Unless another contender enters the ring, this one is hands down taking the title of cheesiest custom car at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. With a paint job modeled after someones much-loved zebra-striped zuba pants, there's no amount of body work, big wheels, or high horsepower that could've saved this car. The X6 seems to be quickly ascending as the chav-car of choice. [Autogespot]

Profile

The BMW X6 was the first SUV to address the needs of people who desire urban combat stockiness and a coupé profile in the same vehicle. The X6 has since become the most recognizable of this attempted creation of a new breed of vehicle. The ZDX appears to borrow both its roof profile and its side windows from the Bavarian monstrosity:

Look close and you can even see its slightly nipponized Hofmeister kink:

Rear Window

The huge, sloping pane of glass paired with a thin vertical strip at the back as a rear window was most likely invented by Marcello Gandini for his 1967 Lamborghini Espada:

It has since appeared on cars as diverse as the Pontiac Aztek:

—and the Honda CRX, showing that the styling is not alien to Acura’s mothership:

Gandini’s solution is an elegant way to increase rear visibility in a profile which tends to reduce it.

Rear Doorhandles

To steal from Alfa Romeo is forgivable, as they are without doubt the masters of styling details. Like many Japanese carmakers, Acura is no stranger to this practice. The inspiration for the ZDX’s rear doorhandles looks like it comes straight from the Alfa Romeo 156:

The 156, one of the greatest sports sedans ever made, is a 1997 design by Walter de’Silva, currently head of design at the Volkswagen Group.

Photo Credit: Acura, Balázs Fenyő (Lamborghini Espada), NetCarShow.com (Pontiac Aztek), Wiros/Flickr (Honda CRX), nordschleifenfan/Flickr (Alfa Romeo 156)

But this is a vehicle from the M division. Who gives a rat's ass what it looks like? Let's talk about what really matters here — size. With a weight of 4,993 lb, the BMW X6 is a beefy bitch. The X6 M? It's even heavier, weighing in at a staggering 5,324 lb. But that's OK, because thanks to the new M TwinPower Turbo V8 under the hood producing 555 HP and 501 lb-ft of torque by way of BMW's new Twin Scroll Twin Turbo technology, there's plenty of power to take this porker around the track, around the street and around wherever the hell you want to take it. Today I wanted to take it around Road Atlanta. The big V8 gave me seemingly endless power as I dipped into the accelerator on the long back straight. But it's the corners that are even more fun.

The X6 M has the same rear-weight bias and is fitted with the same Dynamic Performance Control system as the plain-Jane X6 that Wes enjoyed flicking around tight corners last April with its ass waving in the wind. That means the same exciting driving — only this time with more power.

Let's get back to my initial question of why BMW's M division built the X6 M by repeating what a German engineer said to the group of assembled journalists today when asked to describe the X6 M in one sentence. His response was "the X6 M is the ideal car to pick up your spirits in this day and age of a world in crisis." All I know is this $90,000-plus toy certainly brought a smile to my face and picked up my spirits. So in that, it's done its high-priced job.

It's not all peaches and cream here in Atlanta, but because of the embargo lifting at 6:00 PM EST (midnight in Germany), and us only driving it a couple hours ago, we've limited time to say much more than this. But fear not as we'll have more tomorrow.

It appears as though the BMW X6 M handled its duties as effectively as one would expect of a twin-turbo 4.4-liter 555 HP V8-engined pace car at a motorcycle race. The only additions BMW appears to have made to the new car-wagon-und-sport-thing was a light-bar and some pretty stickers. [Autoblog]

When it comes to saving lives, the quicker you can get to a scene with a qualified EMT the better. Ambulances are great, but they're expensive and too large to drive at insane speeds. Enter the notarzt.

Equipped with a wide range of life-saving equipment but with no need for a stretcher, the notarzt cars carry with them a doctor or specially trained EMT to stabilize trauma victims and prep patients for transport. What you need is a vehicle which is simultaneously fast enough to get to a scene quickly but also large enough to hold various gear. We can say, from experience, the X6 is faster than a vehicle its size should be. It's a great car/truck/wagon/cuv/hatch/van for the job.

