[M49er]

Manual or Automatic M4

I just placed an order for a MY24 G82 with the 6 speed manual, and I’m starting to wonder if I made the wrong decision. I test drove a competition a couple weeks before I placed an order and I had a lot of fun in it. Torque felt great in any gear and it was insanely fast. No dealer near me has a manual in stock that I could test drive so I had to place an order for the manual without actually trying it. Now I don’t plan on tracking this car, which is why I’m not too worried about the difference in the hp and torque between the base and comp. Although I do wonder what difference that makes even when driving on the street. I have not owned a manual car in the past, but I have driven my friends’ in the past, so this would be my first to learn on. People’s opinion regarding the manual transmission in the g8x is all over the place. Some feel that it has improved from previous generations and it makes the car more enjoyable whereas others argue that the rubbery shifter was just an afterthought in production and that the car is engineered to suit the competition trim. I want this car for pure fun and enjoyment which is why I was leaning towards the manual, but the more I keep researching on these forums, the more it seems like the manual is just an option for older enthusiasts who have driven manuals their whole lives and wouldn’t buy a car like this without it. I’m pretty young and I enjoy driving so I’m willing to learn how to drive the manual. I wouldn’t be clueless on how to drive it, as I do know the basics and I’m sure i’d get better with practice. However, I fear that I won’t be able to get the most out of the car, especially in the beginning, with the manual. With that being said, I wonder if i’ll be missing out on anything if I just get the competition. My question is, as someone who hasn’t really driven a manual before, but enjoys driving, should I get the base or competiton model m4?

[Gfit]

Oh no

[albion991]

I'm a very young owner who has the manual – and I was in the same boat as you.

A few years back, I had bought a manual 2015 Golf TDI as a beater and it was an absolute blast to drive, lots of torque for a tiny, light car and the gearbox was great.

When I first drove the M3, my only gripe was the weird, up top grab of the clutch pedal. I like the stock throw and behavior of the shifter. It took me a few hundred miles to truly get used to the pedal, but then again, this is a car with over double the hp/tq. It's a good gearbox, but I haven't driven any other brands manual offerings either.

I traded in an M850i for this M3 simply for the daily fun factor. The 8 is pure speed but that got boring fast. The ownership experience of the manual has been nothing short of rewarding and engaging every single day. I have another fun car on the way that is DCT/auto, which was another reason I got the manual as well.

I think you will enjoy keeping the manual, but in this car – you can't go wrong either way.

[Tall Tom Cruise]

OP, while this topic has been absolutely beaten to a pulp... I'll opine.

I did not really know how to drive stick prior to picking up my g80. I practiced in a parking lot once about 3 years prior, but was still horrible. That said, on delivery day, I drove it home no problem. I only stalled 4 times over the course of my first 6 months with the car. I'm in my mid 20's.

The MT is incredibly easy to drive. There's auto rev matching, hill assist, and the car automatically starts right back up if you stall. I had ZERO issue driving it off the lot and to and from work the next few months as I learned. But it took me a solid 4-5 months before I could REALLY bang gears WOT perfectly.

You said you want fun and enjoyment. This means getting the MT. I drove the ZF8 and while it was noticeably quicker and torque-ier, in those 15 minutes in the car I could easy envision myself getting bored of it on my daily commute. If it was a DCT instead, it wouldn't get boring since that transmission has character and is super fun (I used to have a f82 w/ dct).

Plus as tuning options become easier to get, you can always throw the competition tune on it down the road. I plan on doing this for a few weeks and feeling it out. Then I'll likely go the route of upgrading the clutch, and going full stage 2 at some point.

Lastly, I threw on a short shifter kit, did the CDV delete, and removed the helper spring on the clutch. It's perfect now

[BGM-M3COMP]

This won’t end well lol

Manual if you want the last of its kind, more engaging.

Competition if you just want the fastest variant with xdrive.

[vj123]

This topic has been beaten to death several times in the past and it narrows down to personal preference. You will find plenty of threads with a similar discussion if you use the search function.

Before mods lock this thread, what do i eat for lunch: pizza or pasta.

[MisterGoober]

If you want automatic, there are plenty of other fast cars to scratch that itch, not to mention electric if we're talking about pure straight-line acceleration.

If we look at performance vehicles that still have a manual? There are very few:
Civic Type R, Golf R, Mustang/Camaro, WRX in the "entry level"
Cadillac Blackwings, M2/M3/M4, Porsche in the luxury level.

The list gets smaller every year. If you don't like the manual, you could lose a bit of money and trade it in against some other automatic vehicle. Going the other way might be tougher.

