Looks
You thought that the Porsche Cayenne was the only oddball design from German land? Then think again. Look at the BMW X6 and you would forget that there ever was a Porsche Cayenne. Imposing, Intimidating and bewitching are some of the adjectives that would come out of your mouth when you first see the BMW X6 in flesh. To be fair enough, it shares its platform with the very capable BMW X5 and hence the intimidation part would there be for sure. Cut to the 55 mm ride height difference between both and the X6 sits fairly low which makes it look all the more imposing. The Corona head lamps show off the mean streak in this car. The fog lamps placed in their quadrangular slots are distinct for this car. The hood isn’t long as the Z4 and almost similar to the one in the GT.Cut to the sides and you would notice the coupe like sloping roofline. And with those, I am sure, the 20 inch tyres wouldn’t have gone unnoticed. Wait a minute, my friend at BMW tells me that the rear tyres are 21 inchers. Man, that must be the biggest tyre size that I have seen on a regular road going car. The wing mirrors are also big and gell well with the overall size of the car. The coupe roof line smoothly blends into the big boot and the higher loading lip as compared with the 5 GT. The tail lamps are split by the heavy bimodal boot. There is no moniker on the rear specifying if it’s a diesel or petrol variant. Moreover, the rear bumper has an anti skid plate with the twin angled tail pipes. Tamburini exhausts anyone?
Interiors
There are two trims of the BMW X6 in India. Those are the BMW X6 xDrive30d and BMW X6 xDrive50i. The interiors differ based on the variant selected. For example, the xDrive50i gets a variegated ash wood trim whereas the xDrive30d gets graphite matt interiors. Well, select anyone and you cannot go wrong with it. The sunroof on this car also looks wonderful. Now, I think there shouldn’t be any need to let you guys know that the interiors are first rate and everything has been put together very well. As expected, the controls are all driver centric as well. The three spoke steering wheel as all the usual audio, Bluetooth and cruise control switches on it. It has also got paddle shifts behind the wheel. Front seats, since I have had a feel of the many BMWs in two days, are very comfortable. It actually reflects BMW’s philosophy of giving the driver maximum comfort so that he can enjoy the car to the full.
Cut to the rear seats and the exterior standout appearance cuts off the interior functionality. The sloping roof line means that head room for tall passengers like me is compromised. Unlike the GT, this one has a more curvier design. Moreover, only two passengers can be seated in the rear. Now, I think I have got your attention. It is as good as an Audi R8 minus the two extra seats. The boot space, though it looks big, isn’t as big as one expects. It can, at the maximum, accommodate two airport bags. Also while doing this exercise, it was a real pain since the loading lip is unnecessarily high. I would as much say that I would take the 5 GT over this car any day.
What BMW have done is kitted the BMW X6 to the hilts. It has got everything that you expect including an Hi-fi music system which is as loud as the car, an Idrive system in the dash, which is now intuitive, enough of storage spaces and a rear entertainment package along with a chiller box. Rear passengers also get their own climate controls. They can also control the audio upfront via a remote. Ohh, by the way, this car also gets a heads up display which shows the navigation direction and also the speed. So much for driver centric roots. The head lamps also deserve a special mention since they can automatically raise or lower the intensity depending on a vehicle coming from the opposite direction. Needless to say, they are assisted by cornering lamps as well. There is a maniacal BMW X6 M version as well but then it wouldn’t cut sales as much as the others. More on that later.
