeast and liked the idea of the versatility. I also always went with auto bmws because I’ve been a city cat, always living in Boston or nyc .

Well now I live in palm beach county florida, and I’ve always been wanting the driving engagement of a manual transmission. I’m not in a congested city and work from home, so stop and go traffic is limited to my nights out or road trips. So the stars have aligned. Only problem is … I’ve never driven a manual.

Is the G80 too powerful of a car to learn manual on? Will I be a danger to everyone around me? Should I get a slow car to practice on first? Or is going with a 6MT just over rated , and maybe I should forget it and go xdrive.

Hoping for your guys thoughts and some sensible discussion on if it’s worth it for me to go down this road

Try and find an old VW golf or something to learn on. I’d assume the clutches on these aren’t the cheapest to repair. Welcome to the Manual Preservation Society!

[wtwo3]

I was in a somewhat similar situation (although I already knew how to drive manual prior to picking up the G80). I had owned nothing but automatic cars my entire life, and wanted the engagement of a manual - and the G80 seemed like one of my last opportunities to do so with a new car.

When I picked up my brand new G80 and started driving it... I thought I had made a mistake going with the manual. I was stalling it, the clutch the vague, the shifter was stiff and required force to get into each gear, and felt very rubbery. If I wasn't over the moon about getting one of my dream cars, I'm not sure I would have stuck with it.

Fast forward to today, 8,500 miles in. Boy am I glad I stuck with it. This car is better than ever. The clutch much more predictable, the shifter has loosened up and is so fun and easy to flick into gear, much of the rubberiness has gone and it feels significantly notchier than before. Now everytime I take it out it's an absolute joy.

I don't think it's "too powerful" to learn manual on. The s58 has a very linear (for a turbocharged motor) powerband, which aids in ease of determining when to shift. Plus you've got lots of nannies that can help you get comfortable - auto rev matching, hill assist, restart from stalling upon clutch press, etc. It's maybe not as forgiving of a transmission as a Honda, but once the car is broken in, it's a very easy manual car to drive.

All this is to say, I highly recommend going this route - I'm sure as hell glad I have.

[Prossx]

I’d argue that 0-60/stop light pulls are part of the fun of manuals - saying that ~ 3.8s is slow is a stretch; that was an F8x DCT 0-60 time just a few years ago. This RWD platform is astonishingly tractable. Sure, slower than what an XDrive can do: ~ 2.8s, but…the satisfaction of developing those launch skills and really feeling the engagement and dynamics of RWD is its own reward. Some us just aren’t all that satisfied with point and shoot driving.

And this isn’t one of those things where you can do a test drive and just know, many of us have been driving manuals for decades, having developed that muscle memory where you don’t have to think about driving a manual and can focus on the subtleties, nuances, and appreciate the impossibility of perfecting every manual technique. Its the journey, not the destination.

[vbb]

The only reason why I'd caution you against buying a manual is because you can't possibly know if you will enjoy it on a daily basis if you've never driven a manual before and jumping in to an expensive car to find out if it is for you might not make sense.

That said, for those of us that love manual transmissions, there's just no other way to have this car. It was a clear decision for me, but I've been driving manuals for over 25yrs and knew what I wanted.

[TopJimmy]

The manuals are wonderful. Rev-match makes it easy to learn. I taught my younger daughter on my F80.

Go have fun!

['Cane]

Former New Englander also here in Palm Beach, IMO, I’d listen to the people here that are saying try to find something else to learn on. Not sure learning to drive on brand new M3 is a wise idea.

[Bimmerfun82]

I’ve had both. Get the manual! Here are the pros and cons. And you can totally learn to drive a manual on this car. It’s probably the easiest manual to learn on - just leave it in efficient mode for a few thousand miles. Rev matching makes it a piece of cake. Hill hold control means no rolling backward. Won’t stall - too much power.

X drive
Pros: mind-bending, effortless speed. 3.1s to 60 with launch control and 3.8s without it. Great in the rain which Florida gets a lot. Better gas mileage. Lower RPMs on the interstate.
Cons: ZF8 is subpar to the DCT. Laggy downshifts and no ability to do what the DCT does so well with snappy and almost clutch-slipping upshift blips. Weird fake noises with the shifting too. Heavy car - about 200 lbs more than the manual.

Manual
Pros: engagement. Non-rushed enjoyment of each gear. Satisfying in all weather conditions. Lighter. Less expensive. Better/easier power delivery from a start than the F80 - improved torque curve and power delivery.
Cons: slippery when wet. Although that makes for some fun. Lower gas mileage. 2900 rpm at 80. (But not as bad as the F80 manual - and fake noise can be turned off.)

[Ashwin34]

I live in Boston and will be driving an MT G80 soon. Obviously having an X-Drive would be so much easier and practical, but to me the engagement of the manual was so much more important to me. Driving a manual in traffic can be annoying but when you truly love the car it won’t ever feel like a chore. Especially when you start modding the car’s exhaust, possible tunes, it will truly feel incredible when you row gears.

That’s not to say the AWD/Comp models aren’t engaging, because they are in their own right. That debate has been beaten over and over on the forums and I truly don’t believe there’s a superior version. They are both different cars with people who are looking for different things. But if you’re looking for engagement, you definitely cannot go wrong with the manual.

