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Of my 10 sports cars over the past 2 decades I have had about 1/2 manuals and 1/2 with paddle shifters. Here are the paddle shifters:
I had an E46 Alpina B3S with the button shifter which I found to be a complete piece of crap - very slow to engage gears, no downshifts into 1st unless you were below 1500rpm, and you could definitely FEEL the torque loss. I hated it so much I sold it in less than a year and got a Golf Gti.
I had an MK6 Gti with dual-clutch DSG which I really liked and thought matched well with the low hp output.
I had a 987 Boxster S with dual-clutch PDK which was great but actually a little too smooth for such a tactile car - really wished I had gotten the manual.
I had an Alfa 147 GTA with single-clutch Selespeed which I just loved! Not really smooth, but there was the great thrust when the gear engaged just like when you drive a manual hard. Also, unlike the previous 2, you could do real engine braking with the downshifts.
As for the M135i (my current ride), I find it to be a wonderful transmission, smoother than any of the above when you drive normally, but just INSANELY quick on both down and upshifts when you want to drive hard. Unlike the Gti and Boxster, you never find yourself against that slight hesitation, waiting for the gear to decide to engage. I just did a 5 hour attack drive in the crazy winding cliffside mountain roads of Hakone and Izu in Japan last weekend (another thread just on this) and my level of appreciation, respect and almost awe of this transmission and car just went through the roof!
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