6 speed manual 3.0 vs. 4.4 steptronic
 

I am moving to an X5 from an older Land Rover '96 Discovery, the last year that manuals were made in a Discovery. I am a committed manual driver, but was surprisingly pleased when testing an '06 4.4 steptronic in the manual mode. However, being the purist that I am, I am still considering the 6 speed manual (only available in a 3.0, as I understand. I have my eye on several that are available.) Does anyone have any thoughts on the trade off in power of a six speed manual 3.0, but being able to drive a manual, versus the 4.4 steptronic? Thanks for any feedback.
Buyer to be.

I bought my x back in 2002 where I tested both the manual 3 vs the step 4.4

Good things about the 3 manual
1) it's a stick - you're in the gear you want at all times
2) the 3.0 engine generally works well with a stick for a SUV this heavy (except 1st gear)
3) BMW should always have a stick IMO. the steptronic will never make up the difference

Bad
1) 1st gear is super short so you end up shifting out of it around 5 mph..annoying over time
2) the 3 is light on torque at low speeds (until 3rd gear) unless you want to really rev the engine
3) stop and go traffic is not much fun
4) your resale value will be weak...but so your purchase price should be low


My two cents

I've seen manual X5's very coveted and sought after by people on other enthusiast forums. So resale could actually be higher to the right person.

To me the increase in power is not worth the trade off of a heavier, less cornerable 4.4

In my opinion the fun factor will be greater in the 3.0/Stick, if you can find a sport package ;)

I am not sure the weight difference between the 3.0 and 4.4 makes that big of a difference in the cornering department. Especially if you are comparing to a 4.4 with the sports package.

Rowing through the gears may be fun, but you will still be looking at the back of the 4.4 when the light turns green. I don't think I could give up the power of the V8 over the inline 6. Even if it comes with a manual trans.

I read a review a while ago where it said that the 3.0i manual is just about as fast as the 4.4i. I think it still wouldn't be as fast but I've never driven a manual 3.0i.

it's not possible for 225 hp to keep up with 300+ when the car almost weighs the exact same

True that is what my thinking is but I guess those reviewers had different results.

Have you driven both? It's like night and day to me.

Paddleshifter mod with V8 power may change your commitments :D

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...59aaaccccc.jpg

True that but the harsh reality of the x5 3.0i is that it is primarily a rich/pretend rich soccer mom vehicle. My experience is that this demographic doesn't want to deal with a stick and dealers/smart buyers know this. Try taking a manual x5 to a dealer as a trade-in and watch his face as he realizes it is a stick.

These forums are generally for enthusiasts so I would expect a better audience here. Part of the reason I chose to get a stick is that it is not like most x5s. To the original poster, the manuals have a personality all their own. Drive one and if you love it, then the 3.0i is the way to go