Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage, SUVs, Crossovers/CUVs, BMW
Review: BMW X6 XDrive 35i
by Dan Roth on Dec 1st 2008 at 11:55AM 
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BMW X6 XDrive 35i – Click above for high-res image gallery
You know things have gone awry when BMW now offers three different flavors of non-cars, all of them antithetical to the Bavarian brand's classical claim to fame. The X6 is the latest addition to the range, joining the X3 and X5, and BMW is calling it a Sports Activity Coupe, creating an acronym that's oddly prescient for a vehicle that's essentially a post-bris X5. Beyond the looks that are an acquired taste, we wanted to know if there's BMW goodness baked into the X6, so we swiped the keys to an X6 XDrive 35i for a week with the SAC to find out.
Gallery: Review: BMW X6 XDrive 35i
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Photos Copyright ©2008 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc.
Recent BMW styling has been a study in how much ugly consumers will accept if it's wearing a Roundel. The X6 looks like two different vehicles, each individually cool, yet when merged add up to a pile of automotive offal. The fastback roofline would befit a coupey looking sedan; married as it is to an extra chunky lower body, it recalls the unloved Pontiac Aztek, a comparison we heard more than once during the X6's visit.
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Climbing aboard might reward one with a crack to the temple from the rakish A-pillar. Back seat passengers are also shorted slightly on headroom by the fast hatch angle. The sportish appearance also limits usefulness in the cargo area for taller items. Interior volume is only down about 5 cubic feet when compared to the squarer X5, though neither vehicle is an example of space efficiency. The X6's gigantic gluteus region appears useful, but a
grocery outing ended with the tragic loss of two eggs, a first for a garage visitor. Oh, and whomever dreamt up the two-position hatch, which defaults to the "bash your forehead" level and requires a tediously-executed bounce before it will raise all the way, deliver that person a beating.
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Appointments inside are BMW fare – rich looking and quality feeling. If the seats are any indication, Germans like to have their rumps coddled. Multifunction switches set motors whirring away somewhere deep inside the seat, allowing front seat occupants to dial up lumbar relief and proper support. Muted accents of brushed metal and dark wood dress up what would otherwise be a deep, dark cavern; the main color inside is schwarz.
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Having iDrive facilitates a relatively clean panel, and the center stack in the X6 has buttonry for the most commonly used controls. Smartly, radio volume and HVAC temperature controls are on rotary dials, though a rocker switch for fan speed mars the experience slightly. Many, many other functions are accessible with the iDrive's multifunction knob and a trip through more menus than a call to the cable company. While the endless layers of functions have been retuned for more user friendliness, it's still somewhat inscrutable. X6 buyers will be thrilled with a complex in-car-electronics setup sporting a navigation system that's bested by those in cars costing thousands less. Perfect. The misery makes it more desirable, you know. One thing we did appreciate is that the nav can be programmed while on the move, allowing our co-pilot to plug in destinations without us having to stop.
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The 35i version of the X6 is powered by BMW's much lauded 300-horsepower twin-turbo inline-six, which copes admirably with 5,000 pounds of burden. Hooked up to a six-speed automatic, the powertrain is beyond reproach. There is a twin-turbo V8 version, the 50i, but that's just wheeled insanity. Driving the X6 is simple once you learn how BMW thinks it should be done. Grab the shifter, which feels exactly like the handle of a Conair
curling iron, and select your gear with toylike action. Other than an aloof shifter, the rest of the driving experience lives up to the badging.
It takes courage to fling this much mass around, but the X6 can take it. 5,000 pounds have never danced better. Torque vectoring pushes the engine's 300 pound-feet around across the rear axle, making the most of available traction to effectively lay the power down. Electronics in unlikely drivetrain components gets the swaybars and shock absorbers into the act, as both are active systems. Despite the Bolshoi moves when pushed, the X6 feels like it's tripping over its feet with the large wheel and tire upgrade package that ours wore. Wide cross-sections make the X6 a strong tramliner, giving the steering wheel a mind of its own, and narrower, taller tires would smooth out the ride, which is firm.
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The X6 doesn't carry out everyday tasks any better than other stylish CUVs; the Infiniti FX and Ford Edge spring readily to mind. Buyers seeking more practicality will likely head for the X5, while the X6 doesn't compromise much from its sibling if form trumps function. All of the expected electronics are packed into the X6, which the hardcore fans will defend to the death, and the rest of us will let pass with a "not that bad." Not everyone will get the X6, but then again, it's not for everyone. Judging from the price, it's only for the legally blind or fiercely brand loyal willing to burn cash or available credit on a vehicle that's less filling than its Hungry-Man mass suggests.
Gallery: Review: BMW X6 XDrive 35i
Photos Copyright ©2008 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
JDMlover 12:08PM (12/01/2008)
Its ugly in pics
Its ugly in real life.
Fail. Looks like a whale....
Reply
Flashpoint 12:24PM (12/01/2008)
The Mercedes Benz R350 looks like a Whale. A Humpback to be exact.
I for one...LOVE THIS CAR. In fact, I'm trying to talk my mother into getting one.
All the BMW's look like SHARKS...and I love the look. Even though I'm a Benz man and I own an S550, this car makes me stare at it in awe when I see it on the road.
I saw one in Red the other day. I love it.
Richard 12:58PM (12/01/2008)
Saw one in a grocery store lot before Thanksgiving: FAIL!
