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So I needed to get to Uitenhage in a hurry and I wanted to save some cash on fuel by getting my hands on a diesel. What was a boy to do?
Surprisingly BMW answered my request with an X6 SUV which they refer to as a coupe even if it has four doors. It might have the sloping roof of a coupe thus making the shape coupe like, but I don’t believe a coupe is a coupe unless it has two doors and a solid roof. The looks ill describe as striking because it aint pretty, never has been and never will be, but it sure draws a crowd of fans very quickly.
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Everyone loved it besides other BMW drivers who were green with envy knowing the thing costs more than theirs. So it’s not a new car, but it does have a new engine. The X6 is for the first time available with a diesel engine because BMW didn’t at the time of this car’s initial launch, have a diesel engine capable of the performance an X6 should have. Â
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Remember to BMW the X6 needs to have better performance than an X5 otherwise they cant charge the premium for this impressive looking vehicle, but the normal diesel engine in the xDrive30d X5 only produces 180kW and 540Nm which means buying the more expensive X6 with this engine would give you no performance advantage. What did BMW do? They took that same engine and boosted the performance with a few turbo tricks and it now produces 225kW and 600Nm. Enough to call it the xDrive40d even if the engine is still the same 3.0 litre. Confused yet? Don’t be, because its an amazing engine! Those 600Nm of torque is available from idle and gets you to 100km/h in under eight seconds which is astonishing given the sheer girth of the X6.
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The word here people is “opulence” and i’m talking electric leather seats, heated front and rear. The fronts also have a cooling (cold air up your bum and against your back) and massage function. Front and rear DVD screens and a separate DVD player in the back so the kids can watch cartoons while you use the GPS up front. The tailgate is electric and this proved very entertaining as you could open the thing from quite a distance confusing the parking attendants, but what really got them was that it also closed itself as you walk away after loading your groceries. Even the doors pull themselves shut if you don’t feel like that added chore. When driving and you get bored why not activate the radar controlled cruise control which measures the distance between you and the car in front of you, accelerates and even brakes on your behalf to maintain that distance and even comes to complete stop if the car in front of you stops. When did BMW drivers get so lazy?
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Back to my trip and all that power might seem wasted, but believe me when you need to overtake trucks it comes in real handy. You also get helped first at petrol stations and people stare. The suspension is on the hard side which is great for the supurb handling given the weight of the vehicle, but you feel every bump in the damn road which isn’t ideal for long distance travel. what is ideal however is the amazingly low fuel consumption of nine liters of diesel per 100km, which is astounding if you consider the size and performance you get. Im sure the smooth eight speed automatic gearbox with steering wheel mounted shifters has something to do with it. Yes you read right, its an eight speed gearbox!Â
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You’ll spend an average of R800 000 on an X6 with a few extras, but if you have no off-road desires but love the look and feel of an SUV, by all means break the bank and go big. You’ll be exclusive, flashy and king of the road like all other BMW drivers, but you’ll be different because even if it cant go off the beaten track you’ll still be the envy of the envied. The four wheel drive system in the X6 is geared for on road handling like Audi’s Quattro system in its road cars, not quite the same 4X4 ability you’ll find in a Land Rover so please don’t even bother with gravel, its not that kind of 4X4.
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It only seats four as the rear has two individual seats with a huge armrest and console in the middle. The boot is huge though and you get run-flat tyres on those 19 inch wheels. Yes its over the top and yes I loved it. I wont buy one because its a bit impractical and uncomfortable, but good on BMW for giving us something different man, something interesting and something nobody else is doing. Its refreshing, yet overpriced, huge yet seats only four and striking if not pretty, but thanks for the option of being silly BMW.
Bobby
Posted in BOBBY'S CAR TALK
