While it may be a little late to the dual-clutch party, in BMW's situation this may be a case of better-late-then-never. Before the year is out, BMW will be offering drivers of the 335i Coupé and 335i Convertible the option of a new seven-speed double-clutch sports automatic transmission,replacing the previous optional 6-speed Steptronic gearbox. The six-speed manual will remain as standard.
The new seven-speed transmission delivers faster acceleration than the six-speed manual, reduces fuel consumption and emissions and can be controlled via the gear selector or steering wheel-mounted shift paddles. As with other dual-clutch setups, the seven-speed double clutch transmission shifts without interrupting the drive from the engine to the rear axle, enhancing acceleration and shifting comfort.
Improved acceleration
The newly designed shift lever located in the central console is differentiated from a conventional automatic transmission selector lever by its shape and its integrated display for the selected shift program. There is no mechanical connections it controls the gearbox electronically.
The transmission was developed for the BMW 335i Coupé and335i Convertible and is able to channel the 225kW and 400Nm of torque from their twin-turbo straight-six engines more smoothly and efficiently than ever.
The speed of the dual-clutch transmission improves shift times tremendously - a full gear change now takes place in the time aconventional manual transmission would take merely to disengage the clutch. Inthe case of the BMW 335i Coupé fitted with the new sports automatic transmission, the 0-100km/h acceleration time is now just 5.4 seconds - 0.1seconds faster than the model fitted as standard with a six-speed manualtransmission, and 0.3 seconds faster than the BMW 335i Coupé with the previously available six-speed automatic transmission.
Better fuel economy
The BMW 335i Coupé fitted with the new seven-speed sports automatic transmission with double clutch achieves average fuel consumption in the EUtest cycle of 9.1L/100 km. This represents a reduction of 0.4L/100 km over the six-speed manual or previous 6-speed automatic transmission.
The average fuel consumption of the BMW 335i Convertible with the seven-speed sports automatic transmission is identical to its coupé siblingat 9.1L/100 km. This is equivalent to a reduction in fuel consumption of 0.8L comparedto the equivalent models with six-speed manual and six-speed automatic transmissions.
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