BMW Debuts New Diesel Engine and Eight Speed Transmission

[MarcusW]

More news from our friends here in Munich:

BMW Debuts New Diesel Engine and Eight Speed Transmission

BMW announced the unveiling of a new generation of four-cylinder diesel engines for the BMW 5 Series. The Bavarian-based automaker is also introducing a new 8-speed transmission for many of its vehicles.

The four-cylinder diesel engines will premier on the BMW 518d, the BMW 520d, and the BMW 520d xDrive, all of which are available as sedan and touring models. Featuring an aluminum crankcase with thermally joined liners, integrated balance shafts, and a map-controlled oil pump, the new engine delivers a maximum output of 150 horsepower....

 

[supton]

The entire 5 Series range will benefit from BMW’s new eight-speed Steptronic transmission with proactive drive system. The new technology shifts gears based on current conditions and the driving system at that moment using data from the navigation system, so it knows about everything from curves and hills to exit ramps before they appear.

Hmm... I (and others) have long argued that the human mind is smarter than cruise control, for this very reason. I suspect it will still need to be used in order to eek out the very last mpg. But if this "smart" integration between nav and trans actually works, it may make for a much less annoying drive ("stupid automatic is always shifting!").

I'd still prefer a manual transmission though.

 

[john.jackson9213]

Hmm... I (and others) have long argued that the human mind is smarter than cruise control, for this very reason. I suspect it will still need to be used in order to eek out the very last mpg. But if this "smart" integration between nav and trans actually works, it may make for a much less annoying drive ("stupid automatic is always shifting!").

I'd still prefer a manual transmission though.

Perhaps you mean an "alert human mind is smarter than cruise control"?
Most human drivers are not very alert and on auto pilot anyway.

 

[supton]

I don't get why the car needs a GPS to read a hill. Just give the engine enough torque that it won't need to downshift. Problem solved. Even my gasser Camry can manage that.

Only times I have problems is my high-geared truck with its automatic; no stickshift I've ever owned needed such effort on my part to drive. In that I'm constantly letting off the throttle to prevent a downshift, despite it being fully able to lug up the hill. Sure, sometimes it gets indecisive on a shift, other times I can induce it to hunt on a hill. When it comes to opening my wallet, I'd rather have manual control, not GPS control.

Besides, with this GPS integration, will it flash a light at me so I'll know when to let off the throttle so I can coast to the stop that is coming up?

 

[n1das]

More news from our friends here in Munich:

BMW Debuts New Diesel Engine and Eight Speed Transmission

BMW announced the unveiling of a new generation of four-cylinder diesel engines for the BMW 5 Series. The Bavarian-based automaker is also introducing a new 8-speed transmission for many of its vehicles.

The four-cylinder diesel engines will premier on the BMW 518d, the BMW 520d, and the BMW 520d xDrive, all of which are available as sedan and touring models. Featuring an aluminum crankcase with thermally joined liners, integrated balance shafts, and a map-controlled oil pump, the new engine delivers a maximum output of 150 horsepower....

Interesting. Is the "new 8-speed transmission" the same ZF8 automatic that's in the 2014 535d in the USA? If so, that's what I have in my 2014 535d Xdrive sedan. While I've been a diehard manual transmission driver for many years, I'm finding the ZF8 auto in my 535d to be one automatic transmission that I really DO like. But if a manual tranny were available in my 535d I still would have gone for it instead.

 

[mrspindlelegs]

I wonder what happens if the GPS network crashes. Does the transmission have a default back-up program to run without the input of GPS signals?

 

[john.jackson9213]

I wonder what happens if the GPS network crashes. Does the transmission have a default back-up program to run without the input of GPS signals?

The U.S.A.F. currently has 31 operational GPS satellites in orbit, with 2 or 3 more set to launch this year. The Russians also have a full set (24) of GPS satellites. The Europeans are launching their own set of GPS satellites. If they all crash, you have much bigger things to worry about.

Now, perhaps you mean the GPS receiver in the car fails, what happens to the transmission?

 

[VeeDubTDI]

If the GPS fails, it will shift like a regular transmission based on engine load and driver input.

 

[bhtooefr]

Essentially, how such a system would work is along one of two lines:

Transmission computer obtains slope data from the navigation computer, and then uses it to determine optimal gear ratios
Navigation computer calculates slope data, and advises the transmission computer to perform shifts at certain points

In the case of a loss of satellite signal while driving, the computers will still have some data - for instance, if there's no exits, it can simply use vehicle speed to calculate position, and stay in the optimized shift program. Ultimately, however, it'll run out of reliable data and be required to fall back to a basic shift program... which is what cars had before.