2008 BMW X6 - Sports Activity Coupe
To be ‘officially’ unveiled at next month’s Detroit Auto Show, the 2008 BMW X6 will be a five-door, four-seat, coupe-like body. We suppose that’s why they call it a “coupe”, though your author was under the impression that moniker was reserved for two door cars. At any rate, we’ve got the scoop and even a video.
BMW’s latest high-end crossover comes standard with a sports steering wheel and gearshift paddles for manual control of the six-speed automatic transmission, attributing to the “sports” nametag. A plethora of options are available; we counted ten paint schemes, eleven leather choices, three trim packages, wheel, audio and more.
All X6 models get the xDrive AWD variable distribution of drive power between the front and rear axles, a pretty neat system that distributes power in a 40/60 front-to-rear split, with sensors constantly measuring wheel slip. If that wasn’t enough, The X6 also debuts Dynamic Performance Control (DPC), which ensures variable distribution of power between the rear wheels as well.
On the engine side of things, the new X6 offers choice of two powerplants. The big news is a new twin-turbo, direct-injected 4.4L V8 making 400-horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque (at just 1750 rpm) called the xDrive30d - all while getting 34 mpg on the combined driving cycle. The xDrive35i, on the other hand, is BMW’s proven 300 horsepower twin-turbocharged I6 engine. The crossover is no pushover, by any means, with V8 able to sprint 0-60 mph in the 5.3 second range and a having a top speed of 147 mph.
As for the video, this appears to be an xDrive35d powered X6, meaning it’s a diesel however it’s suprisingly quite upon startup.
Expect the ‘08 model X6 to reach dealerships sometime in the second quarter of next year. No word at all on pricing though, we can’t even speculate. We double sales will be a problem though, even with so many other cars in the ever-growing crossover market.