ajl210

wanted to know what thoughts were of the smg transmission. i still can't seem to get a test drive. the smg is my biggest concern, the magazines all seem to complain about it, mostly in auto mode. one guy at my gym who has one swears the smg is the best part of the car especially in manual. if i liked the tranny this would probably be my next car.

dragonAMG

I've driven the new M6 and I have one thing to say... that tranny is AWESOME!!!! It feels and sounds like a manual. In fact, if you were sitting on a hill with your foot off the brake, you would roll backwards... it's as close to a manual as you can get.

If the E55 had that tranny it would be the PERFECT family car!!!!! IMHO of course.

chiromikey

i've spent quite a bit of time in the e60 m5. imho, the smg is very nice if you expect it to behave more like a manual than an auto. what most people don't realize is that you don't have to be going all out to set the auto mode to the quicker shift settings. this prevents the huge shift lag and it won't jerk you around if you're not deep into the throttle. in the more docile shift modes the shift time is VERY long and annoying. it's also quite annoying if you give enough gas for the tranny to decide to downshift...this takes forever. i found that if i always kept the tranny in at least s5 (the highest setting you can use without being in p500 mode) shifts were great for mundane driving and downshifts were much quicker. even in p500 s6 mode, if you're not on the throttle the car can be driven as smooth any auto.

smg downshifting in manual mode is awesome. it's like that perfect 1 out of 20 heal/toes i can do, except every single time.

with that said, i quickly found myself missing the manual of the e39 m5 regardless of how much better the smg is. keep in mind that smg's are getting a reputation for problems so that's something to think about also.

2MANYCARS

Have an M6 myself, all I can say about the SMG is like others, AWESOME!! Don't even bother with D mode, completely useless, I always drive it in P500 w/ S4 mode, haven't tried driving it in P500S w/ S6 because the car is not broken in yet, but S4 is good enough for now, and to master the SMG, it takes sometime. Key to smooth shifting it is upshift, lift off gas pedal a little, then onto the gas again. Timing for these three steps is the key to smoothness. Do your best to schedule a test drive and try to do these steps, and you are probably sold right on spot.

derrick_lui

I always drive my gf's m5. The SMG is definitely not like an auto, but more of a manual. Just dont put it in M-mode with the setting at "6", then its fine. Also if you are not flooring the car and shifting gears at 8000 rpm, the car wont jerk hard.

Putting it in M mode at setting 6 and shifting at 8000rpm will cause complaints from passengers, guarenteed.

a note on the downshift....AMG's Speedshift definitely downshifts faster than the SMG pr....but upshift...SMG wins big...

mbbodytech

I haven't driven one myself, but did get a ride in one at the BMW Performance Center in SC. What a car! The factory driver took the first part of the lap for speed and drifted the last part of the lap. Unbelievable!

Leaving the "pit" that car stepped sideways with every shift, and I haven't been in any benz that does that not even the SL 65 I drove. Awesome car!

evoviiiyou

My biz. partner has a new M5 and I have a E55. I had a chance to drive both cars on a long trip and also at the drag strip. I like the SMG on the M for the following reasons: Quick shifts in M mode, head snapping sensation, and sport feeling(this makes this sedan feel like a formula one race car). What I do like about it: It is a lot of work when you have phone going and navigation running. For city driving I prefer the E55...but for my weekend ride SMG is bad to the bone.

medici78

I think the M5 is a great car if you have to have an all-in-one vehicle. The difference between the M5 and E55 is that the M5 is a 4-door-sports car and the E55 is a muscle car. I already have another car for sporting intentions so the E55 is a better fit for me.

chiromikey

EXACTLY! for people that understand the difference, there is no better way to describe it.

Lysholm Master

Interesting discussion. My month old to me '05 E55 is my very first ever Mercedes, following a steady nineteen year diet of BMW M cars that include in order of ownership (with multiple cars at various times): E28 M5, E24 M6, E34 M5 (both Euro 3.8L and US spec), and some 850CSi's (three, sold last one in order to buy E55).

Needless to say, my original plan was to move into an E60 M5. But several things convinced me not to buy one. First and foremost, I couldn't convince myself to like the appearance of the car. For my taste, I find the E60 five series just ugly, and particularly depise the headlight and tail lights. I also found the interior quality several notches below the quality level of the other BMW's I had owned in the past. Cheesey plastic and too much of it. And then there was the love/hate thing with the SMG. The SMG has two negative issues - first, it's not user friendly for daily commuting, which is the vast majority of my driving. And thus far, it's been horribly unreliable. I read of too many owners already being on their second and third transmissions. Not what I need. Finally, there's no doubt the V10 is a truly awesome engine, but as many have already noted, it's a HP engine, not a torque engine. When I'm creeping along at 15 mph in my commute, revving to 8,000 rpm is worthless.

The E55, OTOH, is the perfect combination of style, power and luxury. I found it to be vastly more stylish and attractive than an E60 M5. The transmission is faultless for the type of driving I do, and the engine performance is beyond reproach. What more could you ask for? So I left the BMW fold, mainly because their current generation of BMW M cars are just ugly, and because the E55 best suited my needs.

