One of the biggest debates that are still going on online is what kind of transmission you should go for on your brand new M4. Considering that you can afford not only the car but also a couple of optional features for it (such as the 7-speed DCT gearbox that is not cheap, by the way) which one would you go for?
The answer will drastically vary online depending on who you ask. Of course, there will always be those guys out there that simply ‘can’t drive’ this car without a third pedal. I guess everyone’s entitled to their opinion but from our own experience, we can definitely confirm that the DCT is a lot of fun nonetheless.
Nick Murray decided to solve this issue and help you find an easy answer by simply using his car (a DCT M4) and one of his friends’ (a manual M4). That’s how the video below came to life.
There are a couple of important things you should know about the two types of transmission before watching the video, though. The manual gearbox is lighter and costs $2,900 less. It will give you worse mpg numbers, though, shifts slower and makes your car around 0.2 seconds slower in straight up drag races. Furthermore, you will also have to change gears manually all the time, including in heavy traffic.
The DCT is the heavier option as you probably guessed already and costs more. However, it’s a brilliant piece of engineering and allows you not only to change gears faster but actually to select how violent and fast they are, to make sure that a comfortable ride is attainable. As far as the mpg numbers go, the advantage of the dual-clutch isn’t all that great in the first place. Oh, and you also get launch control that's worth a lot for some people.
The biggest issue though, if you’re to ask us, is that even though a lot of people claim that only the manual transmission is the one to have because it offers more involvement, few of them actually order it. In Europe, nearly 90 percent of all M3s and M4s are sold with the DCT option and the US makes up for it a little more with a 70-30 split. Even so, that’s not enough for BMW to keep it alive.
As a matter of fact, the future M5 will drop the manual transmission altogether according to recent info, mostly because of the extremely low demand. At the moment, it’s also the only car in its segment to offer such an option.
So what did the guys have to say about the two transmission options? Well, Sam, the owner of the manual M4, found the DCT a lot smoother and faster, with an impressive bang on the upshifts. As for Nick, as we expected, he was delighted about how engaging the manual gearbox was. That’s about it; it’s a matter of personal choice.
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