People pulling away slowly

[integrale_evo]

I’d imagine with probably 1/2ton more, bigger wheels and a 4x4 system 1st is a bit more necessary

[Jobbo]

The dumbest car I drove for that was the XC60. Utterly useless automatic which was always in too high a gear labouring the engine. Don’t think I’ve ever been in a bad BMW auto.

I've never been a fan of the ZF8 but apparently that makes me weird. Too much fussing about all the time.

I was never particularly concerned about a lack of ratios on the 5-sp autos in my early 2000s Audi S6 and BMW 540i but I don't find the ZF 8sp one annoying because it changes gear so quickly and smoothly.

[Swervin_Mervin]

The dumbest car I drove for that was the XC60. Utterly useless automatic which was always in too high a gear labouring the engine. Don’t think I’ve ever been in a bad BMW auto.

I've never been a fan of the ZF8 but apparently that makes me weird. Too much fussing about all the time.

I was never particularly concerned about a lack of ratios on the 5-sp autos in my early 2000s Audi S6 and BMW 540i but I don't find the ZF 8sp one annoying because it changes gear so quickly and smoothly.

Possibly just the cars we've driven but at urban speeds we found it really noticeable. Maybe the age of the cars as well as they would all have been early in the ZF8's life, so perhaps the 'box mapping wasn't as good.

[Jobbo]

I first drove a ZF8 car (F10 530d when newly launched) in mid-2010. Considering 10 years before ZF were making the 5-sp and introduced the 6-sp in about 2003, that's a pretty amazing rate of progress. I imagine that the ZF8 from 2010 is probably not quite as similar to a ZF8 from 2023 as we might assume simply because they won't have done nothing to it in the meantime.

The change from ZF5 to ZF6 was much more of a step up because the 6-sp locked up at much lower revs. 6 to 8 wasn't a massive change, just a couple of extra overdrives on top.

[Beany]

I have noticed that the zf8 is very keen to shift into first when going through tight junctions on rat runs etc, even in eco mode.

There's a pair of junctions very close together that I traverse every time I go into town and it's never smooth.

That's annoying.

[V8Granite]

I’d imagine with probably 1/2ton more, bigger wheels and a 4x4 system 1st is a bit more necessary

It certainly does, although I managed 26.4 mpg going cross country from Wroxham to Market Deeping last night. Car was 4 up and the dog and I had a run up to 90 on the dual carriageway. Pleased with that.

Dave!