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2008 BMW X6 xDrive35i Sports Activity Coupe
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Complaints: Enough said.
Ride, acceleration and handling: The X6 gets top marks in all three categories. So do most BMW automobiles. But a BMW 5-Series sedan has a definite personality. Ditto a BMW Z4 roadster. By comparison, the X6 is a troubled child in search of identity and getting woefully lost along the way.
Body style/layout: The X6 is a front-engine, all-wheel-drive, supposedly multi-purpose vehicle with four side doors and a rear hatch designed to mimic the performance of a sports coupe while delivering the usefulness of a sport-utility vehicle. BMW got it half right. There are two trim levels -- the tested 35i with the six-cylinder engine and the 50i with a V-8.
Head-turning quotient: The X6 is the ugliest BMW vehicle ever reviewed by this column. It is BMW's Pontiac Aztek.
Engine/transmission: The tested X6 xDrive 35i ("xDrive" stands for "intelligent all-wheel-drive") comes with a 3-liter, 24-valve, twin-turbocharged, inline six-cylinder engine that develops 300 horsepower at 5,800 revolutions per minute and 300 foot-pounds of torque at 1,400 revolutions per minute. The engine is attached to a six-speed transmission that can be operated manually via paddle shifters, or automatically.
Capacities: There are seats for four people. Luggage capacity with the rear seats up is 25.6 cubic feet. Cargo capacity with the rear seats folded is 60 cubic feet. Estimated fuel capacity is 20 gallons. Premium unleaded gasoline is required.
Mileage: You get 15 miles per gallon in the city and 20 on the highway.
Safety: Head and side air bags are standard along with antilock brakes, electronic stability and traction control. Special praise goes to the "dynamic performance control" system, which greatly enhances the X6's performance over variable road surfaces.
Price: The base price on the 2008 X6 xDrive 35i is $52,500. Dealer's invoice price on that model is $48,300. Price as tested is $71,025, including $17,700 in options and an $825 destination charge. Dealer's as-tested price is $65,105. Prices sourced from BMW and Edmunds.com.
Purse-strings note: I did not like it. Ria Manglapus, my associate in vehicle evaluations, got out of it as soon as she could. This one left us cold.
