Just as rumors had suggested, BMW is offering the 2007 M5 sedan with a plain old six-speed manual. The no-cost option is a response to criticism of BMW's SMG III electrohydraulic automanual, which has been likened to an hyperanalytical mother-in-law who exacts compliance with a dodgy gearshifting agenda by the steely toe of her Wolverine boot. It's also somewhat of an admission that more complicated does not always equal better, though the SMG box will remain standard equipment. Still, SMG devotees will likely stick with their muse, at least until — *gossip alert* — BMW switches to Borg Warner's dual clutch transmission (DCT) technology (aka DSG) clockworks sometime late in the decade.
2007 BMW M5 Gets Manual Transmission [Kicking Tires]
Related:
Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 BMW M5, Part 1 [internal]