According to Car & Driver, BMW will phase out the manual transmission for the BMW M5 and M6 once production ends in late fall. BMW also plans to drop the option from the M6: “Demand had dropped to zero” on that car, BMW M chief Frank van Meel tells the US magazine.
BMW M said several times in the past that the US market is the only one keeping alive the manual dreams, and despite significant cost and effort, the M engineers continued to offer the six-speed manual.
While the manual transmission won’t return on the next-generation M5 and M6, the six-speed gear rowing will continue to be offered on the M2, M3 and M4.
“On M2, M3, and M4, the manual transmission will stay,” van Meel promises.
Makes sense. Those cars are sooo complex, and big and heavy, having a manual only gives you an illusion of being connected to the car. The software involved in making new cars compatible with a manual transmissions is another huge factor. Takes many many man hours to (again) create this illusion of a normal manual transmission.
Exactly! These cars were made around the DCT, manuals really should be reserved more for m3/m4/m2.
The 5 series isn’t that big. Without a manual option cars like the E39 M5/M-Sport will never exist again. But I guess nobody liked those vehicles anyways.
Even with a manual the next 5 series won’t bring back the soul of the E39. Those days are over.
Remember when the E39 M5 only came in a manual?
So after many years of torment BMW will get what it wants. No manual transmission for the M5 or M6 following Porsches lead of range topping models only being available in DCT. Sadly the engineers at BMW and Porsche weren’t really even allowed to try. Apparently Astin Martin can create a manual that is just as good as a DCT but not BMW or Porsche. Better engineers I guess. Maybe just more motivated. At any rate why would you want one of BMW or Porsches manual cars? You are constantly hammered by the sales folks that DCT is so much better. Faster, better in traffic, better resale and so on. Given that no one is putting any effort into the manual gearbox that list is probably true. For myself I have a 535 xdrive. The next car was to be an M5. My car with the autobox is a boring lifeless lump. My friends M5 with DCT is likewise a boring lifeless lump. Answer is simple really. If the new M5 comes in DCT only then I won’t buy one. Oh and don’t tell me its too difficult to have xdrive and a decent manual gearbox either because audi did it. If Aston can make a manual gearbox that is just as fast as a DCT why can’t BMW? Answer…they no longer want to even try.
I have a manual 2016 M5 and I wouldn’t have bought the car with the automated manual. You can completely turn off the DCT and then you are only limited by your driving ability. The car is so much fun and it’s really fast. I’m just wondering what I’m going to buy after this car since BMW is discontinuing the manual?