My view on the SMG gearbox

I think this is a great piece of kit. Sure, the purists will feel that stick is the only way to go. But damn, this box does change gears in a hurry. There are 2 modes (manual and auto) and 5 settings within each mode (setting for severity of gear change ie slow to quick). Disable the DSC and you get an extra setting in manual....a super quick change setting. And then of course there is the launch control feature, which most of you might be surprised to read that I have never activated once yet. Initially I used to drive it in auto mode with setting when going to work in traffic. This was lazy of me. Now I never drive it in auto, its always in manual on the max change setting with DSC on. I have a strange combination of driving....I change up with my right hand on the paddle, and change down with my left hand on the lever. Because the paddles are on the steering wheel, when going around tight corners it becomes a bit arkward to you have to change with the lever. And yes, I do tap off gently so as to ensure a smooth gear change. You don't have to, but I do.