Chris 2:41PM (12/01/2008)
I cannot understand why people disrespect this vehicle. It's ok to think its ugly ( i think it looks great in top trim) but to say the vehicle doesn't make sense is ridiculous. If you are a driver of a 7 Series or a 5 Series, the X6 is pretty much a more unique alternative. (there are too many 5's and 7's on the road) You still are only going to fit 4 adults (comfortably) in it (like the 5 & 7 series), you can still fit the same amount of luggage (probably more) and unless you had an M5, you have the sportier looking vehicle.
This is also the vehicle that if you were accustomed to driving larger coupes ( 6-series, CL-Class Benz etc.) and needed to step into a 4 door SUV-type vehicle, the X6, BY FAR, would be that person's choice since it is most closely resembles the style of a coupe.
So there is a niche for this vehicle and I can understand why they made it. The 5, 7 and X5 series is so played out that this will keep current owners in the family.
Domestic 6.0 3:54PM (12/01/2008)
great looking, inside and out .... get the 400hp version for some real fun !!!
Torrent 6:44PM (12/01/2008)
I saw one on the freeway a few days ago. I quickly looked away in fright. If I gawked at it any longer, I would soon careen off of a cliff. A few times that day, I had a hallucination that I saw another one, but it was just the equally odd X5.
Tommy 12:12PM (12/01/2008)
I must say it's a horrible review. Seems like you didnt actually drive the car but just sat in it and felt the gear lever...
Reply
dan.roth 12:13PM (12/01/2008)
So, what'd I leave out that you want to know?
catter12 12:31PM (12/01/2008)
I don't think he left anything out, in fact I think he covered most if not all the bases on this I one. The lack of good cargo space makes it a useless suv, and the lacking of driving pleasure leaves a lot to be desired. That coupled with the lack of utility, and head room makes it seem like a failed in comparison to bmw's other suv options. The X6 is a waste of money; bmw tried to marry a sports car to a suv, and failed.
Great review In my humble opinion.
Quattroporte 12:31PM (12/01/2008)
@dan.roth
No turbo lag, right?
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/18/bmw-finally-acknowledges-turbo-lag-will-update-software/
dan.roth 12:40PM (12/01/2008)
Quattro: no noticeable turbo lag - though with so much weight, it takes some revs on the tach before much starts happening, anyway
Tommy: there's no way this car is meant for off road - nobody is going to take a vehicle that costs between 60-80k and go rock crawling. Besides, with the tires this thing wore, it'd have gotten stuck very quickly on anything but a suburban lawn.
I believe I stated that the wide tires make it a strong tramliner, which is a trait that shows up most prevalently on highway drives. Other than the propensity to follow grooves in the road, it drives solidly, like a BMW, if you will. No complaints about it on the highway, other than a stiff ride.
dave 12:48PM (12/01/2008)
Price as tested and some performance numbers (even if from the factory) would be informative.
Jared 12:48PM (12/01/2008)
Tommy: Neither the X5 nor X6 are designed to go offroad. They are designed to get you home from the mall when it snows.
The X6 is basically an X5 -/+. Start with an X5, which has no offroad ability, is overweight, and has little room. Then subtract some space and rear visibility. Add some ugliness. Increase the MSRP and, voila, you have the X6.
A 5-series wagon would better suit 90% of the people who buy an X5/X6. The 5-series wagon has more space, handles better, rides better, and gets better mileage.
multilexus 2:18PM (12/01/2008)
Hello Dan,
First of all, please pardon my grammar/language skills, as English is not my 1st and not even my 2nd language.
Please kindly accept my criticism regarding this review. I think Tommy is right by saying that your review does not give nearly enough detail about this car.
In my opinion, you concentrated way too much on knobs and switches while completely ignoring such important characteristics as steering feedback, fuel efficiency, off-road capability, driving dynamics comparing to other SAV/SUVs in the same class. According to BMW, X6 is all about driving dynamics, agility and enhanced traction, but after reading your review, I still have no idea what driving this car feels like. All I hear is “Ugly, ugly, ugly!!!” But looks is a very subjective topic.
Here's a more adequate review of X6 while compared to Cayenne S and FX50: http://www.wheels.ca/SUV/article/305445
I realize that your review was not a “comparo”, but when reviewing a car wouldn't it make more sense to compare it with another car rather than just describe it on its own?
Look-wise, I respect your opinion, but again..... Calling something "ugly" is talking like a 3-year-old. It’s completely uninformative... When you hear that Hummer/Range Rover is boxy and Cayenne is bubbly, you can actually picture that. When you say ugly... it just makes you sound like a reviewer with poor vocabulary.
M 2:05AM (12/03/2008)
Multilexus, well said. Your english is good, esp if it's your not your 1st lang as you said.
Tommy 12:34PM (12/01/2008)
dan.roth:
How about mentioning how the car behaves off-road? How about highway driving?
It just seems like every review of the X6 I read is the same: ugly back, interior of the x5 and nothing else. Take the carr off-road and see how it performs.
Seminole 12:16PM (12/01/2008)
I really like its looks, but I agree with the last sentence.
Reply
Falcom 12:25PM (12/01/2008)
i like motor trend's summary of this atrocity better.
(paraphrased)
BMW took the handling of an SUV and the practicality of a sports car to make the ultimate worst of both worlds.
Reply
why not the LS2LS7? 12:45PM (12/01/2008)
The Suzuki X-90 comes to mind. It was a two-seater!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_X-90
Looked like a tall Civic Del Sol.
Falcom 1:01PM (12/01/2008)
So that was their inspiration.