BMW has built a car that there was no demand for; or at least that's how it seems.
Who in their right mind would want a four seat SUV with limited load capacity and iffy styling? Eh, now that I have driven it - me!
Pictures do the X6 absolutely no favours whatsoever. The X6 is right up there with the 'SsangYong Rodius' as one of the 'plainest' cars (my Mum’s way of saying dog ugly) you can buy but, as with the Rodius, the real life experience proves quite the opposite. BMW call the X6 the world's first 'sports activity coupe'. Initially you’d have to say it may remain the world's only SAC, as who would want one in this day and age of soaring oil prices etc? However, the driving experience will win you over to the concept. Sadly the X6 isn't cheap though. Prices start in the mid eighties!
The exterior styling is clearly aimed at the visually impaired as it echoes a lot of the styling clues from the Korean SsangYong Actyon - now there’s a remarkable statement. I never thought I'd see Germany’s finest paying homage to a Korean SUV! Okay, so in the flesh the BMW knocks socks off the Actyon but the idea is the same. But where the Actyon is dynamically challenged, the BMW X6 excels.
There are three engine options in the showrooms from launch: a 306bhp 3.5 litre straight-six petrol, 3 litre diesel and 286bhp 3 litre SD diesel. A 4.4 litre V8 is available also on special order.
Powered by the super SD (sport diesel) twin turbo 3 litre diesel engine, my test car X6 manages to deliver an exciting drive. Imagine you're behind the wheel of a racing 'Baja' or road pick-up and you've come close to the sensation the X6 can deliver. It is firm, eager and tight and truly loves to press on. On a recent drive on some of the county’s nastiest rural roads the X6 was a hoot. The SD power plant that made its bow in the second generation X5 is a perfect match for the four-seat SUV. The driving position is great and the best thing about the interior is - you can't see the exterior! 0-100 km/h takes just 6.9 seconds and the X6 SD can average a very impressive 8.3 litres per 100km travelled.
Inside the X6 has all the Beemer switchgear and toys you'd expect. The passenger accommodation is excellent and the rear two passengers get a decent amount of room. X6 is a technological tour de force featuring all the goodness from the X5 like X Drive but it goes one step further by giving us yet another acronym DPC (Dynamic Performance Control) to add to the ever-growing list of driving aids. DPC controls the variable drive forces between the two rear wheels. It is a kind of ESP but for the outer wheels when cornering, not the inner ones.
Make a point of seeing the X6 in the flesh before you make up your mind about it because it is a more than a little mad, but a whole lot of fun.
Michael Sheridan