Handling and ride quality
Ahh! The boring or rather interesting part of any BMW car. That it handles well and has a stiff ride. This one sentence would sum up my experience of any BMW car. Both the variants of the BMW X6 in India get the Dynamic Performance Control system. This system is a rip off from the one used in the Formula 1. It works in converse to what normally the Electronic Stability Program would do. ESP, when traction is lost by a certain wheel, brakes it and waits till traction is regained. Whereas with DPC, more power is sent to the wheel which has lost traction. So in a situation where you find yourself prodding the accelerator pedal in a corner for more power and ESP cuts in ensuring that there is no power unleashed unless the vehicle is certified to be stable, DPC ensures that you have fun and the turning wheel has more power to make do with the turn.To experience all this theoretical explanation is the crux. Like they say, “the proof of the pudding is in its eating”, all this technology banter doesn’t cut the mustard unless put to real use. Oh boy, it does make a lot of difference. I was chucking the BMW X6, for that matter both the variants BMW X6 xDrive50i and BMW X6 xDrive30d sideways like the way they do with rally cars. Turning off DPC would be a foolish thing and I for once tried it. But then the speed was about 80 kmph in which I executed the turn but then the C of G caught up with me and I decided not to turn it off again. So handling settled and I can easily claim that this is the best handling SUV in steroids. Well infact, it can give the Porsche Cayenne a run for its money. The high ground clearance ensures that it is comfortable off-roads as well. Speaking of the comfortable factor, apart from the comfortable seats, once on the move, the car doesn’t have a good ride quality. It is very stiff and no doubt amplified by the 20 something inch wheels. On low speeds, it is a fine thing but then up the speeds and you would notice that typical German stiffness. It is actually more stiff than the BMW 5 GT. NVH is something which one wouldn’t complain in this car. It has got a very low NVH characteristic, be it for the petrol or diesel. Take the speedometer past the 100 kmph mark and you are treated to a glorious wail of V6 engine, though the BMW doesn’t have a V6 engine option here, but then the petrol has the V8 engine.
Engine, performance and fuel efficiency
The BMW X6 in India as discussed earlier comes in two engine options. One petrol and the other a diesel. The petrol engined one is the BMW X6 xDrive50i and it gets a 4.4 liter twin turbo V8 engine which develops 407bhp @ 5,500 rpm and a huge 600 Nm of torque between 1,750-4,500 rpm. It has got the 6 speed auto transmission. Words cannot describe the engine’s performance. It is real maniacal. The power rush is so much that the 0-100 figure comes up in only 6 seconds whereas the top speed is electronically limited to 250 kmph. The diesel, the BMW X6 xDrive30d on the other hand is no less performer. It has got a 3 liter inline 6 engine which churns out 235 Bhp of peak power at 4,400 rpm and a generous 520 Nm of torque at 2000 rpm. It is also aligned with the 6 speed automatic gearbox. 0-100 kmph run was completed in only 8 seconds. The gear box as always handles all this power very well. The diesel engine is almost free from turbo lag whereas in traffic, the petrol does have some turbo lag. Top speed for the diesel is electronically limited to 230 kmph. The lesser sought after BMW X6 M gets the petrol X6’s engine but with major tweaks. The same engine would now produces 422 Bhp of power and 680 Nm of torque. Like with the others, even it gets the same 6 speed auto. Performance is said to be in the range of 4.7 seconds and the top speed would also be the same, electronically limited 250 kmph.
Brakes and safety are well catered for with discs on all four wheels, ABS, EBD, DTC, DSC, auto brake function, dynamic drive, collapsible steering column as well as the usual 3 point seat belts, 8 air bags and BMW safety package. Well, there are reverse cameras as well.
Verdict
The BMW X6 in India, in my frank opinion is a no clicker. Forget all the power that it generates. In the same way as the tacho needle moves up, the fuel gauge needle comes down. Moreover with only 4 seats and such a huge size, it wouldn’t cut the mustard for Indians. But then again like all niches, if you are looking for the exclusivity plus have money to spare and also if you own a few petrol pumps then the BMW X6 is for you. Like I mentioned earlier, I would prefer the 5 GT over the X6 anytime. Coming to the BMW X6 price in India for BMW X6 xDrive50i is Rs 82,90,000, the BMW X6 xDrive30d is Rs 65,90,000 whereas for the BMW X6 M, it is Rs 1,30,00,000. All these prices are ex-show room, Mumbai. There is one thing that is for sure if you buy this car and that is admiration guaranteed. Sorry Fiat for stealing your lines