German Car Forum

What is it?

The most powerful diesel version of the new X6 – BMW’s attempt to cross a sportscar with an off-roader. Put simply, the X6 defies all the well managed marketing logic car makers traditionally pride themselves on.

Most significantly, the X6 acts as a platform for the introduction of some of BMW’s most interesting mechanical developments in years – including a new traction enhancing torque vectoring system that’s set to appear in all of BMW’s four-wheel drive models in future years.

The range-topping diesel version will be far more popular in the UK than the thirsty 50i V8 petrol version. It uses the same 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged diesel engine that has already appeared in the X5, with 286bhp and 427lb ft of torque. It’s not as quick as the petrol V8, but with a 6.9sec 0-62mph time and a 147mph top speed it’s still one of the quickest SUVs yet.

What’s it like?

BMW projects that only 10 per cent of British X6 customers will choose a petrol-powered version, with the two diesel engines constituting the overwhelming majority of sales.

And, on the evidence of the 35d version, it’s not hard to see why – this is a truly amazing powerplant. Peak torque arrives at just 1750rpm and the standard-fit six-speed automatic gearbox provides near-seamless drive. The steering-wheel mounted selection paddles also allow the ‘box to put in a decent impression of a sequential manual if the mood takes you.

Granted, the xDrive35d is 1.5sec shy of its xDrive50i sister in the dash from 0-62mph, but the engine’s massive mid-range urge means nobody is going to notice any real-world deficit. For a car weighing all of 2185kg, the X6 feels both remarkably quick and agile.

Indeed, apart from the elevated driving system – 19mm below that of the X5 but still far taller than conventional cars – the X6 really does deliver on the coupé part of its design brief. It feels like an enormous, tall sportscar, especially with the advanced Dynamic Performance Control torque vectoring system deftly doling out drive to the wheels with the most grip.

It’s surprisingly sensible, too. The combined cycle fuel consumption of 34mpg betters that of the turbocharged V8 by a whopping 11.4mpg. And it manages to avoid the highest band of CO2 taxation too, coming in at 220g/km. Considering the X6’s combination of size and performance, that’s an amazing achievement.

Should I buy one?

The X6 is still a hard car to get your head around, and not everybody will want to. But BMW has succeeded in delivering a car that rewrites the rules on the way an SUV should look and drive – and in xDrive35d guise you can add outstanding performance and economy to the mix.


BMW X6 xDrive35d - Road Test First Drive - Autocar.co.uk


M

2185 kg..... oh my......

That's not a surprise. It's actually X5 hardware (+ DPC) with coupeish body. Just like eg. 3er coupe is almost the same weight as its sedan counterpart, so is X6 of approx same weight as X5.

It's a SAV coupe, not a sports car! And mind even 6er isn't exactly light.

With all that style, comfort, safety, technology, performance and to a degree the practical side to the car.... who cares about the weight.

You'd be an idiot to by this car instead of say an M3. You buy the car because of the reasons i mentioned above. This car is bought on emotion.

For me "Driving pleasure" means throw the car into the corner and he just obeys, for that we need agility and to achieve agility we need low weight, BMW should take much more attention to weight than to power, hey you don't need 300/400hp to have fun, you just need a good chassis, and a direct steering, power isn't everthing...but that just me

I agree! That's why I had a smart Roadster-Coupe...and loved it... The pleasure is in the emotion, the sensations, not in the power.

Now we need hard suspensions settings, super-soft and super-wide tyres, an enormous amount of power with gigantic brakes, a fancy complex differential, plus electronic steering and all sorts of things, to achieve just what the cars had naturally some decades ago...

However all carmakers will have to reduce the weight to achieve greenhouse gas rules and low consumption.

The weight, that is the ennemy!

You can only dream of an SUV with agility of a sports-car. Not possible! Laws of physics are above all. No tech or engineering can't overrule them.

"Driving pleasure" is not an absolute term. It's unique in every segment. Only a comparison within segment is possible. It's stupid to argue X6 is not as agile as eg. 6er, or 7er not as 1er. Size & weight do matter.

So ... X6 is is very capable, very agile, very dynamics, very sporty ... FOR AN SAV!!! Best in a segment. But don't be so naive to compare an SUV (although with a coupeish body) with a sports-car.

If you want to experience true driving pleasure, buy a potent, small, light, low sports performance coupe. 911 is a legend with a reason.

But some customers just want an extremely sporty & dynamic SAV(ish) vehicle. And X6 seems to be the best choice for those people.




PS: why weight increase? People want more & more convenience features, more safety features, more luxury features etc. And all that equipment does add weight. And people want more & more power. BMW can easily produce a light car with less power - but that's not what customers in premium segment want (especially not in Asia, ME & USA!). Therefore cars are heavier every time - or at least as heavy as predecessor (due the usage of lightweight materials). Do not blame the car makers - blame the customers: car makers only produce what the majority of customers want. And to sell they have to produce what customers want. That's business. Engineers are victims of marketing.

seriously shocked by hearing complains about the weight of a SUV!! it's a truck !