The way I see it, you will always have an opportunity to get an AWD/Auto M3 down the line. But this gen M3 will be the last manual. I’ve always went back and forth wondering if I should get the Comp X-Drive due to it being auto and having better performance, but every time I drive a manual I’m reminded why I’m itching for the 6MT so badly.

There are people who can’t drive the manual due to health issues or preferring the ease of the automatic, and those are very valid reasons. I’m 23 and have been fortunate enough to be in good health and luckily my patience hasn’t worn thin yet from driving to work in the Boston traffic.

Like others have said, I’d recommend learning it before purchasing so that you can see if it’s for you. My friend purchased a 6MT Integra before knowing how to drive manual but is now a natural MT driver and is in love with manuals. So it definitely is possible, but you’re going to have to be patient and eager to learn.

TLDR; they are both wonderful cars, but if you’re looking for pure engagement I definitely vote going for the manual.

My thoughts were definitely super unorganized in this post but hopefully was able to share my perspective!

[2011ninja]

Originally Posted by SwankPeRFection

I know there’s people out there who never ride bikes and went out and bought a liter bike with everyone saying they’ll kill themselves and it was fine because they weren’t stupid and had respect and a love for the bike, so they stuck with it and they also didn’t waste money on some lesser shit they really didn’t want, but it’s because of who they were.

.

[deosaa9]

I bought my manual M2 without ever having driven manual before. I took one lesson where I stalled at the car bunch of times, and the person gave me. The lesson was worried for me. Same thing when I picked up the BMW I stalled it out a few times and then something clicked and I drove it home 3500 miles. I am very grateful for that experience, and it led me to place an order for a 6 speed G80.

[Ezra168]

Originally Posted by Prossx

I’d argue that 0-60/stop light pulls are part of the fun of manuals - saying that ~ 3.8s is slow is a stretch; that was an F8x DCT 0-60 time just a few years ago. This RWD platform is astonishingly tractable. Sure, slower than what an XDrive can do: ~ 2.8s, but…the satisfaction of developing those launch skills and really feeling the engagement and dynamics of RWD is its own reward. Some us just aren’t all that satisfied with point and shoot driving.

And this isn’t one of those things where you can do a test drive and just know, many of us have been driving manuals for decades, having developed that muscle memory where you don’t have to think about driving a manual and can focus on the subtleties, nuances, and appreciate the impossibility of perfecting every manual technique. Its the journey, not the destination.

Absolutely spot on! I've been driving a manual car for 24 years, and let me tell you, there's simply nothing that compares to the experience!

Recently, I found myself in a discussion with a friend who's all about the Tesla for its speed. He just can't grasp why anyone wouldn't opt for the "fastest car" available.

As Prossx rightfully pointed out, it's a real challenge to explain the magic of driving a manual to those who solely rely on numbers and logic. For those who haven't had the pleasure of maneuvering a manual or haven't done so regularly enough to feel at ease, it's tough to convey the essence of what makes it special. It's like the difference between being driven and truly driving. In a world where everything is becoming more automated, more efficient, and increasingly detached from reality, why not embrace the authenticity of manual driving?

Consider the opportunity to explore something new with a manual transmission! Sure, if it's going to be your everyday ride, it's worth pausing to consider whether the effort to learn is worth it. But if you're eyeing M cars, chances are you're someone who truly appreciates the art of driving and is willing to invest the time and care it deserves.

So why not take the leap into the world of manuals and experience driving in its purest form? It's a decision that could redefine your relationship with driving and add a whole new dimension of joy to your automotive journey.


#savethemanuals

[rak299]

It is much easier to learn to drive a manual on a G80 than on a beater. The car is very forgiving if you are in the wrong gear, and it will auto-start if you kill it at a traffic light. I also think it is easier to drive a manual on a RWD car; I find the clutch on most FWD cars "grabby". (is that a word?)

[G80indy]

“Well now I live in palm beach county florida, and I’ve always been wanting the driving engagement of a manual transmission. I’m not in a congested city and work from home, so stop and go traffic is limited to my nights out or road trips. So the stars have aligned.”

You answered your own question

Learn 6 speed.

[CanesM4]

Originally Posted by nepats81

I currently drive a 2018 F82 comp DCT. Finally ready to get into a G80 M3. I need 4 doors and life is going well.

When the G80 was announced I assumed I would just get the XDrive. At the time I lived in the northeast and liked the idea of the versatility. I also always went with auto bmws because I’ve been a city cat, always living in Boston or nyc .

Well now I live in palm beach county florida, and I’ve always been wanting the driving engagement of a manual transmission. I’m not in a congested city and work from home, so stop and go traffic is limited to my nights out or road trips. So the stars have aligned. Only problem is … I’ve never driven a manual.

Is the G80 too powerful of a car to learn manual on? Will I be a danger to everyone around me? Should I get a slow car to practice on first? Or is going with a 6MT just over rated , and maybe I should forget it and go xdrive.

Hoping for your guys thoughts and some sensible discussion on if it’s worth it for me to go down this road

It'll take you about 10 Minutes to learn how to drive a manual. Get the 6 speed