"bpands" (bpands)
08/03/2013 at 17:48 • Filed to: BMW, X6
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"bpands" (bpands)
08/03/2013 at 17:48 • Filed to: BMW, X6 | 1
| 20 |
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! The car/crossover/"sports activity vehicle"/"sports activity coupe" I am referring to is none other than the current BMW X6.
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Adding a coupe roofline to an X5 body may have made for an interesting idea for staffers to tinker with on a sketch board, but I cant help but wonder; were BMW's designers, engineers and execs so inescapably lost within the company's hubris that they couldn't see what was so wrong/ bring themselves to object to the vehicular Frankenstein they were crafting by the time the clay mockups were finished?
Since BMW began making X crossovers, they were not (by any means) great as off-roading or cargo-hauling rigs, nor were they ever the best things to hitch a small boat to. Instead, they became known for offering the closest to a sports-sedan's driving experience that any early crossover/ unibody-SUV had at the time, and many critics and owners may tell you that the X6 is the ultimate expression of that particular philosophy of building such vehicles.
And they wouldn't be wrong as it is a bit more athletic than its competitors and no one will accuse it of being sluggish, given the powertrain offerings for US models, but with the 4,700+lbs. of minimum unladen weight (xDrive35i model) sitting on the tires, it may not be as willing to dance through the corners at a grand tourer's pace, after a while. Kind of like the linebacker that could keep up with the tight end but would tire out much faster.
And at a starting price of $60,ooo ($5,000-$6,000 above the X5's sticker) this...
is...
just...
pitiful.
For all the fractional performance benefits this "answer to a question no one asked" provided, at $60,000+, why would BMW ever think people would consider buying this? This, the X6, fitted with the same dashboard as an X5, having a smaller interior than an X5, a cargo area that can barely hold 3 pieces of realistically-sized travel luggage, a body style with a limited view out the rear and a blind spot issue big enough to probably be the cause of this..
I cant think of a single justifying reason why the X6 would have been approved into production, in its current form. I mean, beyond the economic effects of having another model to share certain X5 components with and having the sheer gall to play upon the foolish among BMW owners/aspiring BMW owners' and their propensity to eat it all up at a premium.
To understand that BMW reportedly said no to the M1 Homage concept in late 2008, and decided to introduce the X6 within a year after that decision is even more infuriating to think of as an auto enthusiast.
But maybe I'm missing something here. Is there anything that redeems the X6's existence?
Victorious Secret
> bpands
08/03/2013 at 17:53 |
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How about trying and driving one and seeing just how competent as a daily driving crossover it really is?
I know people bitch to no end about not having wagons. Guess what you whiny sluts, you don't buy wagons! That is it. Plain and simple.
What makes more sense, bringing over a car that does 90% of both markets or two products that each cover their own market yet having one sell like crap and lose them money?
The X6 is weird yes, but its a good driving car that is decently equipped and to me looks good. You pay for style. That is how things work, the X6 commands a higher price because it can command a higher price. That is it.
Obviously its working enough that BMW is still making and selling them. They clearly know something you don't.
Group B-raaaaaaaaaap!
> bpands
08/03/2013 at 17:57 |
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The X6M, because ///M makes (almost) everything better.
Ultra-relevant conversation HERE . You won't want to miss my analogy about Buttercream stuffed pizza. For reals.
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AddMustard
> bpands
08/03/2013 at 18:01 |
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Why get an x6 when you can get an Infiniti FX instead? (shameless Infiniti plug)
(please don't flame me)
Rosetto Viacava
> bpands
08/03/2013 at 18:04 |
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X6 is still a car, love it or hate it... It's still in existence because people still buy them.
For Sweden
> Victorious Secret
08/03/2013 at 18:07 |
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The X5 is the same driving car, but with far better looks and far better utility. The X5 is the best argument against the X6.
