Quote:
Originally Posted by Huz-Z
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grumpy Old Man
"It was worth the wait. Balanced, remarkably powerful and – thank heavens – once again a ragtop, this two-seater fulfills the promise of unfettered fun on a Sunday drive.
"This is a sports car for Sunday mornings when you have the road to yourself," said Andreas Ederer, the Z4's product manager, at the car's recent test drive near Lisbon."
So why no manual, I get that the 8 speed autobox can shift faster than any human but this is clearly not a race car, it sounds like they have nailed down a drivers car.....so let the driver drive the full experience. Just my two cents.
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This must be a business decision based on the fact that even considering all of us grumpy old men who post on this and similar forums, there aren't enough people buying manual shift cars these days to justify having them available on the car. |
I think you are correct. If I recall correctly BMW NA dropped the E89 Z4 with a manual transmission in 2014 due to an extremely low take rate and related costs of certification of each model with different engines and transmissions. And this was noted as part of BMW's long range plans in dropping manual transmission availability.
And the simple fact the roadster market has been shrinking for the past decade.
For the G29 BMW should have integrated a manual transmission available via "Special Order Only" that also unlocks extensive BMW Individual colors for paint, leather, Alcantara, exclusive speed cloth seats, various trim colors/materials and unbelievably cool BMW M wheels.
Could have been very cool.