BMW, in a surprise bout of social engineering, has invented a cure for the people problem. Something that puts vast acreage between you and the inane mob quicker than you’d expect: the new top of the range BMW X6 Xdrive50i.
The new X6 is a twin turbo-charged middle finger to anything and everything on this warm, watery rock we call Earth. And as I secretly wish I could give everyone the finger, and I know you do too, you should realise it’s absolutely fantastic.
There is nowhere to hide from the stunning, all-new, 300kW, 600Nm, twin turbo, 4.4-litre V8 engine. Matted to a six-speed automatic gearbox with manual paddle shifts on the steering wheel, the power delivery that rockets this 2.3-ton machine to 100kph in 5.4s is simply sublime. Savage, sporty and blipping the throttle on down changes in S mode, yet calm and whisper smooth everywhere else.
BMW’s intelligent Xdrive four-wheel-drive system is now complemented by BMW’S dynamic performance control that works with the chassis management system, varying the amount of torque sent to either wheel on the rear axle. BMW claims it enhances high-speed cornering stability and I can testify that the X6 is remarkably capable in the bends.
I can’t remember the last car I drove that gave me what rugby players like to call “white-line fever” — a kind of trance-like state where your mind blocks out any chit chat in the cabin, your reactions feel like they’re on full alert and all you can do is focus a gaze on the far horizon and to hell with the consequences of how fast you get there. I got this feeling in the X6.
So, there you have it: the new X6 is the best way to part with R890 500 (for the standard spec) and no doubt “lose friends and alienate people” (unless they’re BMW drivers) along the way. It’s a fantastic car, but one major criticism is that it doesn’t have much-needed grab handles.