SMG

Also called SMG II, Sequential Manual Gearbox

Draft: this page has not had its final check yet, so check the sources behind anything you rely on.

BMW's automated manual: a manual gearbox whose clutch and shifts are worked by a hydraulic pump instead of the driver's foot.

The story

History: facts, each with the kind of source it rests on

BMWBlog says SMG stood for Sequential Manual Gearbox and was not a true automatic. An electrohydraulic pump and actuator worked the clutch and the shifts. In the E46 M3 it used the same six-speed Getrag gearbox as the manual, and a setting let the driver choose how fast, and how hard, it shifted. BMWBlog

BMWBlog says BMW replaced SMG in the M3 with a Getrag dual-clutch transmission after six years, and that the SMG III E60 M5 and M6 ended production in 2010. BMWBlog

Found on

Every generation on the site whose dossier or engine names it

Watch out for

Reputation: what owners and the press report. Tap one to see what to check.

  • The pump and the clutch Wherever it is fitted One source so far

    What to check: Ask whether the hydraulic pump or the clutch has been replaced.

    BMWBlog says owners name clutch wear and erratic shifting as the most common complaints, and tells of hydraulic pumps burning out with a strong electrical smell.

    BMWBlog