[BMW via Carscoop]

If we close our eyes and only read the spec sheet, the Hartge BMW X6 is a pretty epic proposition. A 3.0-liter twin turbocharged I6 diesel making an additional 93 HP and 115 lb-ft of torque over stock can make us forget about the questionable necessity of the X6 market segment. Add to that it gets better fuel economy than stock and is actually lighter, goes 0-60MPH in 6 seconds with a non-limited top speed of 159 MPH, we were ready to lay rose pedals at Hartge's feet. Then we looked at it.

Fender flairs! Fender vents! Grill inserts! Totally unnecessary rear diffuser! Side skirts! Giant wheels! Typical German tooner rubbish. So sad, so very, very sad. Maybe if you ask nicely they'll chop a big chunk out of the 29,353.94€ asking price and just supply the powertrain upgrades.

Despite all outward appearances, we of the Jalop are by no means master web ninjas, but Firefox has this neat feature called "View Page Source" which lets you look under the hood of any website you visit. Doing so for the just-launched BMW X5 M and X6 M minisite reveals the following tag cloud:

Crafted at M, SAV, SAC, Sports Activity Vehicle, Sports Activity Coupe, E70 M, E71 M, X5M, X5 M, X6M, X6 M, M GmbH, BMW M, discussion, behind the scenes, news, spyshots, spyshot, prototype, disguise, disguised, testing, Nordschleife, Nürburgring, report, blog entry, image material, press, press release, eight-cylinder engine, V8, Twin Scroll Twin Turbo, 550 bhp, performance, motorsport, sport, dynamics, xDrive, X-Drive, all-wheel, Adaptive Drive, HUD, Head Up Display, dynamic, sophisticated, feedback, gills, lightweight, spaciousness

Oops. Seems the overzealous designers were hankering for some love from Google and included all the key details about the cars in an effort to maximize searchability. It's possible the details revealed here aren't exact, but we doubt it. So now we know they're both likely to get V8's equipped with two twin-scroll turbochargers blasting out a ridiculous 550 HP, all-wheel drive, heads-up display's and the same Adaptive Drive found on the 7-series. And what is this business of "gills?" The complete details will be arriving in thirty days when the vehicles are completely revealed, or sooner when some real h4xorz turn the website into swiss cheese. [BMW X M Minisite]

The LDBMWCLRX650GT will be debuting at the Geneva Auto Show and despite what you might think, it's actually fairly tasteful compared to what we've previously seen from tuners at Geneva. Consider the Fab Design Benzies from last year, yeesh. Anyway, this X6 gets all of the baubles with none of the dreary performance updates normally associated with tuned cars, so we're sure it'll be a huge hit. [Carscoop]

Jason reports hearing the whine of a turbocharger coming from the X6 M, which backs up what we’ve been told: it’ll use a tuned version of the twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 already in use under the BMW X6’s hood. This engine already makes 400 HP and 450 Lb-Ft of torque, so expect the M version to up both numbers to over 500.

Head on over to Fast Lane Daily to see more photos and Jason’s report.

It’s the latter, called Dynamic Performance Control that we’re most interested in. The system is capable of parsing torque both front to rear and side-to-side, directing it to an individual tire even. When we tested the X6 we found that it worked like stability control, but enhanced, rather than reduced performance. For the X6 M, it’s been tweaked to “reduce understeer” which we can only assume increased oversteer. That’s a good thing, we found the V8-engined BMW X6 to be considerably more nose heavy than its 6-cylinder sibling, resulting in a slightly ponderous driving experience.

The other big addition is a high-power version of the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8. No power figures yet, but figure on a healthy increase over the stock unit’s 400 HP, 450 Lb-Ft rating. We don’t think it’s optimistic to expect both numbers to be over 500. It’s also rumored that this engine could be used in the next M5.

It’s fun to watch the ways in which different manufacturers are learning to manipulate the scary new world of the Internet. Porsche’s attempt to build buzz around the Porsche Panamera resulted in a fleet of lightly disguised cars being driven around city centers in the hopes of fan boy photos. BMW seems to want to take the content directly to viewers, using BMW Web TV to promote carefully formulated pieces of propaganda in advance of new product launches. Both are certainly more fun than paying spy photographers to take shots of “secret” prototypes. [via BMW Web TV]

Much as we still have faith in democracy, we're also skeptical as to whether or not these particular vehicles are M-prototypes — or if M-badged trucks are coming at all. For instance, you'd think that they'd fit an M-model with bigger wheels, and maybe even remove the roof rack, but then they are just prototypes. All enthusiasts should hope these are just sport editions — if they are full-blown M-models, there really is nothing sacred left. [palbay]

AC Schnitzer presents the new styling and performance package for the BMW X6

The new BMW X6 exerts a particular form of magnetism: not only does its chassis sit perfectly on the road, it also magically attracts attention. Now it appears there is only one place where the fascination, dynamism and presence of the first Sports Activity Coupé (SAC) can be enhanced: in the workshops of AC Schnitzer in Aachen. The result is a visual and technical masterpiece which further magnifies the core qualities of the X6.

