Not something you see every day

That car is still at a dealership?

Originally posted by zcasavant

Hmmm....

Too bad it doesn't have SP and a 6th gear.

Why did BMW have to make the X5 3.0i 5 speed so hard to enjoy? Drive one, and you'll see what I mean. Second gear should be first, and it desperately needs a 6th gear.

Originally posted by Emission
That car is still at a dealership?

It is at a used dealership near where my parents live. I just don't see 5spd X5s very often.

Originally posted by SARAFIL


Why did BMW have to make the X5 3.0i 5 speed so hard to enjoy? Drive one, and you'll see what I mean. Second gear should be first, and it desperately needs a 6th gear.

Sounds sorta like my car.

I'm actually rather amazed at the number of manual X5s I DO see.

Originally posted by SARAFIL
Why did BMW have to make the X5 3.0i 5 speed so hard to enjoy? Drive one, and you'll see what I mean. Second gear should be first, and it desperately needs a 6th gear.

First, I don't think it is really that bad to distract my enjoyment. As I said earlier, I still like it a lot more than the Step. Yes, it needs improvement and I hope they can address this on the new 6sp that will be offered on the '04.

I guess the reason for the 1st gear being so tall has something to do with towing. The X5 is a SUV, so it has to have the capability of towing. We all know that the 3.0i engine is a little weak under 3k rpm. If the 1st gear is too short, I doubt it has enough torque to tow 5000lbs up a hill. It is designed so that the engine always stays at peak torque, which is about 3-4k rpm. I may be wrong, but this is what I can think of.

Originally posted by mkh
First, I don't think it is really that bad to distract my enjoyment. As I said earlier, I still like it a lot more than the Step. Yes, it needs improvement and I hope they can address this on the new 6sp that will be offered on the '04.

I guess the reason for the 1st gear being so tall has something to do with towing. The X5 is a SUV, so it has to have the capability of towing. We all know that the 3.0i engine is a little weak under 3k rpm. If the 1st gear is too short, I doubt it has enough torque to tow 5000 lbs up a hill. It is designed so that the engine always stays at peak torque, which is about 3-4k rpm.
I may be wrong, but this is what I can think of.

Never driven one with a 5spd. I think it's REALLY cool that they even offer it with a manual tranny.

Is the X5 5 sp transmission the same as the E39? I know that my friends 528iT has a similar feeling transmission as my wife's X5. It doesn't feel as good in shifter or clutch action as the E46 trannys.

Originally posted by Masskrug
Is the X5 5 sp transmission the same as the E39? I know that my friends 528iT has a similar feeling transmission as my wife's X5. It doesn't feel as good in shifter or clutch action as the E46 trannys.

The complaint is not on the shifter or the clutch. I think they are great. It is the gear ratio (1st gear too tall) that is very awkward compared to all other BMW manuals.

Originally posted by mkh
The complaint is not on the shifter or the clutch. I think they are great. It is the gear ratio (1st gear too tall) that is very awkward compared to all other BMW manuals.

I'm not bothered by the 1st gear at all. It's great to crawl in stopandgo traffic, which is inevitable in an urban area. You can always start off leisurely in second gear, or my preference, short shift in 1st gear. Either way can be done smoothly.

I have heard and seen complaints by people of a balky clutch and of shifter feel "like stirring a stick in a bag of marbles". Can't remember where I read that.

I did a comparo of gear ratios and overall ratios on a X5 3.0i 5 speed and a 325xiT 5 speed a few months back for Nick325xiT, and the numbers were shocking. The overall ratio on a X5 was near 20:1, where the 325xi (which already has wierd gear ratios) was close to 13:1.

Let me pull up that info again...

DAmn, I wish I would have had the patience to wait for a manual tranny