When I was buying, I did so blindly. I had always driven manual transmissions for my entire life and I knew it was the last year for 6MT. Prior to this car I had an E46 330Ci ZHP that I owned from approximately 24,000 miles all the way to maybe 90,000 miles. I bought that car sight unseen and knew it was the one. I came from the FWD Honda / Nissan world and I really liked the 6MT in the E46. It was maybe a little notchy but had really nice feel compared to the Japanese sedans I drove previously.

When you start reading about manual transmission in the F10, it appears that the car was never made to have a manual transmission. It was only made for the DCT. I think that’s probably true, I don’t see any reason for anyone to lie about that. It’s also faster performance-wise. Can’t argue that. On the flip - I also don’t see why just because it was not made specifically to have a manual transmission that the manual transmission must be bad. I again bought my car sight unseen (who needs to see a car before they spend 75k?) from a dealer in Dallas. Pics weren’t even online yet. I had the sales guy send me pics of the pedals. Always have to confirm “does it have a third pedal?” So many DCTs listed as 6MT.

Anyway - the review.

The most difficult thing about the manual transmission is the first gear engagement (specifically sport+ mode) and 1-2 shift need finesse to maintain good clutch wear. The car has so much power that if you try to slip the clutch in any way, you can hear the disc spinning, whining, in a way that you don’t ever want to hear. It’s a bit like a dentist’s drill. Don’t. Do. That.

Also when you miss a gear (in the way you have done most of your life), the ‘grind’ or ‘clunk’ sound is wayyyyy more severe than in my E46. I assume this is bc of the amount of torque involved.

When the mis-shift happens to me, I fucking shiver, keep it in neutral for a few seconds, and punch myself in the groin. It’s a rarity, but I missed a 2-3 shift last week and it hurt my soul at it’s core.

On the flipside, when you get firm engagement and the clutch catches, and everything goes perfectly, the car runs like a bat out of hell. What could possibly be more fun than a four-door sedan with 600 hp and a manual transmission? Maybe a 500hp V10 with a manual transmission? 😈

The E46 obviously doesn’t have any special transmission helpers, it’s a straightforward 6MT we all know and love. The F10 is WAY different. In “comfort” and “sport” throttle modes, the car rev matches downshifts for you and protects/smooths your low gear - ahem - imperfections. SPort mode gives you a little more torque with a little less pedal, but still offers the transmission grannies. Apparently this is normal in newer 6MT transmissions so pardon my Boomerish newness to the tech. My last car was a 2005.

Anyway - Sport+ gives you better throttle response but also the raw transmission. No grannies. The difference between Sport and Sport+ is like driving a 760i vs Driving a 911 turbo. Throttle response gets super twitchy. The car becomes the M car you dreamed.

You better rev match your own down shifts in Sport+ or get a new clutch every 5000 miles! I can’t imagine a newbie trying to drive this car in this mode.

Long story short, the transmission is far from perfect. However if you are a manual transmission kind of person, it won’t disappoint. 4th-6th gears on the highway are WHOA 🤯 I really find the car delightful. I can’t imagine what I would ‘upgrade’ to?

I’d love to hear from other owners in possible transmission upgrades? Flywheel? Aftermarket clutch? Agree with this review? Hate it? I’d love to hear either way.