BMW has released more information on its new six-speed automatic gearbox, which will show up in the 2007 3-Series Coupe. The gearbox uses a dedicated electronic control unit that permanently monitors the position of the gas pedal, registering the intensity of the pressure exerted by the driver on the gas pedal and determining whether and to what extent the driver wishes to accelerate. Retrieving data on the road speed of the car, engine speed and the steering angle, the control unit also detects current driving conditions at all times, considering furthermore whether the car is driving uphill or downhill. By taking all these criteria and many others into account the management unit is able to determine which gear is the most suitable. The harder and faster the driver depresses the accelerator, the lower the gear.

The system is designed to give the automatic transmission increased precision, without any time-consuming search for the right gear, which the driver would experience as an unwanted delay.

100 milliseconds response time

According to BMW, the new six-speed automatic transmission sets new standards for shift times. The new six-speed automatic transmission completes every gearshift process faster than the vast majority of sporting drivers experienced in shifting gears manually.

In a kick-down situation at a speed of 50 mph in sixth gear, the transmission can shift in just 100 milliseconds to second gear. While this is happening, the control unit sends a positive force pulse to the engine, which immediately increases its speed from approximately 1,400 to more than 5,000 rpm.

source : leftlanenews

 

so it can downshift multiple gears, couldnt do that in most automatics, IS350 really needs a manual now

 

Sounds very slick. DSG still seems better though.

 

I agree.

Didnt Lexus claim that the 6-speed in the IS350 was the fastest shifting and most advanced auto on the market?? I guess they just got one-upped.

 

PLEASE confirm that this is the same as REV MATCHING when down shifting? I hope my understanding is correct.

 

There can be no Ultra Quick when it is always in the shop

But that's pretty cool.

 

the new 8spd LS460 will definetly do it.
either way hopefully Lexus has a response in the works.

 

From what I hear, the DSG upshift is great, but its down shift is much slower than its upshif. Supposedly the new BMW automatic has the same 100 ms upshift and downshift. This should be really fun with the paddle shifter in the 335. I'm not sure if you can get the padle shifter in the 328 though.

 

will the IS250's manual gearbox fit with IS350's engine?

 

350 engine would tear the tranny apart, that transmission wasnt designed to handle the torque the 350 dishes out

 

nobody knows?

 

pretty much that's what happening. you can kinda say that the system blips the the gas when downshifting

 

thanks, that would be cool if it can do that.

 

actually it's nothing that new. the current m3 (e46) with smg already blips the gas when you down shift, if necessary

 

oh i know that about the SMG. I was referring to the auto tranny that has tq converter that can blip the gas like the Infiniti.