well, she was, I was on the fence though thought it sounded cool

It's all my fault: I should have journey'd to drive one first and didnt.

Mileage is awful because 1st is so short you over-rev it to get it acceptable to shift into 2nd. Best to start in 2nd, though then you spin the clutch 2x as much. I'm averaging between 10-14mpg driving it like a granny 4.8is X5 is super-smooth and I average 19-20mpg driving it like Granny.

 

yeah the automatic always starts in second.. the low gearing makes it a better offroader.

 

While I did enjoy driving my GTS offroad - the gearing was more appropriate for rock-crawling; which makes (some) sense for the Trassy, but not the GTS. The GTS was a blast heel-toeing between 3rd and 6th while staying below 30mph, but I think I only used 1st going through a creek with lots of hidden boulders. I still think about what I should have changed - bigger tires, swap the rear-end (possible?). Still miss it. Here was mine's interior and a face shot:

 

I managed 16-17mpg with mostly highway driving. Around town, Im getting closer to 11mpg. I hate to say it, but if gas mileage is a concern, you have the wrong vehicle.

1st is a very short gear. I tend to use 1st until I hit about 2500rpm's, then shift. 2nd is possible for most starts, but as you noted, its not quite low enough and I tend to slip it a little more than I would prefer.