scm319

I've been a M-car fan since I was a teenager and have driven a manual tranny for the last 12 years. I currently drive a '03 M3 and before that was a '97 M3 coupe... both manual transmissions.

Now the folks on the M3 boards are trashing the C63 (its heavy as a truck, no third pedal, looks too ricey, etc...) even more feverishly than you guys trash the M3. As for me... I have ZERO loyalty for BMW, I hate the stuck up sales people and they just give the impression that they could care less if they had me as a customer or not. I'm not a fan of "brands" just a fan of fun cars... and over the last few years the M3 just has been my personal preference.

That being said, who cars about 2/10th's around the "ring"???? What I care about is real world driving and what car will bring me the most satisfaction. My ONLY hesitation with the C63 is the slush box. I personally get great satisfaction when hitting a perfect heel-toe downshift, slamming through the gears full throttle, etc...

SO FINALLY MY QUESTION
Were any of you guys disappointed moving from a manual to an auto box? Did you lose any driver satisfaction? Does the bump in hp make up for it all???

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

esport

Dump the M3 and join us to a real driving experiance.

It is simply just Floor the b*tch and you will see how much fun there is in driving this beast.

B.E.R.U.A.N.G

ya, i understand how you feel...I used to love the manual tranny from Evo8, 9, and the SMG is blown me away...and now the speedshift is my new fav...since it got the throtle blip too...I love manual so I can do a rev-match...but, the C63 had it now...that's why I was eager to drive it...and it's suited my preference

Hans Delbruck

Exactly. I'm a car fan like you, not a one-brand-blinders-on fanboy. I've owned a lot of different brands, and they are all great cars in their own way.

I too, have driven only manual trans cars all my driving years (almost double yours... guess i'm old ) and the C63 is the only automatic in our "stable" of cars. Owning an auto is strange at first. I feel a bit awkward working the "shifter" from "P" to "R".... seriously. The inability to have immediate control is odd too... I always want to know what gear I'm in, do other drivers of automatics worry about this stuff? I do, because that's how I drive. I want to know where I'm at in the powerband, and what my options are up and down.... I don't know that unless I know what gear I'm in. I wonder if this is only because I'm a manual driver by nature.... ANYHOW... the AMG has a very clear gear readout so I usually drive with that on the display. I think there is a bit of "getting over it" .. "it" being the immediate control and sense you get with a manual. You don't have that with any autobox, even the new M3's DCT. But, after a few days in it... trust me, you will get over it and learn a new way of driving... the "auto" way. The tranny in the C63 is EXCELLENT and fits the character of the car. This car would suck with an MT IMO. That's not what this car is about. And that's another place where we agree.... 2/10ths on the track? Riiiiight. In my experience, most drivers who choose to take either of these cars on the track... well, if they choose a heavy street car for the track... that tells me... they're probably not very good drivers. So good luck to those guys who think they'll be faster around the track in an M3. Their own skills are going to limit that. There are always exceptions though and I think there's a guy here who tracks his C32 or C55 and schools those M-cars quite well.

I'm going to try to get some videos up soon that show how the car shifts and how it sounds. IT IS INCREDIBLE. When you full-throttle it, and let the car shift at redline, the shift is so fast and so crisp... it sounds soooo good. The blipping on the downshifts are sweet as well.

You have a great-looking M3. Don't listen to the punks on the M3 board. They're just scared. That's what happens when you get "outgunned"

scm319

Thanks for the thoughtful response! I'm still sitting on the fence but my butt is steadily sliding toward the AMG side of the fence And to be honest... half the reason I'm so enamored with the C63 if that f****** exhaust at full bore! WHOA!!!

And I just don't "see" myself in the E90 OR E92 M3... just seems so tame compared to the C63.

HoustonRider

I drove the new M3 standard tranny, i wasn't impressed. The autos now (especially the MB ) shift so fast, manual is a futile effort.

yaymitch

I too have driven nothing but manuals. I have never had an automatic except for my wife's cars. Hans, I can certainly understand when you say you want to know what gear you are in. I always love the fact that I have full control with the manual trans and don't even have to look to see what gear the car is in. My last three cars have been BMW's, two of them M3's and when the new M3 came out, I was unimpressed. I have a C63 on order and cannot wait. I was able to sit in one and start it up and was sold. I think for those of us that will rarely if ever take our cars to the track the C63 will be a far better choice because of the fun factor alone.

2MANYCARS

I moved from my 335i 6-SPD to my SLK55. The BMW shifter was quite smooth, but it was too vague for my taste. On the other hand, I think the new speed shift program in both my SLK & wife's C63 are much faster than what AMG used to offer in older models.

kimiFan

I have to agree with all the previous comments. I have owned manual transmissions my whole driving life. This is my first automatic I have ever owned.

It does feel funny, and does take a lttle getting used to. And as one member responded saying "a manual tranny just wouldn't make sense in the C63, it's just not a good fit". He is correct.

There is some fun to be had with the auto tranny, especially in manual mode, it may not be as fully gratifying as a true stick shift, but there certainly is driving involved.

To me, the paddle shifting takes more concentration, but maybe that's because the power comes so fast & furious that you have to be on your toes going up & down through the gears.

Or maybe it's just because it's new to me, and it's not like 2nd nature yet.

The E46 with stick, was certainly fun to drive, but sometimes in traffic, I have to admit it was tiresome. Maybe I'm just getting old and soft, but I certainly do enjoy this C63 and the way it's set up. I still haven't quite kicked the Sh** out of it yet, still under the 1k mark.

The way I see it you kinda have the best of both worlds, you can cruise around in C or S mode, and if you want to be more involved you can rip it up in manual mode. And when it comes to stop & go traffic you'll be glad you have the option, As I've said in previous threads, it's like comparing apples to oranges. They are two different animals, they both have their strengths & weaknesses.

For my money, right now, pound for pound, dollar for dollar, out on the street, Ill take the C63 everytime.

And, Ah Yes!!! The exhaust note!!!! Nuf said