In the X6 by AC Schnitzer, the front skirt with its diagonal air intakes and repositioned fog lights are exposed. The drive-under protection has been removed in favour of a more dynamic contour of the spoiler edge. The rear carries a massive skirt with framed edges. In contrast to the original, all components are painted body-colour throughout, so the body appears downstretched and hence more dominant. Instead of the drive-under protection originally fitted here, AC Schnitzer Designer Michele Viandante has opted for a rear diffuser.

Another eyecatcher is the chromed tailpipes of the dual-flow exhaust system in AC Schnitzer Racing Design. The BMW X6 is not the only SAC in the world, but it is one of the first vehicles to be fitted with the multipiece AC Schnitzer alloy wheels Type Vll. With their black paint and tightly arranged spokes, the 22" rims present a challenging stance. The changing angles of the web pairs give an air of sophistication.

Typical AC Schnitzer: The vehicle's appearance is not misleading, but simply a reflection of its inner values. The renowned BMW tuner has developed a real firecracker under the bonnet of the diesel versions 3.0dX and 3.5dX with a new Motor Control Unit. Precise performance data will be released shortly. Of course, sheer engine power is not the only ingredient in sporting performance. So Manfred Wollgarten, Technical Director of AC Schnitzer, has developed a unique suspension spring kit for the X6 on the North Loop of the Nürburgring.

One thing can be disclosed: Despite its high body, the X6 by AC Schnitzer in this configuration will show a clean pair of heels to many sports saloons. Perfect handling with corresponding Look and Feel is ensured by the "EVO" 3-spoke Sport Airbag steering wheel. With AC Schnitzer, you hold the road firmly in almost any position. The X6 by AC Schnitzer takes control on public roads as willingly as on changing terrain with varying up and down gradients!

[Source: AC Schnitzer]

In addition to barely reduced fuel consumption, expect the production ActiveHybrid to share the concept's bizarre hood bulge, as evidenced in these photos. While we don't know exactly when it will be released, this will be BMW's first hybrid and we're putting our money on a 2010 on-sale date.

While it's tempting to mock BMW for selling such a blatantly hypocritical vehicle, the rest of the BMW EfficientDynamics range actually does accomplish reasonable fuel efficiency, so we think they're just playing it smart by selling efficient diesels to people who actually care about reducing fuel consumption while charging a premium to those who merely want to be seen to be doing so.

Unlike spotted owls, KGP's photographers actually managed to get close to the X6 ActiveHybrid without suffocating on its fumes. Here's what they had to say:

We spotted BMW's X6 ActiveHybrid undergoing hot-weather trials in Death Valley. We saw three X6 Hybrid cars, but one of the test vehicles showed one important difference, as its final hood design was visible for the first time on a real-world prototype. Two of the prototypes showcased enormous hood bulges, but the third prototype's hood—while still bulging more than a standard X6—looks clean with a tastefully integrated bump sculpted in near the cowl. We can now confirm that the production X6 Hybrid will take its visual inspiration from BMW's X6 ActiveHybrid concept. Whether the revised hood bulge is there to make room for some hybrid-specific hardware, or if its sole purpose is to signal one's green-leaning tendencies, is currently unknown.

Nope, as you can see listed in the graphic above, Mercedes currently offers their "Search&Send" service, which basically offers the same thing. But both companies are relatively late to the game, with GM's OnStar being the first to offer a system with a from-the-internet feature, "Web Destination Entry." However, the advantages of the BMW and Mercedes systems should be obvious. The OnStar service is critically hobbled by their copious usage of the "space bar" and the decision to partner with Mapquest rather than the Gods of Google. However, they do get bonus points for OnStar's decade-long space bar-bereft name. Full press release, with stodgy spaces, below.

