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Do not call me SUV
BMW has retreaded its long-legged Coupé X6, equipped with new, more distinctive front and rear end and packed with modern technology. This includes, for the first time in Germany, an illuminated radiator grille, called by the people of Munich "kidney".
The antithesis of the automobile
Even BMW has not remained hidden: a car like the X6 has it in a larger part of public opinion difficult, climate activists and politicians even demand a ban on sales of the thick, chunky and mostly heavily motorized SUV. Maybe that's why the Munich hiding their power behind a new concept. BMW calls its 4,94 meter Allradler "SAC". That stands for "Sport Activity Coupe" and translates into Anglo-Bavarian translated as a sporty coupe, with the well-heeled customers can be active outside the fixed roads.
Hatchback giant and pioneer
So now the new edition of the hatchback giant, which made a good decade for the first time for discussions of the kind described. Meanwhile, the X6 is no longer alone on a long corridor: Mercedes has copied the BMW idea with his GLE coupe as well as VW with his US model Atlas Cross and many others. Even small BMW models like X2 and X4 wear the coupé-like dress. The big original must therefore refill. The designers from the design department were as much in demand as the engineers. The result was a car that visually differs from its predecessor.
This is particularly noticeable when you target the newcomer from aft. The rear section now looks really three-dimensional, combining four levels into a new whole. What critics would call “rugged”, BMW calls “athletic silhouette”. Anyway, the new bottom is noticeable. In addition, with two upright air outlets and a so-called diffuser between the chrome-framed rectangular "tailpipes".
Powerful, at least the air intake
Seen from a frontal view, in addition to the enormous air intakes of the grille, which is larger than in other models, dominates the scene. Especially at night: For the first time BMW lights up its identification mark, the famous kidney, has got the permission from the authorities to change the usual "light picture" in German traffic. Legally, the illuminated grill is considered part of the headlights.
530 PS modesty
For a first get-together off the premiere stage at the IAA, the current top model is waiting. The M50i stands with smooth 99.000 Euro in the extensive price list, impresses already on paper with performance values that will drive those climate activists the anger flush in the face: eight-cylinder gasoline engine with just 390 kW / 530 horsepower, twin turbo and off-road four-wheel drive, too if hardly a future customer should ever get lost in nirvana off the beaten track. The gentle pressure on the start button confirms the paper form. In sport mode, a dull bollard, a mighty start, which is experienced thanks to high seating position, as it were from above.
Goes, handy
Despite its size, which was gently increased by 2,6 centimeters in length and 1,5 centimeters in width, the X6 is a very handy car. This is especially true when the jumble of streets and the Munich permanent traffic jam is ticked off and the Bavarian can run on little, curvy county roads under current rules can romp. The electronics always find the right one of the eight stages of the automatic, which brings the powerful pulling power just in the most effective. Thanks to air suspension bumps and potholes are not really existent, thanks to four-wheel drive there is sufficient traction where it is needed. And thanks to the excellent steering, the X6 can be wrapped around the finger like a compact. The fact that BMW always delivers perfect brakes to its customers can not really come as a surprise.
This also applies to the ambience in the interior, which can certainly compete with that of a luxury sedan like the sevens. The virtual cockpit with its idiosyncratic tempo display, the crystal-clear head-up display that reflects important information in the windshield or the central central monitor - this is how you know and appreciate your BMW. Added to this is the sophisticated art of today's assistance systems, which the X6 can have on board, depending on the customers' desire to buy. An interaction of cameras, radar and ultrasound sensors has the environment, but also the driving of the driver in the electronic view. Where BMW enthusiasts will accept the adoption of recognized speed limits in the Abstandstempomaten rather grudging. But keep your driver's license longer.
With this package of unquestionably fascinating high-tech in the engine compartment and on-board computer, a sober assessment of the new X6, whether it is now called SAC or SUV, is not easy. An expensive sports car with long-distance comfort for the whole family or a status symbol for high earners who still live in the old world of powerhouses? Most of the X6 are in the US, China and Russia, our critics of this type of car will probably have to hold their posters up on the roadside for a long time until such a BMW comes by.
BMW X6 M50i 
BMW X6 M50i 
BMW X6 M50i
BMW X6 M50i - Specifications:
Five-door SUV coupe with five seats Length: 4,94 meters, width: 2,00 meters (width with exterior mirrors: 2,21 meters), height: 1,70 meters, wheelbase: 2,98 meters, trunk volume: 580 - 1.530 liters
4,4-liter gasoline engine with eight cylinders and twin turbo; 390 kW / 530 PS, maximum torque: 750 Nm at 1.800 - 4.600 rpm, all-wheel drive, eight-speed automatic, 0-100 km / h: 4,3 s, Vmax: 250 km / h, standard consumption: 10,4 - 10,7 liters / 100 kilometers, CO2 emissions: 237-243 g / km, emissions standard: Euro 6dtemp, efficiency class: E, price: from 99.000 euros
Other engines:
X6 xDrive 40i: three-liter gasoline engine with six cylinders and twin turbo; 250 kW / 340 PS, maximum torque: 450 Nm at 1.500 - 5.200 rpm, all-wheel drive, eight-speed automatic, 0-100 km / h: 5,2 s, Vmax: 250 km / h, standard consumption: 8,0 - 8,6 liters / 100 kilometers, CO2 emissions: 181-197 g / km, emissions standard: Euro 6dtemp, efficiency class: C, price: from 77.000 euros
X6 M50d: three-liter diesel with six cylinders and twin turbo; 294 kW / 400 PS, maximum torque: 760 Nm at 2.000 - 3.000 rpm, all-wheel drive, eight-speed automatic, 0-100 km / h: 5,5 s, Vmax: 250 km / h, standard consumption: 6,9 - 7,2 liters / 100 kilometers, CO2 emissions: 181-190 g / km, emissions standard: Euro 6dtemp, efficiency class: B, price: from 96.600 euros
X6 xDrive 30d: three-liter diesel with six cylinders and twin turbo; 195 kW / 265 PS, maximum torque: 620 Nm at 2.000 - 2.500 rpm, all-wheel drive, eight-speed automatic, 0-100 km / h: 6,5 s, Vmax: 230 km / h, standard consumption: 6,1 - 6,6 liters / 100 kilometers, CO2 emissions: 159-172 g / km, emissions standard: Euro 6dtemp, efficiency class: AB, price: from 75.500 euros
In brief
Why? Because he is a rolling record of wealth and carelessness
Why not: Because you're just a normal person and anything but carefree
What else: Mercedes GLE Coupé, Audi Q8, Maserati Levante
When will he come? Already in November