BMW has ditched DCTs in favor of the ZF8

[TexturedSoyProtein]

Per BMW Blog, the F22 BMW M2 is the last remaining DCT-equipped BMW still on sale. All other M cars including the new M3 & M4 have ZF 8-speed torque converter automatics, and once the current-gen M2 leaves us in the near future, there will be no more DCT BMWs. Efficiency is everything now, and so the M cars are now all equipped with ZF8s, because they're easier to tune for efficiency.

This is slightly disappointing, because while the ZF8 is very good, the DCT does have some little bit extra hooliganry and drama to it that is not present with the ZF8. I had a 135is DCT. The LCI 135i was the only non-M car BMW sold with the DCT. The 135is was basically a 135i with the M Performance burble tune & exhaust, and especially with all the sportiest settings enabled, it did a halfway decent impression of a sequential/DCT-equipped race car with the braps and burbles. I actually drove that car back to back with a ZF8 M235i, and the ZF8 was certainly quick shifting, and capable at blipped downshifts, but just lacking in drama compared to the DCT.

So, pour half of a half of one out for the BMW DCT. It was fun, as automatics go, but its time has come and gone.

[davesaddiction]

@texturedsoyprotein

[e90m3]

@texturedsoyprotein I have enjoyed driving my dad's DCT equipped 135is.

[DasWauto]

@texturedsoyprotein The 335is was also available (exclusively?) with the DCT; that and the 135is share most the of mechanicals. I believe they offered it in a contemporary Z4 as well, briefly (35is nomenclature, probably).

[TexturedSoyProtein]

@daswauto Ah yeah forgot about the 335is & Z4 35is. But both of those had the twin turbo N54 tuned up to 335 hp instead of the usual 300 of other N54 cars. The 335is was available with a stick but the Z4 35is was only DCT. The 135is had a single turbo N55, with the M Performance Power Kit tune which was otherwise available as a dealer accessory on other N55 cars. It was rated at 320 hp instead of the base 300 hp N55.