CONNECT YOUR DRIVE: BMW ADDS NEW "MYINFO" SERVICE FROM BMW ASSIST(TM) POWERED BY GOOGLE MAPS(TM) 04/11/2008 Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey - April 11, 2008...Navigation systems have become even easier, faster and more convenient to use with the introduction of "MyInfo". This latest addition to the BMW Assist Safety Plan allows subscribers to send business locations and street addresses and their associated phone numbers found in Google Maps(TM), an innovative online mapping service, from the comfort of their home or office directly to their BMW. Effective as of April 8 production of 2008 X6 Sports Activity Coupes equipped with the BMW Assist and Bluetooth® Hands-free calling System, customers will be able to call the phone numbers received with their Bluetooth connected mobile phone or, if their BMW is equipped with a navigation system, immediately start route guidance by a simple push of a button.

To use MyInfo, just search for a business or street address on Google Maps (http://maps.google.com) and click on the "Send" link at the top-right corner of the map. Select "Car", then "BMW" and "BMW US" for country and enter your e-mail address on file with BMW Assist as your BMW Assist account name. You can add a personal note, if desired, then press the "Send" button - and your destination is on its way. Once inside your BMW, simply push the MyInfo button within the BMW Assist menu and you will find the desired destination and associated phone number.

Already popular in Europe and recently launched in Canada this unique service allows advanced preparation for your next trip. Before you leave the house or office, you can easily and quickly determine online the exact location of up to 10 of your desired destinations and then make them available in your BMW. The advantage is that the listings found at Google Maps no longer have to be written down or printed out. Also manual data entry into the navigation system is no longer needed -the address and phone number is already in your iDrive menu. Even better, you can share MyInfo with your family, friends and colleagues so that they can send destinations, phone numbers and even notes to the vehicle while you are on the road. But best of all, there is no charge for this service, as it's included as part of the Safety Plan for the first four years, like the other benefits of Ultimate Service.

MyInfo will be included on BMW Assist-equipped X5, X6, 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7 Series, effective with Model Year 2009. For now it is an exclusive feature of the 2008 X6. The X6 Sports Activity Coupe will be offered in the USA in two versions. The X6 xDrive35i, sporting a 300hp, twin-turbo, inline 6 cylinder will be available at authorized BMW SAV centers on April 26th. The twin-turbo V8 powered X6 xDrive50i will come to the US market in the late summer 2008.

To learn more about MyInfo, please visit www.bmwusa.com/bmwassist.

About BMW Assist:

BMW Assist provides the driver with services that enhance on-the-road security and convenience, for added peace of mind. The BMW Assist Safety Plan is standard on all 5, 6, and 7 Series models, including M5 and M6, and is included in the Premium Package or available as a stand-alone option on all other models. BMW is the only manufacturer that offers this service for 4 years at no additional cost. Most other manufacturers cover only the first year of service.

The in-vehicle equipment for BMW Assist includes GPS technology and hands-free communication functions accessed via buttons in the overhead or center console. Vehicle occupants may request emergency or other services simply by pressing a button; the BMW Assist system then transmits the location and vehicle information to the BMW Assist Response Center. A response specialist will then speak with the occupants to coordinate dispatch, notify emergency contacts on file, and link BMW Roadside Assistance or emergency services as needed and requested. A severe accident automatically activates the BMW Assist emergency call as well. The BMW Assist Safety Plan also includes Remote Door Unlock and Stolen Vehicle Recovery services, which can save the owner time and money.

TeleService automatically notifies the BMW center when a vehicle will need service. The Service Advisor then proactively calls the customer to set up a convenient appointment and have the needed parts ready.

BMW Assist subscribers can also enroll in the BMW Assist Convenience Plan (available at an additional cost of $199 per year) to avail themselves of BMW Assist Concierge services, from travel planning to dining reservations, shopping assistance and event tickets, as well as receive directions, and traffic and weather information. On most models produced September 2006 and later, a selected destination and its phone number can be sent directly to the BMW navigation system and Bluetooth®-linked mobile phone, after a push of the Concierge button. The Convenience Plan also includes Critical Calling, a service that connects the driver in case their mobile phone is not in the vehicle or its battery is discharged. After pushing the SOS button, a BMW Assist response specialist will link the driver to his requested party for up to five minutes and for up to four events per year.

