[Robin_NL]

Originally Posted by Nine Lives

Do you not use two feet to modulate when in reverse ?

I could try that. Thanks.

Left foot braking get's a whole new definition

Cheers
Robin

[TMP]

M135i a a great 7/10ths car, has a fabulous drivetrain (n55 and ZF8) and is a bargain. Never liked it's looks though. M235i sorts that.

M2 better by far as a drivers car (the other 3/10ths or even just chilling you notice it) with the feedback and balance it has. DCT is that faster, more mechanical but maybe not as smooth at Lower speeds / reverse as mentioned. Of course M2 is not a bargain.

[Arcanum-UK]

While I love the M2, I wish BMW would build a full-fat M version of the M135i. Unfortunately BMW seem to have an aversion to hot-hatches which is a shame given that both of their German rivals have offerings. Though it probably wouldn't sell that well outside of Europe (and maybe Australia) where 5-door hatch practicality and high-performance are well regarded.

I can't bring myself to buy an RS3 or A45 AMG so the best hope is that BMW build an M2 GC eventually (though probably not).

[DECVING]

I had an auto MY13 M135i and have a DCT M2 on order (gets built in a few weeks!).

I had been waiting for the M2 to come out and always had the thought that it wouldn't be that different to the M135i......so I got news the M2 was ready for a test drive at the local BMW dealership...so i headed there for a drive and can remember driving there thinking to myself..."how different can it really be?"..."there's no way it will be worth forking out an extra 60K to change over"....anyway, I drove the M2, and yeah, my M135i is gone and my M2 gets built in a few weeks!

To be honest, the M2 to me gave more of a differing impression to my M135i than the M3 and M4 did...don't know what it was, could be as simple as the slightly louder sound, or it could just be better, not sure...

[Alpine*]

MDT, thought you were rollin a 125?

[WAY]

Clearly MDT you have no idea. How can you not know that the 8 speed ZF is an auto gearbox after 3 years of using it daily? And secondly, all autos have a clutch. What do you think is inside the torque converter? How else would a transmission connect to an engine if it doesn't have a clutch? The difference between a dual clutch and a true auto isn't that an auto doesn't have a clutch. Maybe you should do a search on Wikipedia. I hear you are very good at using Wikipedia and that is what you do all day for your work.

[WAY]

Originally Posted by Alpine*

MDT, thought you were rollin a 125?

Judging by this thread I think he should just get a 116d.

[mdt]

Originally Posted by TMP

M135i a a great 7/10ths car, has a fabulous drivetrain (n55 and ZF8) and is a bargain. Never liked it's looks though. M235i sorts that.

M2 better by far as a drivers car (the other 3/10ths or even just chilling you notice it) with the feedback and balance it has. DCT is that faster, more mechanical but maybe not as smooth at Lower speeds / reverse as mentioned. Of course M2 is not a bargain.

Originally Posted by DECVING

I had an auto MY13 M135i and have a DCT M2 on order (gets built in a few weeks!).

I had been waiting for the M2 to come out and always had the thought that it wouldn't be that different to the M135i......so I got news the M2 was ready for a test drive at the local BMW dealership...so i headed there for a drive and can remember driving there thinking to myself..."how different can it really be?"..."there's no way it will be worth forking out an extra 60K to change over"....anyway, I drove the M2, and yeah, my M135i is gone and my M2 gets built in a few weeks!

To be honest, the M2 to me gave more of a differing impression to my M135i than the M3 and M4 did...don't know what it was, could be as simple as the slightly louder sound, or it could just be better, not sure...

Excellent, thanks.

And Itchy Waynus. Piss off.

[ajvdh]

Originally Posted by WAY

Clearly MDT you have no idea. How can you not know that the 8 speed ZF is an auto gearbox after 3 years of using it daily? And secondly, all autos have a clutch. What do you think is inside the torque converter? How else would a transmission connect to an engine if it doesn't have a clutch? The difference between a dual clutch and a true auto isn't that an auto doesn't have a clutch. Maybe you should do a search on Wikipedia. I hear you are very good at using Wikipedia and that is what you do all day for your work.

No, automatics don't have to have a clutch. The torque converter can transfer all the power from the engine to the planetary gearset, albeit with some slippage. Adding a lockup clutch increases efficiency by eliminating slippage, and so are close to universal nowadays. However, automatics were built for decades without them. The "clutches" referred to in the picture of the ZF above aren't for power transfer, they're used to lock various elements of the planetary gearsets in order to change gear ratios.

Back to the 8-speed ZF vs. the DCT: I had a ZF 8-speed in my 228i (first automatic transmission car I've owned in over 40 years of driving), and I have the DCT in my M2. IMO, there are a couple of things the ZF did better, and they've been covered above (e.g. delay going between 1 and R). But, again IMO, in every other way, the DCT is better. It feels smoother in 'comfort' mode than the ZF. If you're driving with any kind of enthusiasm, it shifts quicker, and more positively than the ZF. The lockup in the ZFs torque converter is programmed well, but once in a while, I still felt that "rubber band" feeling one gets with a torque converter.

The trick is to remember that it's not an automatic in the traditional sense. It won't like you dragging the brake in traffic, and it won't start rolling when you take your foot off the brake. Treat it as a manual that doesn't have a clutch pedal, and you'll do fine.

[koastal]

Originally Posted by WAY

Clearly MDT you have no idea. How can you not know that the 8 speed ZF is an auto gearbox after 3 years of using it daily? And secondly, all autos have a clutch. What do you think is inside the torque converter? How else would a transmission connect to an engine if it doesn't have a clutch? The difference between a dual clutch and a true auto isn't that an auto doesn't have a clutch. Maybe you should do a search on Wikipedia. I hear you are very good at using Wikipedia and that is what you do all day for your work.

Clutch in an auto yeah /nah
-back to wikipedia for you and a 116

[WAY]

Lol. Don't believe everything you read on Wikipedia. As I said above, there IS a clutch as part of the torque converter. Here is a quote from yourmechanic.com:
"The torque converter contains a turbine, an impeller, a stator, and a lock-up clutch (so there you go – your automatic transmission DOES contain a clutch)"

So who's buying a 116i with Matthew? Lol. Btw, the only fast car he deserved is his mum's purple Golf.

[WAY]

Originally Posted by ajvdh

No, automatics don't have to have a clutch. The torque converter can transfer all the power from the engine to the planetary gearset, albeit with some slippage. Adding a lockup clutch increases efficiency by eliminating slippage, and so are close to universal nowadays. However, automatics were built for decades without them. The "clutches" referred to in the picture of the ZF above aren't for power transfer, they're used to lock various elements of the planetary gearsets in order to change gear ratios.

Agreed. But nowadays they are all built with lockup clutch because of efficiency gains. Just like you don't need to change gears with a clutch in manual either if you get the revs right but who drives like that?

[Coulson T]

I had a 2011 135is with DCT and it was a blast on the track and flawless on the road. I'm looking forward to my MG M2 with DCT...I never had any problems with the 135 and hope not to have any with the new car........