When BMW introduced the X6 back in 2008, I recall thinking that it was a step too far. When SUVs were being bashed from all corners as the epitome of four-wheeled evil by environmentalists and social commentators alike, for the life of me I couldn’t fathom why BMW risked fanning the flames of hate by bringing to market a monstrous vehicle that took the sector into uncharted territories of fear and loathing. Not only was the X6 an enormous SUV, but it was also marketed as a sports car.
Despite my reservations, the X6 has gone on to be a (relatively) huge seller, with more than 255,000 units shifted, which is a big number for what’s basically a niche model. The X6’s success has surprised even its maker, so an all-new variant was always going to be a big deal for the company. And here we are, in South Carolina, United States – where it’s built alongside all the other X models at BMW’s Spartanburg factory – to try it out on road, track, skidpan and off-road assault course. Has a car that never made sense finally become acceptable to cynics like me? It’s dangerously close.
As with the X4, the styling here leaves me cold and, if anything, I think it’s a backward step. The sheer bulk of the car’s flanks causes the wheels to shrink into the ether and the silly wing shape over the rear wheel arches is a bit too Bentley. But it remains resolute and unapologetic in its stance – if you don’t like it, the X6 really couldn’t care less.
The big news is that it now seats five, whereas the previous model’s four chairs made sure it didn’t make sense. There’s enough headroom, despite the slope of the roof, although the front seats don’t allow rear passengers to position their feet underneath them, which can be a bit awkward. But as cabins go, this one is exemplary, with all the finest materials BMW could throw into the mix and a cosiness only afforded by a coupé.
The kit that comes as standard throughout the range is more impressive than before, and the X6 now slips through the air with an impressive drag coefficient of just 0.32, which is ridiculously low for such an enormous vehicle. It now comes with adaptive LED headlights and the tailgate can be opened and closed hands-free, while audiophiles can get their kicks from a 1,200-watt Bang & Olufsen surround-sound system. Make no mistake, the new X6 is a premium machine that provides all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a modern luxury car.
For the time being, engine choices for the UAE will be limited to a 4.4L V8, with a smaller six-pot coming online next spring. Other markets will, from the outset, be offered a straight-six diesel motor, with not one, not two, but three turbochargers – shame though it is, the demand for an oil burner just isn’t present in our market. Still, the 450hp motor, which we will get once the so-called X6 xDrive50i goes on sale in December, is an absolute peach. All thundering rumbles and ground-shaking bellows, it nevertheless drinks less fuel than ever before and emits less poison, while endowing the X6 with stonking performance levels that defy belief.
Initial track driving includes flat-out slalom courses, emergency braking exercises and extremely tight circuit manoeuvres carried out at breakneck speed. The X6 just gets on with it, without fuss or drama, its engineering defying the laws of physics as though there was nothing unnatural about a behemoth such as this being as agile as most sports cars. And it’s this that provides the entertainment – it simply shouldn’t be as composed as this when the throttle is mashed.
The off-road element is something that Land Rover would laugh at, but it’s enough to prove that the X6 can cope with some of the rough stuff. There’s no need for this car to be able to go rock crawling or dune bashing because its owners will never even try it. So the car’s on-road ability must be impeccable – true to form, it is.
For nearly four hours, I pilot it through the twisting forest roads that South Carolina has in such abundance. Dense woodland peppered with creepy wooden houses gives the place a Blair Witch Project vibe – I wouldn't fancy getting stuck here for the night, even with the X6's night vision at my disposal. But I needn't worry, as this mighty machine powers on and eats up whatever road I point it at. It's hugely impressive to drive.
I still don’t fancy it, mind. If it was my money, I’d probably go for the more practical and less ostentatious X5 on which it’s based. But you may well think differently – and, if you do, the new X6 will not disappoint on any level whatsoever. It’s an excellent mode of transport.
khackett@thenational.ae
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