BMW has released more information on its new six-speed automatic gearbox, which will show up in the 2007 3-Series Coupe. The gearbox uses a dedicated electronic control unit that permanently monitors the position of the gas pedal, registering the intensity of the pressure exerted by the driver on the gas pedal and determining whether and to what extent the driver wishes to accelerate. Retrieving data on the road speed of the car, engine speed and the steering angle, the control unit also detects current driving conditions at all times, considering furthermore whether the car is driving uphill or downhill. By taking all these criteria and many others into account the management unit is able to determine which gear is the most suitable. The harder and faster the driver depresses the accelerator, the lower the gear.
The system is designed to give the automatic transmission increased precision, without any time-consuming search for the right gear, which the driver would experience as an unwanted delay.
100 milliseconds response time
According to BMW, the new six-speed automatic transmission sets new standards for shift times. The new six-speed automatic transmission completes every gearshift process faster than the vast majority of sporting drivers experienced in shifting gears manually.
In a kick-down situation at a speed of 50 mph in sixth gear, the transmission can shift in just 100 milliseconds to second gear. While this is happening, the control unit sends a positive force pulse to the engine, which immediately increases its speed from approximately 1,400 to more than 5,000 rpm.
04/28, 1:41 PM
posted by:
XPsionic
That sounds pretty good. Not as good as VW’s DSG (its still an auto!) but thats a very quick gearbox indeed.
04/28, 1:57 PM
posted by:
Jeff Reitze
They just need to call Borg-Warner and get the Dualtronic transmission. That’s what VW uses and they re-name it “DSG”. And its a mechanical masterpiece.
04/28, 1:57 PM
posted by:
Mike
sounds like a lot more parts and pieces to break…. what ever happened to the KISS principle?
04/28, 2:14 PM
posted by:
gsh
hope this gets rid of the throttle lag in e46 non M coupes…
04/28, 2:40 PM
posted by:
Michael
I would imagine most of the extra complexity is in all the extra sensors and the software in the control unit. Though, I’m not sure how much different the actual mechanical components would have to be from BMW’s current automatics in order to achieve those shift times.
04/28, 3:06 PM
posted by:
j
Damn Americans can’t even handle a gearbox. Learn to drive!!!
04/28, 4:12 PM
posted by:
Jon
J, I used to have a 5-speed, and I loved it. BUT, when I got my car an A4, I decided that I would rather have an auto, simply because the stop and go traffic is starting to become unbearable in my part of the world. However, the type of car did play part of the decision. If I would have purchased the new Mk. V VW GTI, I would have been hard pressed to choose between the 6-speed and the DSG. But, since I bought a 4-door car, I got an auto instead (gets better gas mileage with the auto, too!).
Regarding the DSG, it was originally implemented and designed for the Bugatti Veyron (which is owned by VW) by BW, and then expanded to the other brands owned by VW and other car companies. It is arguably the best auto transmission ever made.
Jon.
04/28, 5:38 PM
posted by:
Josh
This transmission is not a DSG competitor, BMW is working on there DSG competitor. I am excited to see what they design in house because from what I hear the borg is pretty trick.
Josh
04/28, 5:53 PM
posted by:
VDub
Boy oh boy, bmw is just making headline after headline. Freude am fahren! Bayerische Motoren Werke!
04/28, 7:12 PM
posted by:
Craig
The Enzo shifts in 150 milliseconds
SMGII does it in 80 Milliseconds
DSG does it in 8 Milliseconds.
How the heck in 100 an improvement?
04/28, 7:24 PM
posted by:
Dallas
its an improvement because its most likely the fastest shifting AUTOMATIC on the market. You can’t compare it with hydraulically controlled clutch gearboxes, like ferrari’s F1, BMWs SMG and VW/Audi’s DSG
04/28, 9:29 PM
posted by:
a
Does this mean BMW will not provide a sequential box except for high end models like the M cars.
That would be a shame.
04/29, 4:59 PM
posted by:
FFFFF
I have a question that i hope someone can answer. This article says that …”sends a positive force pulse to the engine, which immediately increases its speed from approximately 1,400 to more than 5,000 rpm.” How does this work in current automatic transmissions? doesnt the engine rpm increase as soon as throttle input is sensed in combination with the transmission shifting into a lower gear.
05/01, 1:13 PM
posted by:
gsh
i think they are emphasizing the “immediately” part. if youve ever driven a 330 ZHP auto, youll know that hitting the throttle to the max causes some momentary lag for the tranny to kick down a gear or two and go WOT for you…glad to see BMW is working on an auto tranny that works