BMW X6 car review

The BMW X6 sees the German manufacturer take the concept of combining coupe and SUV to a whole new level with its striking looks and incredible handling.

Dubbed a sports activity coupe, the BMW X6 joins the BMW X5 to do battle with the Range Rover Sport and Porsche Cayenne.

Web Editor Adrian Higgins took to the wheel in Scotland in advance of the car’s May 31st on sale date.

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Coming in to land at Wick airport near John O’Groats I could see a small fleet of futuristic-looking cars lined up next to the runaway.

Part SUV and part coupe the cluster of BMW X6s were primed and ready for the UK’s first test drives of this new niche car.

It is nearly ten years since the BMW X5 began the process of prising open a steady procession of Premiership footballers’ wallets with its combination of SUV driving position and engaging driving dynamics.

And though a lot of water has passed under bridges crossed by 4x4s since then, the X6 looks set to create a similar stir.

Viewed from the air this coupe cross SUV (sports activity coupe is BMW’s preferred label) looked like no other car on the roads – close up it simply looked like a fantasy car come to life.

Wider and longer than a BMW X5 – with which it shares the same platform –the BMW X6 has significantly more road presence than its trailblazing stablemate.

Largest BMW kidney grille ever

The SUV part of the equation is apparent from its sheer size and height but this is coupled with what is by no means a token nod towards sports car styling.

The coupe window line curves down sharply towards the rear with the high waistband and slightly pinched centre giving it a very dynamic look. The bravado of this car is admirable and it has loads of personality.

It features the largest BMW kidney grille ever and while the narrow rear windscreen and very high hatch opening are unlikely to appeal to those with more practical needs, both look brilliant.

Inside, the car has a different feel to the X5 too, for a start there are two sports seats in the back rather than a bench of three seats - as the marketing blurb puts it, this is a car aimed more at motorists looking to take their mates out rather than for tackling the school run.

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It might not be the easiest space to access but the boot offers 570 litres of space (only 25 litres less than the X5) and flattening the rear seats sees this expand to 1,450 litres.

Also, the coupe-stylings might see the roofline taper sharply to the rear but headroom should cope with most adults (it was a requirement of the car’s 6ft 4ins designer Adrian van Hooydonk that he be able to sit in the rear). In fact given its outward appearance there is a deceptive amount of space for rear seat passengers.

The driving position is excellent and interior features create the feeling of a premium car.

Our model featured the head-up display – a £940 optional extra which already appears on a small number of top end BMW models.

Dynamic Performance Control

It generates the speedo reading digitally in the driver’s line of vision. After a short time adapting it dramatically reduces the time spent looking down at the traditional dial and was easy to get used to even on a relatively short drive.

A black roof lining contrasted well with cream leather interior and dark wood trim in our model

But the car saves its real party-pieces until the engine is switched on and driving begins.

The BMW X6 features a new system called Dynamic Performance Control.

Understeer is an unwelcome feature of 4x4s, meaning the cars have a tendency to require heavier steering than a rear-wheel drive would to corner precisely.

Dynamic Performance Control very quickly delivers power and traction where needed to counter this tendency. It differs from existing technology by trying to exploit the power created by the outer wheel rather than focussing on the less hard-working inner wheel.

No doubt realising this all sounded a bit technical for some journalists BMW created a small twisting circuit with cones and accompanied us on runs driving a BMW X5 and a BMW X6. The difference was marked. When encountering a sharp bend the BMW X6 cornered with a smaller circle requiring less vigorous steering input to stay on track.
 
Later driving through meandering Scottish roads reinforced this impression.

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Dynamic Performance Control features on all four engine configurations which make up the BMW X6 range. This consists of two petrol and two diesel alternatives and is the first time BMW has produced a model consisting entirely of turbocharged models

Porsche Boxster-beating performance

We drove the 286bhp 3-litre diesel model (the BMW X6 xDrive35d) which covers 0-62mph in 6.9 seconds and has a top speed of 147mph. The engine has won awards when it was in the X5 and delivered power smoothly through a six-speed automatic gearbox which serves the whole range. Quicker gear changes were available through the paddle shifts flanking the steering wheel.

The 235bhp version of the same engine (the BMW X6 xDrive30d) has one turbocharger rather than two but still covers 0-62mph in a sprightly 8 seconds with a top speed of 137mph.

The two petrol engines on offer: BMW X6 xDrive 35i and BMW xDrive50i, comprise the 3-litre model with a 6.7 seconds 0-62mph time and top speed of 149mph and the flagship 408bhp all new twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre model.

The latter surpasses the Porsche Boxster sports car with its 0-62mph time of 5.4 seconds and has an electrically-limited top speed of 155mph. It will join the model range after going into production in October and is expected to bear an on the road price of a little over £50,000. The other three models will be priced from £41,965 to £44,145.

(Confused by the BMW model names? Due to differing levels of power often being available from the same engine the number refers to the different versions’ “virtual” engine capacity)

The diesel engines (expected to account for the vast majority of sales) offer the more economical motoring, falling within car tax band F (an annual bill of £210 as opposed to £400) for their sub-225g/km CO2 emissions and return between 34 and 34.4mpg as opposed to the 22.6-25.9mpg returned by the petrol versions.

Both cars also feature the same 4x4 system found on the BMW X5 (xDrive) as well as a clutch of driver aids including BMW’s traction control: Dynamic Stability Control+.

We didn’t have the opportunity to test the car’s off-road capability but this is a car aimed more at people who like the high seating position of an SUV more than they need to ford rivers and tackle difficult terrain.

And we reckon that coupled with stunning looks and superb driving capability this adds up to a stunning package.

Video: Check out the BMW X6 sports activity coupe in action in the German car maker's promo video