Gearbox Mode. What is M?

[seech]

Test drove E34 M50 Auto today. Auto has mode selection switch. Push forward for S, down for E, back for M. I know S mode is Sports. E is Economy. What is M mode for? I know some have * which means Winter mode but I dunno what M is for.Sorry so blur. Never drive auto bimmer before.Thanks.

 

[wan520i]

Is it stand for "M Power"??? hehe...

 

[seech]

Yalah..... maybe turbo will kick in.. AHHAAHHAHA

Seriously though. Cannot figure out what the heck the 'M' is for. Cannot be manual mode right? E sudah ada, S sudah ada.... M tu apa?

 

[seech]

Ur car dun have the 'M' ah?

 

[wan520i]

My car got *, dun have "M" Power lah...

 

[Victor320]

I recall something about it being Manual, and you can then shift manually - but then I also recall hearing that's not good to do often.

 

[seech]

I tot u can shift manually in any case by moving the gearlever. Furthermore its auto. If its latest SMG with paddle shift then maybe can understand.

How come that E34 got M and others got *? Is one CKD and the other CBU? No confused...... Maybe its a Jap box and M means Winter in Japanese. Or maybe I was looking at the switch upside down. M / W?

 

[wan520i]

yeah..., maybe you are right...looking the switch at upside down...M = W...hahaha..

 

[3er]

M = Manual
It will retain the gear in which you select.

e.g.
switch in "M"
gear selector in "3"
the gear box will remain in 3rd gear at all times even if you are stopped, on a hill, at 110km/h, accelerating or decelerating, etc.

The * is the same as M. The * is a snowflake. It is used in winter to reduce the possibility of wheel spin and to have more control. (This was in the days before traction control or ASC in BMW terms)

Hope that helps.

 

[seech]

3er,

Thanks. That makes sense. I thought the 'M' would remain a mystery forever. Don't dare press the switch in case something explodes in the gearbox. Just got the car, very paranoid something goes wrong.

I wonder if it'll stay in gear if I come to a complete stop? Maybe I'll try it out one day......

 

[3er]

seech:

As i mentioned, in "M" mode it will retain the gear selection. So if its in "3" it will remain in 3rd gear even if you are stationary and move off after that. Give it a try and you shall see. And no, you wont leave the gearbox on the road behind you. It was intentionally designed this way to inhibit wheel spin under acceleration under slippery road conditions.

 

[seech]

3er,

BMW memang banyak makan wang..... just found out my radiator leaking. Have to change new one.... hopefully gearbox is ok.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[anaksarawak]

M = MUD mode (Selepas Banjir)
M = Melaka mode (jalan sempit and lots if jam)
M = Maniac mode
M = Makan Time (Rush home for makan)

 

[kelvinp]

M = Mother in-law mode, drive your mother in-law in luxury comfort.

M = Mat rempit mode, so that your car can do a wheelie too.