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By
EWAN KENNEDY
26 January 2009
BMW delights in controversy, particularly on the styling front.
Just look at the styling of the big X6. It looks like nothing else
on the road, apart from when viewed from the front, where it looks
like a large SUV. But see it at any other angle and you’re
likely to take a deep breath and become embroiled in the
aforementioned controversy.
In
profile the X6 has coupe-like lines with a severely sloping back
end. From the rear it has the lines of a very oversized hatchback,
one with a rather large bum, if you excuse that description.
Love
it or hate it there's no denying this large BMW has presence on
the road, in the carpark at the golf club, or outside your
favourite cafe.
One
area where there's no controversy is in BMW's expertise in engine
design. The Bavarian marque has won more Best Engine awards than
any other and continues to produce stunning units that surely make
other engine designers wish they had thought of the technology
first.
Take
for example the new V8 that’s just become an option in the BMW
X6 (and which will soon be seen in the new 7 Series lineup, and
later in other vehicle in the range). Displacing 4.4 litres this
new V8 has twin turbochargers, one smaller than the other. The
smaller turbo helps the engine develop more power and torque at
low revs. As engine speed increases the larger turbo joins in,
then at higher revolutions the smaller turbo is taken out of the
equation, leaving the larger one to operate on its own.
Producing
a neat 300 kilowatts, the new V8 has torque of a hefty 600 Nm, the
latter developed between 1750 and 4500 rpm. That’s not so much a
torque graph as a torque table-top. This engine will be running at
peak efficiency virtually all the time in day-to-day use. Only
those who explore the upper limits of the rev band will see the
torque gradually taper, to be replaced by ever-increasing power.
Our
initial road testing at the Australian press launch of the new BMW
X6 shows it provides smooth acceleration with a minimum of turbo
lag. As you would expect from the specifications, pulling power
feels endless and the big vehicle storms up hills as though they
weren’t there.
Zero
to 100 km/h acceleration is accomplished in just 5.4 seconds, an
impressive figures for such a large vehicle. Yet fuel consumption
is pretty reasonable for what it is. While 13.8 litres per hundred
kilometres when measured to Australian standard figures doesn’t
exactly make this an economy car, this is a large machine with the
ability to cover ground safely and efficiently.
The
engine drives all four wheels through six-speed automatic
transmission and has intelligent traction and stability systems.
Larger
brakes have been installed in the V8 than in the recently-released
six-cylinder petrol and turbo-diesel models.
The
BMW X6 is a large vehicle and has plenty of front headroom. Rear
seat legroom is good, but taller passengers could have a problem
due to the coupe-like roofline. Try it for yourself.
BMW
has deliberately made this a four-seater, not a five-. There are
individual rear seats separated by a console, thus creating a rear
area that’s similar to the one you find in the front of a luxury
saloon. These rear seats certainly provide a pleasant ambience for
two, may we suggest you try it for yourself when test driving at
your local BMW dealer. Don’t just sit in the front, push the
kids out and try the rear for yourself.
The
boot is a good size, but the floor is a long way off the ground.
Aggravating that is a tall loading lip, so the luggage area
requires a fair bit of effort to load heavy items.
Ride
and overall comfort are excellent, the weight of the X6 certainly
helps it here as the car feels glued to the road even on harsh
surfaces. Handling is far better than you would expect from a
2.2-tonne vehicle, though it’s not the most nimble car on the
road when you ask it to change direction suddenly on winding
roads.
The
X6 is well equipped with leather trim, powered front seats, a
16-speaker audio system and a four-zone climate-control setup. The
door mirrors have a fascinating automatic anti-dazzle function.
A
head-up display lets you keep an eye on the readouts of some of
the major instruments without taking your eyes off the road. But
be aware these readouts may not be available if you use polarising
sunglasses, try for yourself.
All
of this rides on spectacular looking 20-inch alloy wheels which
look just so right on a vehicle like this.
The
new BMW X6 is on sale in Australia now and has a recommended
retail price of $145,000, plus on-road costs. It joins the
existing six-cylinder petrol and turbo-diesel X6 models, thus
giving something for everyone. At least for everyone who wants to
stand out from the crowd and who likes to drive hard and fast in a
large German thoroughbred.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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