[bri1042]

Originally Posted by vj123

This topic has been beaten to death several times in the past and it narrows down to personal preference. You will find plenty of threads with a similar discussion if you use the search function.

Before mods lock this thread, what do i eat for lunch: pizza or pasta.

Fish, of course.

[wavyyyy]

I don’t know how to drive manual pretty much at all. Just YouTube videos. I have to drive it home for 3 hours from the dealer when I eventually pick it up. I’m excited to learn something new.

If we don’t like it it’ll be relatively easy to sell and pick up a comp.

[TJR_///M3]

It really depends on whether you are going with the carbon bucket seats…

Sorry - couldn’t resist

[LuckyBrand]

Originally Posted by BGM-M3COMP

This won’t end well lol

Manual if you want the last of its kind, more engaging.

Competition if you just want the fastest variant with xdrive.

Pretty much what he said.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by vj123

Before mods lock this thread, what do i eat for lunch: pizza or pasta.

Pizza is ALWAYS the answer

[Humdizzle]

go drive any manual f8x m2, m3, m4 sitting on a dealer lot. the transmission is pretty much a carry over and 10+ years old.

you sound like you're under 20. this is a powerful car. the last thing you want while driving is juggling a new task like driving a manual while the stereo is up and friends are egging you on to go faster.

i'd recommend a comp xdrive auto

[vbb]

Originally Posted by Gfit

Oh no

I literally said that out loud upon reading the title of this thread.

[vbb]

But to answer the question, I have the 6MT and did not even consider buying this car any other way...however I do not feel compelled in the slightest to try and convince anyone to do what I did. You do you.

[madpistol]

Are you tracking it? Manual.
Are you not tracking it? Manual.

/thread

[Jim B]

All of us had no previous experience driving manuals the first time we tried. I was young when I drove a manual the first time, in a friend's 1963 VW Beetle way back when I was in high school. Once I got the hang of it, I was hooked I bought my first new car back in 1969 when I graduated from college, a new Mercury Cougar with 4-speed manual. I've never owned a car with an automatic transmission ever since, including my current G82 M4. As far as I'm concerned, a manual is the best way to enjoy driving, and forced you to pay more attention the road and conditions around you. The days, a manual transmission also tends to discourage car thieves and car jackers, most of whom never learned to drive a stick. As soon that they discover that the car they were going to steal has a manual transmission they will usually move on the another car with an automatic.


Save the manuals!!

[astroricardo]

If you want AWD-ish, get the Comp xDrive. The comment about 'getting the manual and unload it later...', the manuals seem to be harder to unload.

My suggestion if you do go manual, order the manual and get some manual shitbox you can practice on until it shows up. I would not be 'learning to drive manual' in my new 85-90K M3/M4.

[true_grit]

Just keep it away from the kid with the bike…

[flsupraguy]

Manual because auto is for pussy's

[Aalfred]

Ive driven manuals when I was young and have driven automatic in my adult years (Im only 42 now..lol) I have the 23 M3Cx and have used it in AT for the majority of my drives. Granted, I havent had a good stretch of road or highway driving where I could tests the limits of the car but I feel like this "Huge difference in fun" between AT and MT is overblown. The M3Cx has AWD, RWD option, AT and MT mode with paddle shifters. Short of a clutch pedal and the physical use of ur hands to move the stick shift vs the paddles, you arent missing out on fun here. You can put ur AT in MT mode and use the paddles and have the same experience of driving in MT (without the clutch) and still have fun. Last time I checked F1 cars didnt come with clutches and use paddle shifters. If you are using this as a daily and not used to MT, then it makes more sense to go with the AT. The "pay more attention to the road" is also subjective. I mean, if you are texting and driving then yeah, but Im hoping u r sensible enough to avoid these and in this day and age of speech to text etc, u dont need both hands to drive. So if you want a jack of all trades, go with the M3Cx. Put it in RWD and MT mode and use the paddles shifters to get ur adrenaline rush and then use the AT for ur "mundane" drives. You arent missing a lot here. Its all personal preference and what you plan on doing with ur car. The #save the manuals is more for a cry of help. I dont miss driving a manual and Im moving on with the sign of the times. Good luck !!!

[bri1042]

Again, this is the problem with asking this question. I wholeheartedly support Aalfred feeling the way he feels about his car and his reasons for not picking the other option, and wholeheartedly disagree with nearly everything he said.

That could be the source of an endless run of arguments and sniping at each other, which would be pointless and probably mean at some point. He's not wrong and neither am I.

The OP needs to make his own choice. My reasons, Aalfred's, and everyone else's are not going to make the OP happy with his car.