Breaking the rules

3:28pm Friday 11th July 2008

A high performance sports coupé wrapped up in a SUV body with a lower roof and all the aggressive styling looks of a Raid Rally competition car - perhaps now is not the politically correct time for the BMW X6 to be making an appearance.

But tell that to real customers - 1,200 of the 1,600 X6s available in the UK this year are already sold.

Priced from £41,965, plus lots more if you add in all the must-have' options, the X6 is big, it is bold, it is brash and very fast and capable. But forget the X6 being an off-roader. Although it will cope with muddy tracks, snow, ice and flooded roads better than any sports car, the X6 is all about having a high-profile, fast sports machine.

The BMW X5's imposing front end styling, plus wide stance and five-door layout, has been joined with what looks similar to the upper section of the 6-Series coupé.

The X6 carries just four passengers in luxury, not five or seven, as with the X5. It has a large tailgate leading to a reasonably large load area, marginally less than the X5 at 570-litres, which can be increased up to 1,450-litres with the 60/40 split rear seats folded, large enough for the golf bags and trolleys. The steeply-raked rear roof section gives the X6 a dramatic sports side profile but it does limit headroom for rear seat passengers who are six feet tall, or more.

Headroom getting in and out of the rear passenger doors is also limited. The steep angle of the tailgate and high waistline also limits rear visibility. However ,the interior is exceptionally well-equipped and high-class.

The engine line-up has four units, all turbo-charged, with two petrol and two diesel options.

In addition to BMW's well known xDrive all-wheel drive system and other handling programmes, the power of the BMW X6 is harnessed by an advanced chassis that incorporates Dynamic Performance Control for the first time on a BMW.

BMW says its new Dynamic Performance Control offers drivers optimum cornering ability, courtesy of a complex multi-clutch differential that, effectively, helps drive the vehicle around a bend. This feature is fitted as standard to all X6 models.

A conventional differential wastes power through wheelslip during cornering. A limited-slip differential locks out an unloaded wheel to transfer drive to the wheel with most grip - but the locked wheel can act as a drag on performance.

However, Dynamic Performance Control improves on the traditional, performance oriented limited-slip differential. It allows an inside wheel to still deliver power and provide drive, while at the same time sending more drive to the outside wheel that has more grip.

The result, combined with one of the most advanced stability control systems available, is a vehicle that out performs the current benchmark BMW X5, and some sports cars, in terms of dynamic capability.

In real life this technology works. Driven back-to-back on a test circuit against the latest X5, considered to be a handling class leader for SUVs, the new X6 fitted with all the standard and optional handling packages literally leaves it standing.

The agility and control of the X6 for such a large and heavy vehicle at high speeds is outstanding and the grip totally predictable.

On the open road, the big alloy wheels and huge wide tyres can give an unsettled ride over poorer surfaces but, in general, the ride is comfortable, quiet and with little body roll, even when the X6 is hustled along.

Huge mileages over normal A and B roads, traffic conditions permitting, can be covered by this vehicle in a short time. You can travel quickly, easily with no sensation of the true speed of the vehicle - eerie!

The result of all this technology is a unique Sports Activity Vehicle or 4x4 Coupé, call it what you will. People will like or loathe the styling and the fact it only has four seats will be a disadvantage for some.

The fact that it is so different and so distinctive will appeal to many users, and note that the technology under the skin of the X6 will be used in more and more 4x4 and sports models, as it sets new standards in handling for big and heavy machines.

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