Please do not forget Europe

The premium segment is governed by European brands : BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Porsche, Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini...

Why would that be.. ?

Ok don't take it to personal

I was speaking generally, not especially for the X6.

You speak of the 911, well it too is now way heavier than it was, and as a result the best 911 ever in terms of sensations and feeling is not the 997 GT3 RS and its 415hp, but the old 2,7RS and its today ridiculous 210hp.

The weight is primilary needed by the safety and comfort equipment, but it leads to a vicious circle as we all know.

But I think this vicious circle is about to be broken. The pollution and consumption issue, along with a real desire for simple and effective cars, will make light and simple become trendy and influence the whole car market.

Our cars have reach such an insane weight, 2,5 tons beeing not that unusual in the upmarket, that it is impossible to go on this way.

I just think it is absolutely ridiculous to move two tons of metal just to move one or two 75kgs humans.

Do you imagine it? 2000kgs metal to move between 70kgs and 300kgs human, plus maybe 50kgs luggages? Making the whole 2,5 tons, from which only maybe 15% is the thing to move?

^

That's why automobile is called automobile (= "selfmover").

Yes, I agree. It's insane. But I have doubts new "green tech" will bring less weight. Electro motors, batteries, catalyzators, filters, etc will add even more weight - or keep it at the same level, yet lowering the consumption & be less polluting. Mind lightweigth materials are not cheep, and have their own physical limitations. Also safety standards are also there to blame: cabin shell enhancements, airbags, seat belt tensioners, chassis features (eg. ABS, DSC etc) etc. More stuff, more cables, more sensors, more CPUs, more electro motors, more batteries etc.

Not to mention all the luxury / convenience features (like 15+ speakers, multichannel A/C, seat-belt handler, DVD entertainment units, panorama roofs, auto close/open doors, etc.).

Today even the smallest cars are heavy ... due safety & convenience features.




European customers (of MB, BMW, Audi) are not so much obsessed with power & luxury. That's why even the low-power engine & less-equipped cars are selling well.

Well, first an electro-motor (or a fuel-cell one) is by itself way smaller and lighter than a combustion engine. With new tech it will be soon possible to have decent autonomy and performances without too many heavy batteries, and without beeing a hybrid.

Second, like I said I strongly believe there is a trend coming toward more simple, more efficient, more "natural" cars. I think we will see kind of "Ikea" cars, I mean with a good design, a decent equipment, but lightweight and natural materials, and less electronic useless things, a smaller dash, thinner seats and soon. Enormous plastic dash full of buttons will disappear for a clearer, simpler, friendlier architecture.

A bit like modern furnitures compared to the ones in the 18's century.

I think at one time, you bought your car for its motor and power. Look at the ads in the 80's.

Now it is the trend to look at pollution first. This will lead the carmakers to develop lightweight instead of power, to have less pollution and consumption.

The day is not that far where the car in itself will become far more important than the motor it uses. We won't have 18 different motors for one car any more. But we will be able to customize the interior and design much more.

Plastic body will be used, and will even be able to be changed, a bit like in the smart. But it could be further developped, so instead of just changing the colour you could change the design of it... You could have different propositions, and could change it...

I really think the motor will loose the excessive importance it now has. An electric car does not make noise, so you won't notice it any more. And consequently the car will be focusses to something else than power, and will become way lighter.

Tend to disagree everything depends on your income level and the price of a car.

Consider this, the X6 base model 35i starts at 56.800 Eur with zero options.. , thats 89.000 USD for a base car. Start putting in some options and the price will quickly get to the 75.000 Eur (117.750 USD), that is a lot even for americans..

Can you imagine what a fully loaded V8 would cost ?

Factor in the price of gas 8.9 USD/gallon and you will understand why the V8 is not going to be popular in Europe...

Add the environment tax of more than 49 USD a day (!) for the V8 in London..

Nevertheless some people will buy them, just because they love it...

Europeans like premium cars, most of them can't or do not want to give all their money to the tax authorities..

I think you are right but you are banging on the wrong door. This is a truck.

Take a look at the other end instead. We have great versions of both the 1-series and the 3-series to look forward to should all predictions and rumours be true.

Well, the X6 Xdrive 35i starts at 52,500 USD (and that is about 33,300 EUR).... most things are very cheap over there.

@ branko


Chap, you are missing my point. I said in US etc power & luxury features matter much more than in Europe. That's also why BMW are not offering eg. 320i or 118i or 630i or 730d there. European customers are less HP-hungry. It was the same case even in the times the gas was cheap(er).

It's part of the driving culture... Americans tend to prefer big cars with big engines, as they have bigger roads, bigger parking spaces (and bigger wallets ) That may not be as true today as was 2 decades ago, but even now a premium brand selling a 4 cylinder engined car in US would be considered a joke, when in Europe that would be the most popular model by far.

Well you may be right... actually when you refer to the times when the gas was cheaper I was probably not born yet..

We have a long tradition in taxing fuel... ;-)

And luckily the high oil prices doesn't affect us very much since we pay in Euros, it seems like the oil prices are Euro based, with a conversion being made for ease of comparison..