Here is our new 3.0d, stick shift, German version

[RenoHuskerDu]

Finding one with Kurvenlicht was not easy (adaptive lighting). This one does, plus a second set of 19" summer tires (285/45) that I plan to sell off. I'd rather have 17s or 18s because my kids will drive this car often.

So far I need a new handbrake ratchet, one new xenon, a battery, 17" winter tires, and a couple of bulbs.

The car was in Munich, a 4 hour drive, and there was plenty of fun at the border thanks to our terrorist friends' action in Paris the other day. Machine guns make me nervous.

Here's a little pic.

[Don Coffey]

Congratulations on your new car, can I ask why you hunted for the stick drive?  I've never used one but not heard very faverable reports about them?  How do you find it?  Is this replacing the E70?

Don

[RenoHuskerDu]

I need a stick shift so my son can do driver training. It's required here in France. It shifts quite well, I think that there isn't a problem with this one or the others I drove. Perhaps the stick shift is overwhelmed by how good the automatic is in comparison.

[Don Coffey]

Very nice,  what a lucky lad, not many young ones get an X5 to learn to drive in. 

[RenoHuskerDu]

French people crack me up sometimes. So I dropped by my indie shop to arrange a check up for the car. As soon as I mentioned e53, he said oh no, terrible car, all kinds of troubles, don't get one of those!  Then I told him that I had already bought it, and that it has a stick shift. Oh! That's a whole different thing. I had one of those go 500000 kilometers. No troubles! Such emotional people, these French.