As an old heel-and-toe manual shifter of geezer age (I am the original owner of a 1972 Datsun 240Z) I came around to the idea of the auto for our 1999 323i only reluctantly. However, I have found the auto just excellent, even for enthusiastic use on our winding mountain roads in the Adirondacks and Catskills. On those roads I just shift down to 4th, and the computer allows even third to hold into higher rpm ranges. Also, in the auto 5th is a long-legged overdrive ratio yielding relaxing and efficient interstate cruising, whereas the manual's 5th is direct. (In the 328, I believe, the manual's fifth is direct, in contrast to the 323.)
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