PINKS (HD) • 7:00pm
  • Media
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Check out the latest SPEED podcasts on iTunes
  • Mobile
This could be your avatar!
Username
Password
Register
autocar_staff's avatar
Author:
Autocar staff
Login For More
Rate this article:
  • 0/5 Stars
SPEEDtv.com Store
Victory By Design: Ferrari DVD
Alain de Cadenet, a long-time Ferrari enthusiast and aficionado, drives some of the great sports racers and sports cars.
Our Price: $24.95
Visit Button
Buy Button
Red Hot Ringtone: Air Rachet Single Burst
Sound off with SPEED Ringtones!
Our Price: Only $1.99
Visit Button
Buy Button
Ferrari 60 Years: The Great Moments
by Leonardo Acerbi
This lavish book dedicates a whole chapter to each of Ferrari's 60 years in existence.
Our Price: $50.00
Visit Button
Buy Button
Footer Bg
  • Zoom More Photos Button
  • Camera Icon
Official Pictures: New BMW X6
Written by: Autocar staff   http://www.autocar.co.uk
12/16/2007 - 07:00 PM
Munich, Germany
 
A cross between an X5 and a sports car, the X6 will reach showrooms in 2008. (BMW photo) » More Photos

These are the first official pictures of BMW's production version of the vanguard X6 four-wheel drive coupe.

The X6 will be the firm's first model to receive a new twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 gas engine when it goes on sale late next spring. The 90-degree unit, which will power a number of new performance-orientated BMW models in the next 12 months, is billed as a replacement for the company's existing, normally aspirated 4.8-liter V8, in a move that underlines a commitment toward engine downsizing from Munich, through a combination of twin stage turbocharging and direct injection.

BMW's new firebrand 4x4: X6 xDrive50i

Producing 407hp at 5500rpm along with a prodigious 443lb ft of torque between 1750rpm and 4500rpm, the blown V8 starring in BMW's range-topping X6 delivers a creditable 40hp and 81lb ft more than BMW's naturally aspirated V8.

That's enough to launch the range-topping X6, the xDrive50i model, from zero to 62mph in just 5.4sec – better than a 650i automatic. Fuel consumption is a claimed 22.6mpg.
A cross between an X5 and a sports car, the X6 will reach showrooms in 2008. (BMW photo) » More Photos

Design and dimensions

Based on the X5's platform, the X6 shares its wheelbase but it's marginally longer and wider, and also significantly lower than the X5.

Despite the X6's large frontal area and obvious bulk, BMW claims
a drag coefficient of 0.33 thanks to tricks such as flaps behind the grille that only open when the engine requires additional cooling.

Inside, the X6's cabin and trim design draws heavily on that of the X, while trunk capacity shrinks in comparison to the more conventional sibling.

Target: best-handling 4x4 on the road

The X6 aims to dislodge the Porsche Cayenne as the best-handling SUV. Building on the X5's accomplished chassis, it comes with BMW's new torque vectoring unit that allows drive to be varied between the front and rear axles dependent upon traction, and between the left and right wheels for greater agility, improved traction and less steering effort.

Other improvements on the X5 include a wider rear track for added stability. Six-cylinder models come as standard with steel springs, with the more upmarket V8 riding on air springs.
A cross between an X5 and a sports car, the X6 will reach showrooms in 2008. (BMW photo) » More Photos

The rest of the range

Along with the new twin-turbo V8, the X6 will also be offered with Munich's twin-turbo six-cylinder gas engine – the 3.0-liter with 306hp/295lb ft - in the xDrive35i.

The majority of European sales are expected to come from a pair of 3.0-liter common rail diesels; the twin-turbo 286hp/428lb ft xDrive35d and the 235hp xDrive30d.

Greg Kable/Autocar magazine.