Thanks for the info guys. After having had many manuals, I am actually happy that I chose the turbo with tip. I actually was able to enjoy drinking my coffee on the way to work the other day, which is a first for me in a performance car. The tip seems to perform very similarily to the automatic in my 335xi, and they both perform well beyond my ability to shift. One thing that concerned me was the lag issue that I kept reading about in the auto rags, but this is easily remedied by simply pre-selecting the apropriate gear before attempting to pass, etc.. I don't see this being any slower than down shifting a MT. So far this car is beyond all my expectations performance wise, and I can see her being a keeper for many years.
-Getz