Originally Posted by motordavid

Matt, It isn't "practiaclly unusable" but it is really short...
it is, by the bye, the same first gear ratio used in
my ol' 2001 X5 3.0 with 5 Spd manual, and in
the new X5 6 spd manual, and the 6 spd manual
available in the X3s.

It is short, but doable. So are 2nd gear starts
in many cases.

The other prob is the 5 spd is geared "short"
for cruising speeds, which is somewhat alleviated
in the 6 spd which has a slight overdrive. It coulda/shoulda
been more of an overdriven ratio, imo.

But, if I replaced the X5, (with an X3), it would be sport
and 6 spd manual only.
BR,mD