BMW recently launched M variants of their X5 and X6 models. Many still struggle to put a label on the X6 and now that it’s received BMW’s “M” treatment, even more so.
Some love it while others loathe it and I for one don’t want to believe that there are people who would buy the X6 SUV-Cross-Over-Coupe-thing-a-majig. It strikes me as threatening to dilute the motoring blood-line.
It’s like having a Swiss-Army knife in your kitchen, it can do everything you need but it’s far more rewarding using a purpose built utensil for a specific task. Likewise, within the BMW stable, if you want to go fast, buy an M6, if you want to travel in luxury, buy a 7-series and if you want to go off-road, buy a 1200GS Adventure.
Where is the logic in raising the ride height, adding 413kW and a set of 20-inch tyres (275/40 front and 315/35 rear)? It’s not high enough to tackle a 4×4 or 4×2 route, would be left for dead by a sports car of similar power through the corners and has tyres that would have it skating over a dirt road were it not for a plethora of electronic aids.
I imagine that BMW has gone to great lengths with their technologies and engineering to nullify my concerns above, but does this mean the customer could be paying a premium for technologies required to keep the X6 M on the road? Technologies which wouldn’t necessarily be required in a purpose built sports car, or saloon? I’m talking about things like “M” air suspension with Adaptive Drive and Dynamic Stability Control amongst other finer details. Sure, they’d make a good car better, but would they carry as much weight in the functioning of say the 7-series as they may in the X6 M?
My guess is, the people who’d buy an X6 M are likely those that simply need to get from A to B and let everyone else know they’re doing so. Others may be able to afford – and are curious enough – to buy something quirky. Whatever the case may be, a manufacturer doesn’t spend billions in bringing a new product to market without conclusive market research, especially in the current global economic climate.
Knowing BMW, they’ve more than covered all the bases and I’m sure the X6 M will leave many a critic biting their lip. I for one am ready to be surprised by the “Hunchback of Jekyll-and-Hyde”.
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December 19th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Good post!Thanks for the good reading!