Autoblog

When we had our First Drive in BMW's new X6 Sport Activity Coupe, we didn't get the opportunity to really measure fuel consumption, since the vehicles were gassed-up when we got behind the wheel and were then refuelled during our lunch break. A glance at the on-board computer of the '35i we drove on the long route through the mountains indicated about 13.5 mpg which is nothing to write home about. The other day, BMW sent us the preliminary EPA numbers for the X6 which came in at 15/20/17mpg city/highway/combined for the turbo six cylinder model. The 404hp turbo V-8 completed the test cycles with ratings of 13/18/15mpg. When the two-mode hybrid version of the version of the X6 debuts in 2009, it will be combined only with the V-8 engine. With an expected 25 percent improvement overall, the X6 hybrid should hit about 18-19mpg combined.


[Source: BMW]

Click above for high-res gallery of the BMW X6 in the wet

During our recent trip to South Carolina to drive the new BMW X6, our test loop included a stop over at Michelin's U.S. proving ground in Laurens. Two tracks were available for us on which to thrash the X6, one lined with sprinklers to wet the pavement and the other dry. Lou Ann Hammond of CarList.com shared an X6 for the test drive and she brought along a video camera. Lou Ann has now posted several video interviews on her site with BMW engineers talking about some of the technology in the X6. She also braved the passenger seat with her camera as I explored the limits of wet adhesion in the X6 and that video is online, as well. The X6 is heavy and even the most sophisticated slip control systems can't overcome the basic laws of physics. After 17 years working as an engineer on slip control systems, the most important lesson you learn is that Newton was right. Nonetheless, the X6 never embarrased itself on the track.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: CarList.com]

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 BMW X6

I must be missing the gene that makes high-riding vehicles appealing to so many other people. As a car enthusiast and an engineer, I can certainly appreciate the performance that companies like BMW and Infiniti have managed to wrangle from vehicles like the X6 and the EX35. But there is absolutely nothing in the new 2009 BMW X6 that couldn't be done better in a vehicle with a normal car-like ride height. After all, who is going off-roading in one of these? The best explanation I could get out of BMW officials for the existence of the X6 is that many drivers like that commanding view of their surroundings that the elevated altitude provides.

According to BMW, the X6 is designed to provide stylish coupe looks with the high performance people expect of a BMW and the utility of an SUV. As is so often the case, vehicles that try to fit too many categories at once end up not fitting any of them very well. It's not all bad news for the new X6, though. While it's not my cup of tea, there are undoubtedly some who will love this beast. Read on after the jump to find out if the X6 is something you might want in your garage.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Our travel and lodging for this media event was provided by the manufacturer.

The BMW Concept X6 has garnered a fair bit of press lately. As befuddled as some people are by the recent onslaught of new people movers from the "Ultimate Driving Machine" makers, others understand that if you need one of these types of vehicles as your daily driver you might as well have one that puts the "sport" in sport utility vehicle sport activity vehicle. We've seen sketches and even spy photos and then a build-up video interview with BMW designer Chris Bangle about the vehicle. Well, today there's more.

In this latest installment on the new BMW X6, Exterior Designer Pierre Leclercq discusses the overall coupe shape and touches on the fact that this will definitely be a unique vehicle that is a Nurburgring tested sports car and a bit of something else as well. The video also points out that there are two vehicles in this lineup. Not sure what that means, perhaps it alludes to the range of gasoline-powered six and eight-cylinder powerplants and diesel-fueled six-cylinder engines pirated from the X5. As we've already know, Leclercq says that we can expect to see the X6 in Frankfurt next week.

The video is after the jump. And don't forget, the IAA in Frankfurt is next week and we'll have tons of live coverage available by clicking here.

Thanks for the tip, smeidu!

[Source: BMW]