X6-tensial Notes II: Lines of the Times

The following from the Times of London on the X6: some ambivalence about the exterior design, and disappointment on the interior space, but no reservations about perfromance.

It works superbly: on a wet handling circuit through a slalom course the X6 displayed an astonishing willingness to change direction without understeering, and on a dry circuit it was rapid and beautifully balanced.

Its engine is glorious. It makes an old-school V8 grunt that starts out guttural and, once the rev counter has swung past 6000rpm, ends up sounding like the hammers of hell. Regrettably the V8 won’t be available until November; from its May launch the X6 will have the excellent 3 litre twin-turbo straight six, and two turbo diesels.

So BMW’s newest delivers on its driving promise without even needing a qualifying “for a 4x4”. Its hybrid coupé/off-roader styling may look strained, but it is at least different. Good though the X6 is, however, you can find a better driving experience with a number of executive saloons (the Merc CLS leaps to mind) that also provide a stand-out appearance.

So the X6 is a very good car, and with it BMW has cleverly carved itself a niche within a niche. You should think long and hard about exactly why you might want one, though, as many sacrifices must be made for that combination of nifty styling and commanding driving position.

Menawhile, back home, I engaged radio boss and emcee Francois St Juste - who sat i nthe X6 on display during the 7-series launch and oenophile (that's wine expert to you) Chris reckord, who actually drove one (he already owns an X3 and a 330Ci) Reckord praises the car's road manners and engine performance, while Francois liked the overall drive feel and is anxious to take it for a run.

This Bug Will Sip [natural] Gas

While some folks are successfully mixing gasoline and electric engines, VW thought, "why not mix natural gas and gasoline?" That's what they're planning on doing with the EcoFuel VW Touran.


Unfortunately, natural gas isn't on the path toward carbon neutrality...but it is certainly better than the alternative. Natural gas is a much cleaner fuel than gasoline, and the majority of the U.S. demand is satisfied by production on this continent. You can also fill up using the natural gas line at your home (without having to pay a road tax.)

But the even more fascinating thing to me about this is that, when running on gasoline (it can do either, to eliminate that pesky "range anxiety" factor) it gets 45 MPG. This is an extremely impressive number for a minivan, and they're doing it with some fancy technology.

First, they start out with a fairly tiny 1.4 L engine, then add direct injection technology and a turbo-charger (so that acceleration times aren't too dismal) and suddenly they're squeezing a lot of power out of every drop of gas.

Of course, there are no plans to sell the car in North America, and we haven't seen a release date or a price (which we expect to be very high) but it's exciting nonetheless

"X6-tensial" Notes

The circle has been closed - kind of.

After flirtations withthe M3 and regular 3-series, iwenttothe launch of the 7-series and rediscovered my affection for......the X6

Yes, that quirky shape but glued-to-the-road sport ute coupe that has galvanized the automotive press into strong reactions (check our archives).

So, I 've started a series of features on the X6 under the banner "X6-tensial" (get it?) We begin witht this one form autoblog.com, which is a basic descriotion of th e then concept X6 by fomrer design head of BMW , Chris Bangle.

The BMW X6 production concept CUV blends the looks and driving dynamics that aficionados expect with the high seating position and extra cargo space of a crossover. The X6 appears to be more of a fashion statement than it is a fully functioning "Sport Activity Vehicle," as that steeply raked butt dooesn't look like it can hold too many golf bags inside.

One look at the X6 reveal comments shows how polarizing the big utility "coupe" is, but the video of the X6 after the jump makes the concept look like a world-beater. Chris Bangle and his design team give us a peek at the new sports crossover, as well as the thinking behind BMW's next big idea. Take a look after the jump.

Other upcpming X6 features will have artists' impressions (our "X6-vision") as well as J'can owner testimonials. Stay tuned

Benz to bring in stop-start system for 2010 models

From Benz Insider:
Mercedes-Benz is said to be working on having the stop-start technology on all engines by 2011. Mercedes will introduce the stop-start technology on the E200 CGI, which is a 4 cylinder with 181 hp, from the middle of next year. Autocar reports that by 2011, Mercedes-Benz aims to overcome the issue with fitting the technology on automatics, especially on V6 and V8 models, which have automatic gearboxes fitted as standard.

Christoph Spengel, head of engine development for MB states, “Fitting the system to any engine and gearbox is not a problem, we can get reliability quite easily. Achieving the smoothness of the start is the real problem. Engaging the starter takes a little time, and then firing the engine takes a little time, and it is important that our system does not disturb the driver.”