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      07-18-2012, 06:46 AM   #14
Teleskier
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Drives: '13 X1 20mpg, '01 VW TDI 55mpg
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: New England

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Quote:
Originally Posted by mapezzul View Post
Not a chance. To certify a manual would be an extra 2 million dollars- EPA and DOT crash testing. The diesels are 12 months out and will be equipped with 8 speed autos as they should be. The take rate on manuals in sporty cars has plummeted and a manual diesel is less than sporty... I am also not sure why everyone is stuck on the manual with a diesel- doesn't drive like a gas engine and the 8 speed gets better EPA numbers which is the marketing point of the diesel anyways.
My chipped MT VW TDI drives much more like a racy sports car than the N20 AT X3 I recently test drove. Chipping the TDI turned it from drab eco-driving into a kick-in-the-seat rocket... and I still get 49+ mpg. You can have it all. Diesel does not mean boring.

Now I have to decide if I trust BMW enough to wait for the 62mpg diesel X1 if they really DO bring it over, or just get the present X1, where I have to pick between the N20 I felt was underpowered and boring in the X3 but I get the new 8spd, or take the more fun N55 but be saddled with the older 6spd which further demotes the hwy mpg more than the 6cyl already would.
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