I believe the manual X5 is geared short solely for towing. I have a Dodge Ram pickup with a 5-speed, and it has a very short 1st gear which I never use. It is there solely for towing very large loads (it has a 13,500lb capacity). Without an automatic's torque converter you need a pretty short gear to get a big load moving without frying the clutch.

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2002 X5 3.0i