most of the cars i've owned have had manual transmissions, and that is my preference usually. however, i live in an area with a lot of stop-and-go rush hour traffic, and wanted to switch to an automatic to more comfortably suffer through my daily commute. so, i chose an X3 with the steptronic transmission. i find the standard drive setting to be fairly smooth, but unenthusiastic (slow to upshift unless i really punch it). the sport drive mode is better. if i really need to move, i use the manu-matic function, which is helpful. none of this is as satisfying as a manual transmission, but the steptronic makes my commute more bearable.

so my only suggestion is to think about how and where you'll be driving and think about the transmission that will really suit what you need/want. whatever you choose, i'm sure you'll love your X3!

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2006 X3 3.0i
Black sapphire with terracotta Montana leather
Premium & sports packages, heated seats, privacy glass, and BMW iPod integration kit
My first BMW - I love it!

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