DCT bids farewell!!

It’s surely a sign of the times when you see the departure of Dual Clutch Transmission. Love it or hate it — it will surely be missed! In fact, the DCT was as good as it gets and made clear BMW’s moniker of the Ultimate Driving Machine!

There is no doubting the popularity of BMW M’s DCT (Dual-Clutch Transmission), a multi-speed transmission system that uses two separate clutches for odd and even gear sets. In fact, for those drivers who owned M cars with it, they were absolutely in love! That is because it resulted in rapid-fire shifts, ease of use in any traffic and added theater over the traditional automatic. Bottom line — DCT made cars faster!

Defined as a bizarre sort of transmission, the DCT’s gear selector had the appearance of a frozen tear drop and featured the most unusual pattern. But it was that pattern that gave it character and also made clear the fact that it was no typical automatic gearbox. On the contrary, it was way more exotic and way more interesting. So many great cars used the old DCT. It boasted multiple levels of shift violence, and always had great paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. You were sure to know you were behind the wheel of a performance car with a DCT, with shifts that were extraordinarily fast and un-smooth.

The change…

When the F90 M5 switched to a conventional, torque-converter 8-speed automatic from ZF, fans of the DCT were a tad disappointed. Even with the 8-speed being just as good as any automatic out there, the rapid, full-throttle upshifts of the older DCT was something coveted.  So when BMW phased out over time the DCT altogether for the M, fans were far more upset. That is because so many great cars were linked to the old DCT.

But BMW has decided to depart from the Dual-Clutch Transmissions in favor of traditional torque-converter 8 speeds, even in the M cars. This transition began with the 2018-model-year-debut of the F90 generation M5.

Next steps…

When the DCT was phased out, what followed was the F10 BMW M5, the F06/F12/F13 BMW M6, the F80 BMW M3 and the F82 BMW M4. These cars once had DCT as options, but now that is no longer the case. With the new G80 BMW M3 and the G82 BMW M4 switching to the ZF 8-speed as well, there is no longer a dual-clutch offering from the M Division. And that is a permanent change.

Fans of the DCT should take note that all that remains as the only car to use BMW’s DCT is the BMW M2.

From now on, all self-shifting transmission for the M Division will be in the form of traditional torque-converter automatics, whether it is the current ZF 8-speed or an updated unit. Sadly, there will no longer be a dual-clutch offering nor will there be in the future. Due to the fact that efficiency holds the utmost importance when it comes to the modern automative climate, the DCT has bid farewell for good!