2004 330ci SMG
- Thread starter Tchen811
- Start date
The 330Ci has SMG available on it. It is fairly simple to use and actually quite fun once you get the hang of it. I drove an M3 Convertible with SMG once...the paddle shifters are great. I felt the performance in auto mode was terribly sluggish, though....very lazy to upshift and it wasn't downshifting in time, either. But that is just my personal experience and I am sure that if I owned a BMW with SMG, I would be able to make much better use of it.
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I've driven my friends Z4 with SMG and its a mixed review. You definitely 100% get alot more control out of a manual and I easily take his 2.5i in my 328Ci because my shifts are much quicker. Even in sport mode there is still a noticeable lag and a rather large kick when shifting gears. The other thing is that I have no idea how to do a burn out with SMG. Get the wheels spinning and take off in first, Im not sure if thats possible even with SMG II but everyone I know with an M3 has manual.
Personally I would just recommend the manual over the SMG.
Personally I would just recommend the manual over the SMG.
![[:(]](/images/smilies/frown.png "Frown [:(]")
Thats alright, I got my car without being able to drive it. I had my brother drive it from NJ into Brooklyn, NY for me. It takes about 1 week or so to get a handle of the manual so that you are driving by yourself. The first month is a bit rough, but after that it comes quite naturally and I dont think you will regret it. The only time you may is in traffic, and through all of the gridlock I have been in, I still havent regretted getting a manual.
If your even considering the automatic, you should probably get one. The SMG is not a smooth ride, if your in it for all performance I would take the SMG over the Auto, but a manual over all. If your in it for comfort and convenience, there is no substitute for an automatic in my opinion. Everybody likes different things, so like I said before, go drive one.
![[rofl]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_rofl.gif "ROFL [rofl]"){kind=icon}
I just took delivery of my 2004 330Ci w/ SMG...So far I think the SMG is great. I've never had a manual before so I thought this would be a great middle ground. People say the SMG is not smooth, but the people that have driven with me in mine say it's as smooth as an automatic; they would never know it's a manual underneath. I think a lot of people driving the SMG drive it like an automatic and just press the pedal down through the gear shifts. If you feather the pedal during gear shift just like in a manual you can make it smooth as auto. I think my next car will be a manual for sure. The SMG has been a great middle ground, letting me have some of the fun of a manual without a lot of the hassles. By the time I'm done with this car I'll be ready for a true 6-speed.
Seems to be a wide variety of experience with this one. Here's my impressions. I've test driven the SMG II in a 2002 M3, the SMG in a Z4, and the steptronic in several late 330i's.
* Steptronic has a slight pause between when you ask it to shift and when it shifts. With both SMGs, the shift is immediate.
* There is a bit of skill involved in getting auto-smooth shifts from an SMG, but when you get familiar with it the shifts are even smoother than a manual because of the way the computer feathers the throttle.
* Reviews I've seen in Bimmer are very positive.
* I've driven manual most of my life, and SMG is much better at shifting than I was at my best.
*SMG and manual feel much better to me in spirited driving because you don't get that "hunting" of RPM when you ease off the throttle. This makes throttle response much more immediate, and gives you control of weight transfer that is very tough to achieve with auto.
* According to my local BMW dealer, M3 is selling about 80% SMG. I believe that as people get more familiar with it, it will become the tranny of choice for us Ultimate Driving Machine types.
* SMG is just fine in stop-and-go traffic.
* YOU CAN NEVER BLOW AN ENGINE WITH AN UNINTENDED DOWNSHIFT WITH SMG!!
Bottom line, I'm totally in love with SMG. I'm currently scheming to buy a new 330 just on the strength of the SMG.
Have fun!
* Steptronic has a slight pause between when you ask it to shift and when it shifts. With both SMGs, the shift is immediate.
* There is a bit of skill involved in getting auto-smooth shifts from an SMG, but when you get familiar with it the shifts are even smoother than a manual because of the way the computer feathers the throttle.
* Reviews I've seen in Bimmer are very positive.
* I've driven manual most of my life, and SMG is much better at shifting than I was at my best.
*SMG and manual feel much better to me in spirited driving because you don't get that "hunting" of RPM when you ease off the throttle. This makes throttle response much more immediate, and gives you control of weight transfer that is very tough to achieve with auto.
* According to my local BMW dealer, M3 is selling about 80% SMG. I believe that as people get more familiar with it, it will become the tranny of choice for us Ultimate Driving Machine types.
* SMG is just fine in stop-and-go traffic.
* YOU CAN NEVER BLOW AN ENGINE WITH AN UNINTENDED DOWNSHIFT WITH SMG!!
Bottom line, I'm totally in love with SMG. I'm currently scheming to buy a new 330 just on the strength of the SMG.
Have fun!