I've got a 2006 3.0d manual and it's just Fantastic. Have had 3 previous beemers, all with manual tranny's and this one's just as beautiful or better that any of the former ones.

Being a diesel, (so having more torque than a gasoline V8) makes it an incredibly fun box to play with; you can really wring out the full torque capacity the likes of which an auto box will never let you do.. It's got some basic differences with a gasoline 3.0 manual tranny; like you have to be much more precise when starting from 2nd-gear; if you pop the clutch too soon, the monster-torque will stall the engine in a whiff..

On the other hand, manual boxes on gasoline-powered models are more fun when powering through the gears till redline, which tipically streches 2000 rpm higher than in diesel models..

All in all, I'm yet to be convinced on X5's with auto boxes. Guess I'll have a real hard time when confronted with no-manual options whe it's time to change to an E70.......