BMW 3 Series Double-Clutch Transmission

By Horatiu Boeriu. Read Bio
July 11th, 2008 | 3-Series | 12 comments

Here is how the BMW 3 Series DCT wil look like. The below photo illustrates an European model, most likely for the German market. We're still waiting for an official confirmation on U.S bound cars with DCT. Next week we'll know more.

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miles

how is this the dct? this is the sport automatic transmission from the 5 series!
Auday

The transmission looks like a DCT to me, definetenly not an Auto (Man the clutch is all on your face). The manual steering wheel paddles paddles look the same as the sport automatic though, and I guess they will have the same operating mode (push for up, pull for down and both paddles are the same).
Howie_In_AZ

I wonder if they’ll have left=downshift and right=upshift this time, or if they’re going to continue the craziness that is the automatic gearbox’s paddle shifters (supposedly you push and pull for down and upshifts or something like that, and both paddles handle up and down shifting).
Mark

Personally, I am more interested in seeing the DCT in the M5 and M6 cars….

Cheers,
Mike S.

The shift lever looks the one from the Sport Automatic from the 5- and 6-series.
Horatiu B.

@Mike S.: It does, absolutely.
Horatiu B.

@Howie_In_AZ: I kinda always like the paddle shifters. I remember driving an E46 M3 with paddles and it was amazing, quick response and fast.
Horatiu B.

@Auday: @miles: Like Auday said, look at the clutch pedal. Definitely the DCT, even the photo has a mark on it.
bsd107

Not sure what you mean by “look at the clutch pedal”. There is no clutch pedal with DCT, right?

I REALLY wish that was replacing the Steptronic on all US 335i’s, including sedans. (Like how the Aussie model offers only DCT on the 335i Coupe, but at the same price as the Step.)

Any chance US 335i Sedans are getting this for MY09?
Horatiu B.

@bsd107: I think I’m losing it. You’re absolutely right, the point of DCT is to use the paddles.
Thanks for the correction
nizer

When will the Germans stop trying to fix stuff that isn’t broken? Porsche just flubbed their PDK launch by saddling it with stupid little tabs on the steering wheel. Now BMW appears ready to dumb-down DCT by doing the same thing. Those sport auto shifter tabs were crap. Stick with paddles behind the wheel like the M3, as well as every F1 and Ferrari, and be done with it already.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1503774152 Maciek Samsel

No. The point of DCT is not just to use paddles. That you have in automatic transmissions from BMW (an option available for many years). The point of DCT is quick shifts. I drive my SMG equipped BMW and hit race track few times. You cannot shift faster, safer and more precise manual than with sequential transmission. On upshifts this can be different, but if you set SMG or perhaps M-DCT to sport mode and the engine inertia (flywheel has to be light!) allows for that then the shifts can be without hickups (almnost S.W.O.T. – “Shift While On Throttle”). Of course this is not even near shifting to F1 car where seamless shift gearbox shift (all cars in F1 have this now) takes 0.005 second (yes, it is many times faster than blink of your eye!).

Now trying to do shifts with automatic transmission using paddles (or not) while driving real spirited style (track-like which is way different than every day Joe does during commute or highway cruising) you will boil torque converter and kill it. That’s what I did in one of my previous cars (Mazda) and for that reason i decided to try BMW with SMG.

M-DCT is step far ahead of SMG.

Almost all BMW cars have too long throw with manual trans. One of first things I would do when getting manual trans. BMW I would buy their short throw upgrade kit (or aftermarket). Unless of course you like shifing like a truck driver and you still think that you are spirited/performance driver.