BMW is known for being efficient, but their press release on the X6 is rather, um, longwinded. Chew on this and tell me if I’m wrong: “Right from the start, the flair and look of the front end give BMW’s new Sports Activity Coupe powerful presence. Due to the larger share of surfaces finished in body colour, however, the BMW X6 creates the impression of being lower and even more sporting, emphasising its dynamic orientation to the road.
The DNA typical of a BMW X car is also to be admired on the engine compartment lid, in the dual round headlights cut off at the top, and in the structure of the BMW kidney grille in upright position. Large air intakes positioned far to the outside not only clearly indicate the cooling requirements but also, together with the side panels stretching to the inside far beyond the headlights, provide clear visual orientation to the wheels, again bearing testimony to the stable stance of the vehicle on the road.” Blah blah blah.
These are just 142 of the 21Â 033 words that make up the 66 page press release, but I’ll spare you the anguish of stumbling numbly through them and give you my opinion in plain, simple English. The X6 is as ugly as hell. It’s too big, it’s too brash, and it’s not the sort of thing you’ll want to ever take off the tarmac, so why not buy either a proper coupe or a decent off-roader, or even a soft roader? On top of that, I can’t think of a single reason that the world needs a new class of vehicle called a “Sports Activity Coupe”.
Having got that off my chest I can now tell you that despite these handicaps, the BMW X6 xDrive 35i I drove at the Cape Town launch is nevertheless a marvelously engineered car that’s hard to fault on performance. The engine — a three litre twin-turbo straight six that was voted engine of the year for 2008 — is a beauty, with 225kW of power, and 400Nm of torque on tap from just above idle to 5Â 000 rpm.
With almost two tonnes of Teutonic Wunderwagen to hoof down the road it doesn’t feel as lively as it did in the 335i Coupe I first experienced it in, but a claimed 0-100 time of 6,7 seconds and a top speed of 250km/h (governed) means the X6 is still a seriously quick car. For those who want more, there’ll be a twin turbo 4,4 litre V8 with 300kW and 600Nm arriving in April next year. For R845Â 000 (as opposed to the R680Â 000 of the six cylinder 35i) you’ll get to 100km/h 1,3 seconds earlier than the cheapskate in the smaller engined version.
Or you could cough up R724Â 000 for the X6 xDrive 35d diesel burner. That does the 0-100 sprint in 6,9 seconds and tops out at 236km/h, and could well be the sensible choice for most people. But then, most people aren’t going to be in the running for an X6, are they? By the way, the top speeds claimed for the two “junior” versions are only attainable with the factory-fitted sports pack that includes lower profile tyres that make the vehicle even less suited to anything remotely resembling off-road use. And, regrettably, the X6 comes with run-flat tyres and no spare wheel. I think that’s almost criminal in South Africa.
Every X6 comes with BMW’s xDrive all-wheel-drive technology, and loads of acronyms for devices intended to make it more difficult for the driver to put a foot wrong when playing at the limit. There’s also a very complex new rear differential that BMW claims revolutionises the way the car handles. It felt pretty good to me, but then most BMW’s do. All three versions of the X6 come with BMW’s super-slick six speed automatic transmission with steering-wheel mounted quick-shift paddles.
The cabin of the X6 is superbly appointed and very well screwed together. Head room in the rear is somewhat limited, thanks to the faux coupe roofline, and the car feels nowhere near as big from the inside as it looks from the outside — especially if you’re a tall dude who draws the short straw and has to sit in the back.
You get all the electronic doohickeys you’d expect in a car of this calibre, and if you want to throw even more money at Germany you can spice up the mix ad infinitum. Steering wheel heating will set you back R1Â 900, and a reverse camera R3Â 800. Front seat heating and ventilation isn’t cheap at R29Â 000 and a head-up display that projects important data onto the windscreen is a cool R10Â 900. Voice activated just-about-everything is R24Â 000.
I don’t believe the X6 is going to sell in massive numbers in South Africa, which is probably a good thing, because BMW South Africa has been told that demand exceeds supply worldwide and we won’t be getting many here. Those who fancy the concept and the styling will more than likely be very happy customers, but I think most people with that sort of money are going to look for something a little more focused.