Bit late to the discussion... While I laud BMW for offering the manual I'm a bit irked that it's not available with ZCP. What's the reasoning?
Yes 6MT is slower than AT but that doesn't mean buyers want a detuned car.
Drive a F8X M2C and M3/4C back to back and you'll see how much of a difference a couple dozen horses make. It's noticeable.
In the case of the G8X it's not just 30hp but a whopping 70+ tq?
Give the manual the full 503/479.
I'm pretty sure if BMW did that and offered the 6MT with ZCP most if not all the *6MT buyers would opt for it over the base model