I've tracked a bunch of my former cars in the day, and there's no way either an E60 M5 or for that matter, an E55 are worthy track cars. On the track, physics rules, and if the car weighs too much, it's no joy to drive.

So I am loving my E55, and much to my surprise, have had zero second thoughts about the choice I made. Maybe someday I will buy another M car, but they will need to be much better looking than the current generation. As with all else in life, YMMV.

eLTURCOamg

the m5 is amazing on the twisties

MRichmond

I have had an E60 M5 for over a year, have driven nearly 15,000 miles, and have not experienced a single SMG problem. Many of the comments above about the transmission are accurate:

(1) Do NOT expect it to behave or feel like an automatic, because it is not.

(2) The auto ("D") mode is palatable, but it is meant to be used largely only when the hands are occupied. For that purpose, it works well enough, but no one will confuse it for a smooth automatic that Mercedes (or most other manufacturers) offer.

(3) One reason you will not use D mode much, even in traffic, is because shifting the SMG is just so much fun and is so easy without a clutch.

(4) It is NOT difficult at all to drive the car smoothly. I routinely use either S3 or S4. Both are smooth. S5 and S6 can be even more so. I still don't understand why S1 or S2 are even available.

(5) Downshifts are phenomenal. There is no way that MB's system downshifts faster. The rev matches are perfect, even when you downshift several gears at once.

(6) If you want to read more than you probably care to know about the SMG, do a search on m5board.com.

Now, to address Lysholm's comments:

(1) The M5 is a terrific every day commuter car. This is how I use mine, in addition to taking it to the track and driving for enjoyment (see below). There is no reason to rev it to the limit in normal driving. The "lack of torque" myth is just that, a myth. The car has more than ample power virtually everywhere on the power band to make it a very quick street car. All that being said, if someone's priority is a comfortable, very powerful sedan and his sporting aspirations are secondary, there are better choices.

(2) The number of SMG transmissions replaced is very, very small. Most of the error codes are attributable to software issues that have been rectified. Fortunately, I have not experienced even those problems.

(3) I utterly disagree that the M5 is not a worthy track car. I recently had mine at Virginia International Raceway, and drove over 200 miles on the track with 911s, Porsche Turbos, Caymans, Aston Martin DB9, and Lotus Elise and Exiges. My car was completely stock at the time except for an exhaust. The attitude of the Porsche/Lotus crowd changed from curiousity about what I was doing in their midst with a big four-door sedan to awe at my car's ability to hang with each of them in the turns and blast by on the straights. I passed virtually everyone. No one passed me. Although I had done a few track events, this was my first track day in my car and I do not claim an unusually high aptitude. I now have a Dinan suspension installed and can't wait to return to the track.

(4) Among the M5's unique features is the head up display, which is wonderfully useful and simply irreplaceable on the track.

eLTURCOamg

devoted m5'er, are you interested in benz at all or are you just here to preach the m5

AMG_55

m5 is available w/ a stick now, at least in the us

eLTURCOamg

i wish ****in benz would offer standard shift in the amg models, although i like paddleshift i still feel its chicken**** way of shifting

MRichmond

I am interested in most high quality, high performance European cars, Benzes among them. I am neither here to preach nor have I preached. Since the original poster asked a legitimate question about a car with which I have extensive experience, I contributed. I am not sure which part of this escaped you.

MRichmond

That is correct, and only in the US. Unfortunately, DSC cannot be completely disabled in the manual cars, although they do have the "MDM" setting which allows more lateral motion, and the functionality of the M steering wheel button is somewhat compromised. Still, it is an option for American staunch devotees of traditional manual transmissions.

eLTURCOamg

so no drifting?

MRichmond

Not in the stick M5. You should be able to get it briefly sideways somewhat in MDM mode, but certainly not to an extent that anyone would recognize as drifting (as has been demonstrated in various videos in the SMG car).

eLTURCOamg

thats queer, fu*k that, thats pointless, i would want to get that ***** sideways

AMG_55

thats why i didnt even bother test driving one.

after they put the warm up warning lights on the e46 m tach i knew that it was all over for ///m. if you dont know how to drive a car thats not warmed through you shouldnt drive a ///m. (at least the old ///m's)

i miss my e36

eLTURCOamg

e36 m3's are the ****, i think its the last "DRIVERS" m car

juicee63

I drove one and the hated the smg. It was jerking me around all over so cal. I looked like a 14 yr old learning how to drive. If I wanted a maual tranny I would get one. This is a manual dressed up as an automatic. I am sure after a few weeks of practice one can smooth out this car and drive it. To me the 55 was a better choice as a daily. My 540 it wagon seemed just as spry and was much more comfy and easier on the eyes. I prefer the older M cars 633 CSI is an all time favorite for me..

blackbenzz

The SMG in the M5 shifts very hard in S6. I thought the tranny was going to fall out the bottom of the car at any shift. It shifts very fast though.

chiromikey

keep in mind, even in s6 it only shifts hard if you're wot. otherwise it's quite civilized.