[WhiteJames]

Gearbox:

The 8-speed auto gearbox in the G20 BMW 3 series is an off-the-shelf unit supplied by German company ZF. The ZF gear factory has been around since the days of the Zeppelins. I’d partly agree with the journalistic reviews on the BMW 330i 8-speed auto. At times the gearshifts feel similar to a Direct Shift Twin-Clutch (DSG) gearbox. Reasonably fast and smooth when carrying a bit of speed on the highway. It is worth noting that the BMW 8-speed auto is never as fast nor as direct as a DSG gearbox for sporty driving. Blame for the torque converter for this.

In the past, I’ve had the pleasure of owning Volkswagens with both DSG and manual transmissions. The BMW 8-speed torque converter auto never looses that slightly slow feeling that torque converter slush-boxes exhibit. The BMW auto is like stirring a pot of honey when compared to a lightning- fast direct DSG auto gear changes This limits the driver’s desire to wind out the motor through the gears. It creates a feeling that the torque converter is taxing some of the engine’s power to a degree as it connects the engine power source to the rear driveline.

There’s no doubt that the BMW has a fantastic auto gearbox. The ZF auto does not beg you to wind out the motor as was the case with the DSG in the previous Volkswagen/Audi Group products I’ve driven. It takes a little bit away from that overall sportiness of the vehicle. Then again, that may not be BMW’s brief or target market for the sports-luxury designed 330i saloon. One thing I do not miss is the jerkiness of the DSG at very low car parking speeds. The BMW 330i auto is much nicer to drive when it comes time to find a car park. Especially when the car park is in a hilly area.

The BMW auto has difficulty rev-matching on down-shifts in lower gears in slow day-to-day driving. The 330i does not have the DSG’s ability to disengage both clutches to allow for proper rev-matching in the lower gears. This may be partly due to the BMW’s closely stacked gear ratios from 1st – 4th gear. The Volkswagen/Audi Group products tend to have very long 2nd gear ratios which would help with rev-matching on downshifts in lower gears. Downshifting creates a bit of jerkiness in the BMW when pulling up at stop signs and intersections on regular about town drives. Longer-term, I have some concern that the jerkiness when slowing down in normal suburban driving may impact on the longevity of the BMW 330i’s gearbox.

The ZF 8-speed auto gearbox is not as compact as the earlier generation ZF 6-speed auto. This may explain why the transmission tunnel of the G20 3 series BMW is quite wide. This in turn limits the driver’s front foot-well room. I’m finding that when my right foot is on the brake and left foot on the foot rest, my feet tend to have a V-position with heels close together. It’s not a big issue, but something worth noting. Especially if you have very large feet. It is also worth noting that I’m still in run-in-phase using Comfort mode. I’m also using the steering wheel paddles for manual gear changes when traffic permits. I will need to reserve my opinion on Sport mode for much later on in my ownership experience.

Cheers

WJ