Anon
> Victorious Secret
08/03/2013 at 18:07 |
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I feel the same about flappy paddles! I know a ton of people on here complain about how flappy paddles are ruining super cars and making them not as fun to drive. I have driven a 458 and let me tell you! It was fun as hell! You might not have the experience of using a stick, but when you down shift in a 458 you get hit in the face with enough torque to rip your face off!
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For Sweden
> bpands
08/03/2013 at 18:08 |
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Black Polo Sand Sweaters? Sounds unpleasant.
desertdog5051
> bpands
08/03/2013 at 18:08 |
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I had a co worker who had an X something. Never impressed me. I never drove it though, just rode in it. I'll take a Subaru over that. (in fact I can almost have 2 Subaru's for the same price).
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Victorious Secret
> Anon
08/03/2013 at 18:10 |
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People who consistently bitch about flappy paddles are sadly pre-disposed to hate it no matter what.
I like manuals, I really do. In fact this morning I got thrown around in a GT500. Let me tell you, that is a manual that takes some skill. But oh so satisfying when you nail it.
Contrast that to the other flappy paddles I've driven (ranging from econocrapbox Focus to not so crapbox GTI to super coupe M3 all the way to supercar Ferrari) and the game has gotten so much better that I couldn't hate the things even if I wanted to.
Like I said, the people running these companies obviously know something the armchair Pulitzer Prize candidates on the internet don't.
TheOnelectronic
> AddMustard
08/03/2013 at 18:11 |
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No thanks, I don't like fish.
Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder
> bpands
08/03/2013 at 18:12 |
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I like it. It is something special.
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TheOnelectronic
> Victorious Secret
08/03/2013 at 18:12 |
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They know sales figures, we just know what we want.
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TheOnelectronic
> bpands
08/03/2013 at 18:13 |
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I think the X6 looks awesome. When they first showed it, my thought was "Holy hell; that looks better than a BMW SUV has any right to!"
BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
> bpands
08/03/2013 at 18:14 |
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The thing is, it really isn't supposed to be so closely compared with an X5.
It is supposed to be an X5 alternative for those who want AWD traction, and ground clearance over crap roads and occasional trails or open ground, but otherwise would prefer a 650i coupe.
One or two usual passengers, 3 or 4 only in a pinch, not regularly. Cargo enough for 2, or more cargo with the rear seats down, and more style than a boxy CUV.
Not everyone who wants AWD and ground clearance over crappy pavement or no pavement, necessarily wants to be driving a short-bus just to have those attributes.
I still argue that X6 should have dispensed with the pretense, and just been a 3-door coupe.
The bad part is, it is still too heavy.
I hope they make the X4 into the 3-door coupe, with more modest weight, which might be even more compelling.
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bpands
> Victorious Secret
08/03/2013 at 18:19 |
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Tried it for a few days with my neighbor (his ride of choice). It was fun around the twisty bits near Oyster Bay, but I didn't find it much more fun than the 3 loaners from the dealership, and they had a better ride balance to begin with. Whether if that was because of the lighter weight of the 3s or the suspension tuning is not something I'm ready to comment on.
I said nothing about not having wagons instead, although I did complain about not having a proper M1 successor (what enthusiast wouldn't?).
I'm not arguing that its not a good driving car. It drove fine when I tried it out, but given its weight, I was unsure of how the dynamics would be like after the tires/suspension components have seen a little wear; time and weight physics have done funny things to the CLK I used to have.
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AddMustard
> TheOnelectronic
08/03/2013 at 18:23 |
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It's a sharrrk.
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For Sweden
> BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast.
08/03/2013 at 18:31 |
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That looks much better
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bpands
> Victorious Secret
08/03/2013 at 18:36 |
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"Armchair Pulitzer Prize candidates..."
If that's the real point of your rant, then are you waiting for me to apologize for the fact that I took a few basic English classes before I was lucky enough to try an X6 out?
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bpands
> For Sweden
08/03/2013 at 18:48 |
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That's really the main bit of why the X6 doesn't make all that much sense to me.
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bpands
> For Sweden
08/03/2013 at 18:54 |
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A little inside joke about hooning a tired Wrangler on the beach.