As before, the BMW Assist system includes Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity with hands-free phonebook access and dialing by name or number via the steering wheel controls. Use of this feature requires a customer-provided compatible Bluetooth mobile phone.

BMW Group in America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all Z4 models and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles and the X6 Sports Activity Coupe. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car centers, 335 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 142 BMW motorcycle retailers, 82 MINI passenger car dealers, and 30 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group's sales headquarters for North, Central and South America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at:

www.bmwgroupna.com
www.bmwusa.com
www.bmwmotorradusa.com
www.miniusa.com
www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com

# # #

Suitability Parameters:
Speed Merchants: Yes
Fashion Victims: Yes
Treehuggers: No
Mack Daddies: Yes
Tuner Crowd: No
Hairdressers: Yes
Penny Pinchers: No
Euro Snobs: Yes
Working Stiffs: No
Technogeeks: Yes
Poseurs: Yes
Soccer Moms: No
NASCAR Dads: No
Golfing Grandparents: No

Also consider:
• Mercedes CLS
• Porsche Cayenne
• Range Rover Sport
• Infiniti FX50
• Mercedes G55 AMG
• Audi S6 Avant

Vitals:
• Manufacturer: BMW
• Model tested: X6 xDrive35i
• Model year: 2009
• Base Price: $53,275
• Price as Tested: $63,225
• Engine type: 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six
• Horsepower: 300 @ 5,800-6,250 RPM
• Torque: 300 @ 1,400-5,000 RPM
• Red line: 7,000 RPM
• Transmission: 6-speed automatic
• Curb Weight: 4,894 lbs
• LxWxH: 192.0" x 78.1" x 66.5"
• Wheelbase: 115.5"
• Tires: 315/35 ZR20 front and rear
• Drive type: AWD
• 0 - 60 mph: 6.5 seconds [estimated]
• 1/4-mile: N/A
• Top speed: 149mph
• EPA Fuel economy city/highway: 15/20 MPG
• NHTSA crash test rating: N/A

Also see:

• BMW X6, Part One

• BMW X6, Part Two

Acceleration: ****
Both the 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six and 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 move the X6 forward with real gusto. There's nothing in it below 100mph, but the V8 doesn't taper off at high speeds like the six-cylinder does. The revvy xDrive35i fits the X6's sporty character best, and weighs 264lbs less, making it noticeably more agile.

Braking: *****
Immensely powerful, the brakes haul the heavy X6 up without drama. On the track, they didn't fade and the ABS isn't over conservative, allowing drivers to fully exploit the available grip. The active dampers eliminate dive.

Ride: ****
Back off the pace a bit and the X6 is luxury car comfortable. While the big 315/20s ride firmly, the suspension always keeps things in control on everything from smooth highways to rough dirt tracks. There's less tire noise than you might think, but it's not as quiet as say a 7-series.

Handling: ****
So good you'll forget you're driving an SUV. Dynamic Performance Control is a genuine game changer, think of it as a form of stability control that gives you more control, increases grip to unimaginable levels and does both without interfering by grabbing brakes or cutting power. Other electronics eliminate dive and roll, too.

The laws of physics do eventually intervene and the X6 will understeer, but its limits are unbelievably high. We'd put the X6 up against any sports car on a tight, twisty and wet mountain road, it's just a shame the steering is devoid of feel.

Gearbox: *
The biggest flaw in the X6's driving experience is made worse by the rest of the car's competence. The plastic paddles are counterintuitive to use and provide a disappointing level of control. The automatic's electronic brain is an unpredictable master, you never know when or if it'll allow you to downshift and loves shifting up at unpredictable moments.

Audio: ****
Another journalist remarked to us that he hadn't noticed the sound that emanates from the differential under hard driving as he'd switched the radio on and spent the day in cruise-mode. We did exactly the opposite and were rewarded with two great-sounding engines and the unique mechanical noise coming from the back end. But taking a peak at the X6's options list reveals the kind of fancy audio systems you'd expect from a high-spec luxury car.

