BMW doesn't often make mistakes, but when it does, people notice. Since 1988, the BMW M5 has been the sport sedan all others were measured against, and over the years its performance creeped higher and higher. These wonderful, rewarding BMW sedans came with just one transmission—a manual. Then, in 2005, a new M5 launched with an outrageous 500 horsepower V10, questionable styling, and a downright terrible single-clutch automated manual with paddle shifters. It was called the SMG, and its shifts were so jerky and unsophisticated in automatic mode that BMW fans (and the media) revolted. So in 2008, BMW finally brought back the manual. Lesson learned.  The current M5 comes standard with a manual transmission.