For years, manufacturers have tried to develop automatic transmissions that rival the performance and feel of stick shift cars. Efforts date back to the Porsche Sportomatic and later Tiptronic transmissions. Today, lots of cars have excellent "auto-manual" style transmissions, but BMW has taken up another notch with its dual-clutch design for the 2008 BMW M3. Car & Driver reports that they may finally have designed one that's better than an actual stick shift.

The Getrag/BMW seven-speed, double-clutch automated manual is a $2700 option for the M series coupe, sedan, and convertible. The report said that it adds about 45 pounds to the car, and can handle engine speeds up to 9,000 RPM.

Here's how it works: "The M DCT gearbox uses two oil-cooled, wet multi-disc clutches and operates much like other transmissions of this type, such as VW/Audi's DSG/S tronic. One clutch engages the even gears, and the other handles the odds plus reverse. Since only one clutch is engaged at any given time, the transmission anticipates and preselects the next ratio; a gear change simply requires one clutch to release while the other engages, which means the M DCT transmission can shift quicker than a manual transmission, and it drastically reduces the power interruption between gears. Overall, first gear with M DCT is actually slightly taller than in the manual, but the rest of the ratios are shorter."

There are 11 possible settings for the transmission—5 in automatic mode, and 6 in manual mode. The report said that manual shifting is accomplished via steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles (right for upshifts, left for downshifts) or the shift lever on the center console (pictured).