Toys: *****
We'd give the X6 five stars here if all it came with was Dynamic Performance Control, any technology that increases driver control, safety and speed at the same time makes us happy boys. It's the antithesis of traditional stability control — which we normally switch off — as it doesn't interfere with your driving. But, the X6 also comes with every other conceivable kid of gizmo, which while impressive, would make us worry about buying an X6 as a used car in a few years' time. The iDrive is better than ever as well, spend a few minutes getting used to it and you'll be rewarded with rapid, intuitive access to all the vehicle's settings.

Value: *
The X6 costs over $8,500 more than an equivalent X5. While it does drive considerably better, it offers a lot less utility. Having said that, it doesn't set out to be a practical package, more a car that people will want rather than one they'll need.

Overall: ***
Faster and better to drive than any vehicle this big, this heavy and this tall has any right to be, we'd love to be able to give it more stars, but ultimately its flaws compromise its ability to too great a degree.

Having said that, with the X6, driving is believing. Put your preconceptions and prejudices aside and take one for a spin, you'll be amazed. But fitting one into your life might prove a slightly less exciting experience.

Also see:

• BMW X6, Part One

BMW calls the X6 a Sports Activity Coupe. That seems preposterous given both their constant assertion that their best selling SUVs, the X3 and X5, be referred to as SAVs and the X6's four doors, which is 2 more than the unofficial definition of a coupe allows. The BMW X6 is based on that X5, its main difference, aside from the obvious low roof, swoopy bodywork and huge ass, is firm suspension and the addition of Dynamic Performance Control.

It's the latter that makes the X6 so special. Basically the cleverest rear differential in the world, DPC apportions power to the rear wheels independently to improve agility, stability and traction at all times. This matters to you and me because it makes the X6 handle incredibly well and incredibly safely in any condition without cutting power or hitting the brakes to interfere.

Combine DPC with Adaptive Drive, which eliminates roll and dive, and two incredibly powerful engines and you have a car that performs better than even the wildest imagination allows.

The first indication of the X6's genre-creating genius came with a tearing sound from the back end. Getting on the power in the middle of a wet and foggy hairpin in the Appalachian Mountains that sound suddenly joined the twin-turbo inline-six's deep growl as the level of grip began to beggar belief. It's the sound of the rear differential working hard to keep the X6 accelerating rather than spinning. Its function is otherwise undetectable, except through the scarcely unbelievable speed with which it allowed me to attack that windy mountain road in the middle of a thunderstorm.

Eventually, the realities of physics do overcome the ability of BMW's engineers to bend them. Pushed to the limits of grip the X6 will oversteer, stepping out into a few degrees of controllable slide, but take things a step further and the end result is understeer. The aggression it takes to provoke is, however, unlikely to be encountered on anything this side of an icy road or racetrack.

Slowing down, later in the day, that performance becomes nothing but a memory as the realities of driving an X6 on the road set in. It's bigger than you think, dwarfing Ford Explorers and minivans, a full width lane barely containing its bulk. This is both good and bad. The size creates an incredibly spacious interior for its four occupants and plenty of their luggage, but it's hard to place on narrow streets and in tight corners. The svelte shape leaves plenty of room for six footers in the rear seats, but doesn't allow for rear visibility. BMW has compensated by speccing the biggest wing mirrors you'll find this side of a semi, but we don't recommend reversing without the aid of the on board camera. And while its incredibly fast and has ridiculous levels of grip, the steering is almost totally numb, so it takes time to develop faith in the chassis' ability.

For the US, the X6 will come with two engines, both have twin turbos. The xDrive35i comes with a 3.0-liter straight six while the xDrive50i come with a 4.4-liter V8. On paper, the V8 is the clear winner, delivering a 0-60 time of 5.4 seconds and a top speed of 155mph. In practice however, the inline-six is livelier, weighing down the X6's front end considerably less and not suffering from the bigger engine's turbo lag. At 6.5 seconds to 60mph and topping out at 149mph, it's far from slow as well.

The gearbox lets both engines down by being difficult to use. Override it manually with the paddles and the results are hit or miss. Sometimes you get the gear you want, sometimes you don't, making fully exploiting the X6's chassis disappointingly difficult.

Don't expect the X6 to be the last vehicle to use Dynamic Performance Control. Allegedly, it'll soon find its way into the X5 and maybe even into vehicles from the M division. Judging by what's it's capable of here, we can't wait to try it when it's not just serving to make a flawed vehicle surprisingly capable, but when it's being used to make an already good car even better.