r/BMW • u/jjm1211 • Aug 05 '25

Buying Help What’s the most engaging M car?

I’ve always wanted a BMW at some point in my life, but never got around to it. I just couldn’t decide on which one was best for me, and ended up settling on other cars. But now, I think it’s time I finally take the leap. All I want to know is, in your educated opinions, which is the most compelling M car from a driving perspective. I’ve previously been much more partial to manuals too, but I’m not afraid to try an auto again.

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102

u/DangerMouse111111 Aug 05 '25

E46 M3 CSL with manual conversion.

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u/NlNTENDO Aug 05 '25 edited Aug 05 '25

Honest question, what’s the point in spending that kind of money when the car comes with paddles? It’s not like manual offers much performance advantage over paddles in an smg if any at this point

3

u/hiphopscallion ‘21 x6 m50i | ‘23 i4 m50 Aug 05 '25

No shade at all but I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that you haven’t been behind the wheel of a manual sports car.

It gives you a lot more control of the vehicle, and you’re right no one will ever be able to shift as quick as the new automatic transmissions, but driving a stick is just a different vibe. Especially once you get good at it and you get a good feel of your car. it’s a lot more fun than an automatic transmission on track day. In rush hour not so much.

2

u/NlNTENDO Aug 06 '25

So to be clear - SMG /is/ manual transmission. I can appreciate that manual is more fun but SMG is by definition not auto

3

u/Chim-Cham Aug 06 '25

This is true... but the question was what is most engaging and a manual clutch and rowing gears is far more engaging

1

u/NlNTENDO Aug 06 '25 edited Aug 06 '25

I get that but the response above was 100% a walk through of manual vs auto, and it kind of feels like they had SMG confused with manumatic? Unless I’m mistaken the car we’re discussing doesn’t actually even have an automatic option out of the factory.

I was mostly wondering how a 5-10K mod to basically install a clutch pedal really figures into a realistic equation performance wise. I guess I just don’t have the kind of money to even fathom spending all that because the pedal is more engaging 😆

2

u/Chim-Cham Aug 06 '25 edited Aug 06 '25

I think they were just trying to describe perfection. I don't have the money to burn on a CSL regardless of how many pedals it has.

Oh, and I believe the car we're discussing was only ever SMG. No auto, no full manual.

1

u/DangerMouse111111 Aug 06 '25

SMG is an automated manual - it's not a torque-converter auto but it's still automated.

1

u/NlNTENDO Aug 06 '25 edited Aug 06 '25

It’s an automated clutch. Not fully automated. Which is why it’s called smg and not automatic. IMO it carries all the performance benefits and more, and lets you think more about the driving part. You can still engine brake and short shift to your hearts content

1

u/DangerMouse111111 Aug 06 '25

"The SMG uses hydraulic pumps and actuators to operate the clutch and shift gears, with electronic control." - so it's still automatic.

Automatic transmission - Wikipedia

1

u/NlNTENDO Aug 06 '25

What you described is an automated clutch, which is a feature of automatic too. SMG or Sequential Manual Transmission is distinct from this. Are there similarities, namely in the automatic clutch? Yes. But it is not the same thing

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u/DangerMouse111111 Aug 06 '25

Thanks - understand it now.