2008 BMW X6

Scientists would declare that the new 2008 BMW X6 xDrive50i and X6 xDrive35i are a new vehicular species. Football coaches would say the 2008 X6 has hit the seam in the zone defense. Marketing folks assert the 2008 X6 created a new sub-niche. However, car writers are befuddled as what to call the BMW X6.

“Sports Activity Coupe”

While more than plenty powerful, the BMW X6 doesn’t handle well enough to be called a sports sedan. One would risk the Don Imus treatment by calling the BMW X6 a tall, really fast all-wheel-drive station wagon. It could be a termed “shooting brake” but even the English don’t remember what that means. The 2008 BMW X6 is definitely not a sport-utility vehicle because no rationale owner is going to take it further off the pavement than a well-groomed gravel driveway. Since almost all crossover utility vehicles are just lackluster SUV wannabes based on mundane sedans, the BMW X6 isn’t a CUV either: It’s far from humdrum, and it’s based on the BMW X5 SUV.


On top of all this, BMW befuddled auto writers by calling the 2008 BMW X6 the “first-ever sports activity coupe.” Long ago, some auto editor decided it was a coupe if it had two doors and a sedan if it had four: The X6 has four full-size doors. In addition, it has a SUV-style liftgate. Those who call it a hatchback—another term banned by the U.S. auto industry—will disappear faster than Joe Biden’s presidential bid. Suffice it to say, the new-for-2008 BMW X6 is a hugely powerful, provocatively attractive, roomy, sweet steering, controlled riding, all-wheel-drive vehicle that’s loaded with cutting-edge technology. We suppose, for sake of a name and labels, the BMW X6 is a couple-like crossover SUV.


Very few vehicles will beat the 2008 BMW X6 xDrive50i in a stoplight-to-stoplight drag race, especially if the road is slick. The 2008 BMW X6 xDrive50i’s 4.4-liter V-8 employs twin turbochargers, variable valve timing and direct-into-the-cylinder fuel injection to produce a huge 400 horsepower. More important for off-the-line acceleration, it makes a whopping 450 pound-feet of torque at just 1750 rpm. To put all that power to ground, the 2008 X6 xDrive50i’s all-wheel drive not only transfers torque from front to rear, like most all-wheel-drive systems, but also moves it from left to right to find the best bite. BMW claims 0-60 mph acceleration of less than 5.5 seconds.

Twin Turbo Performance

However, most will find the 2008 BMW X6 xDrive35i’s 3.0-liter, 300-horsepower straight six provides more than adequate acceleration. It’ll run 0-60 mph in less than 6.5 seconds, according to BMW. Like the V8, the inline six has two turbochargers, variable valve timing and direct fuel injection. BMW says it makes 300 pound-feet of torque as low as 1400.


The direct-into-the-cylinder fuel injection—as opposed to the conventional method of squirting gas above the intake valve—offers a side benefit of cooling the intake charge. Injecting fuel right next to the spark plug allows a high-for-turbo-engines 10:1 compression ratio. This improves both power and efficiency. To further bewilder car writers, BMW claims its technology allows the 4.4L V8 to make its peak horsepower from 5500 to 6400 rpm and equal its peak torque from 1750 to 4500 rpm. Also, it says the 3.0 six makes exactly 300 horsepower from 5800 to 6250 rpm and precisely 300 pound-feet of torque from 1400 to 5000 rpm. Since James Watt’s 226-year old formula for horsepower says the values for torque and horsepower must be identical at 5252 rpm, some of us are more than a bit skeptical. (Torque is measured, while horsepower is calculated.)


Regardless, both engines offer incredible straight-line performance. I tested the 2008 BMW X6 xDrive50i on both wet and dry race tracks on which I have about 1,000 hours of at-the-limit seat time in vehicles as fast as the Chevrolet Corvette Z06. On both tracks, the speed of the BMW X6 xForce50i at the end of the straightaways rivaled top sports cars. However, with a weight of about 5400 pounds including driver, a much higher center of gravity, all-season tires and all-wheel-drive, the X6’s braking performance and, especially, cornering power fell far short of the sports cars. (Despite marketing implications, all-wheel-drive can only aid acceleration. It cannot increase cornering power. That job is reserved largely for the tires.)