And while generating the spin necessary to slingshot the M3 ahead of most other hardware on the highway, the inline-six issues a
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| The inline-six issues a frenetic exhaust wail not far removed from the high-voltage screaming accompanying a BMW-Williams F1 race engine. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
frenetic exhaust wail not far removed from the high-voltage screaming accompanying a BMW-Williams F1 race engine. Factor in the audible punch of a .08-second SMG gear change at near 8,000 rpm and prepare to be mentally transported to the Nurburgring, the European home of Formula 1 Grand Prix racing in the Eifel Mountains of Germany. Here, BMW puts its M cars to the test under the toughest conditions on the historic 20.8-kilometer Northern Circuit. Much of that testing has been applied to the development of BMW's race-bred, Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG), a clutch-less manual transmission that could make a stick-shift lover reconsider their loyalties. BMW's SMG technology is very sophisticated and a challenge to adapt to for those of us whose multi-setting coffee maker is too complicated. I must confess that despite my 30-years behind the wheel and numerous advanced driving courses, I was a fish out of water when I first planted myself behind the M3's wheel. A quick read of some accompanying literature and the SMG's functionality becomes easier to understand mind you. Essentially, SMG technology very closely mimics a traditional manual transmission, sans the clutch pedal. When the vehicle is in motion, the engine is hooked directly to the rear wheels, as it would be with a conventional manual mixer. The SMG system so accurately reproduces the characteristics and benefits of a manual gearbox that a momentary power loss accompanies a cog swap, similar to what is experienced when a clutch pedal is depressed. After inserting a new cog, the
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| The SMG system accurately reproduces the characteristics and benefits of a manual gearbox. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
race-bred technology hooks everything back up as if a conventional clutch had been released. The real beauty in this technology is this; under full acceleration a gear-change can be electronically completed in the aforementioned .08-seconds. SMG allows cogs to be traded manually or automatically, depending on the chosen setting. BMW's accompanying Drivelogic technology enables adjustment of the SMG's gear swapping dynamics, producing either rapid shifting at high rpm thresholds or softer shifting at lower rpm increments. A small LCD screen on the dash displays the selected level of Drivelogic, which of the six forward gears is currently spinning and whether SMG is set to the automatic or manual mode.
