2009 BMW X6 xDrive35i Review

Before collecting the car, I was not that optimistic to say the least. The idea of a four-seat SAC just didn’t make sense. Why only have four seats? Surely that has to be the car’s weakest point.

For $114,705 there are a lot of good cars you can buy. The BMW X3 starts at just $61,830, almost half the cost of the X6. The top of the range X3 is $76,996 and that comes with five whole seats! It’s bigger brother, the X5, starts at $86,635 with the top of the range 4.8-litre V8 variant coming in at $121,908.

However if even for a moment you begin to compare the X6 with the X3/X5 or the ML or RX series from its rivals, you’ve completely missed the point. The X6 is not your average car. Think of it as the beginning of a new type of car, a slick coupé-like SUV. I am positive Lexus and Mercedes are already considering their own versions for the future.

Having picked up the car from BMW in the outskirts of Fortitude Valley here in Brisbane, I realised that this isn’t really a SUV at all. In fact, it handles better than most normal cars. BMW has this philosophy, and it’s a good one, it doesn’t make front-wheel-drive cars – no ifs no buts.

It also doesn’t make uninspiring, unsporty and generally boring cars. Okay I’ll admit, they made the 116i and that was about as interesting as looking at the latest in dental instruments (at least dental instruments instil some fear, the 116i instilled utter and sheer boredom) but as a company, every BMW today inspires confidence via it’s road composure.

The X6 is a prime example of how engineers build a car when the accountants have gone to sleep. The latest and the very best of BMW technology is found within this 2070kg beast. My test car was the petrol variant, powered by the world engine of the year, the 3.0-litre twin-turbo in-line six-cylinder, which is also found in the 135i and 335i.

This party piece alone is reason enough to buy this car. Delivering 225kW at 5800rpm and 400Nm at only 1300rpm, there is a good reason why this engine has seen its share of awards.

Now 225kW might not sound like a lot (interestingly from what members of the BMW club told me, a quick retune will easily deliver another 30kW) but the X6 can go from 0-100km/h in 6.7 seconds and all the way to a top speed of 240km/h (where legal). Not bad considering it weighs more than two-tonnes. Official fuel consumption figures state 12.1 L/100km for the combined city/highway cycle.

All three variants of the X6 are mated to BMW’s six-speed automatic transmission with Steptronic and shift paddles. Thanks to this gearbox power delivery is constant and extremely smooth. There is next to no turbo-lag, making way for swift overtakes when required.

The big question with the X6 was handling. If it’s suppose to have coupé DNA in it, it must handle like a coupé.

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