Kiss the conventional SUV goodbye
BMW says its X6, revealed at the Frankfurt show, signals the end of the line for traditional sport/utility vehicles.
The big four-seater is based on the same underpinnings as the X5 and will be built alongside the X5 at BMW’s plant in South Carolina. Styled by BMW design boss Adrian van Hooydonk, the design blends the X5’s inherent bullishness (bold front end, bulging wheel arches, taut surfacing) with elements from the 6 Series (expanses of glass, high trunk, stance). The result is a car offering the elevated ride height of a typical luxury four-wheel-drive with the upper-body sleekness of a traditional coupe.
The car is longer, wider and lower than the X5, with a high-mounted rear that
houses a split tailgate providing access to the trunk. While the X6 revealed at Frankfurt was billed as a concept, don’t expect it to change too much by the time it reaches U.S. showrooms next summer. There’s no hint on interior styling just yet, but cost concerns likely will mean we’ll see a lot of X5 inside the X6.
BMW isn’t talking about engines yet, but AutoWeek has learned the emphasis will be on performance, with the German carmaker’s 306-hp, twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter inline-six and a yet-to-be-revealed 410-hp, twin-turbocharged, 4.2-liter V8 as the likely powerplants for U.S. consumption. Diesels will be big for Europe, but the appearance of a hybrid version of the X6 in Frankfurt also points to a gasoline-electric version of the new car using the two-mode transmission that is being developed in a joint venture among BMW, Chrysler and General Motors. BMW claims the hybrid cuts fuel consumption by as much as 20 percent compared with a gasoline-powered X6. The standard gearbox will be an eight-speed automatic heading into all high-end BMW models next year.
Where the X6 is really set to score, though, is in its handling. The chassis and suspension have received a whole brace of detailed changes, the biggest being the addition of BMW’s Dynamic Performance Control. It uses a planetary drive set mounted within the rear differential to split the torque not only between the front and rear wheels but from side to side as well. The result: improved agility and added stability. With the X5 already considered one of the best-handling SUVs out there, the X6 should be a driver’s delight.
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Source:
AutoWeek
By GREG KABLE
This article was last updated on: 09/14/07, 18:13 et
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