When BMW’s M5 debuted, it was only available with a seven-speed SMG gearbox, however, due to frequent complaints BMW has finally made a six-speed manual available for 2007. Despite the new manual, the complaints are likely to continue since BMW has removed the ability to completely disable the traction control.

According to Car magazine, the reason for preventing traction control from being completely disabled comes not from the legal department, but from the engineers. With a manual transmission, there is no computer control for clutch plate actuation. And with the M5 V10’s massive power output, full throttle starts would cause significant axle tramp, which would lead to significantly slower acceleration times. Even worse, it would greatly shorten the life of the drivetrain, and that is something that BMW wanted to avoid.

The only way for BMW to control the drivetrain was to make it so you couldn’t completely disable traction control.

## Source: Car Magazine ##

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