Cars
BMW has taken some heat - from here and other sources - for the effort it has taken to introduce an uglified X5. Not only is the X6 odd-looking; but its purpose is still somewhat undiscovered. One might suggest that the X6 is BMW's answer to the question nobody asked. Or even thought to ask.Â
- From Norway With Love: Bmw 1m Hatchback Packs M3 Coupe’s 4.0-liter V8 With 435 Ponies
If BMW’s upcoming, limited production 1-Series M Coupe with its 335Hp 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged straight-six doesn’t tickle your fancy, you may want to take a look at this custom made 1-Series 5-door hatchback that’s being offered...
- New Bmw X6 Xdrive35i And Xdrive50i M Sport Packages Include Significant Power Upgrades
This fall will see the introduction of a new M Sport package for the BMW X6 xDrive35i and xDrive50i turbocharged gasoline models. What's interesting about this package is that, unlike other M Division kits that comprise mainly of styling upgrades...
- Toyota Begins Leasing Its Fuel-cell Hybrid Vehicle For $7,700 A Month
With the lease term for Toyota’s next-generation fuel cell hybrid vehicle set at 30 months at a cost of 840,000 yen or about $7,700 per month, the experimental FCHV-adv isn’t for you everyday Joe. So it’s no surprise that Toyota announced...
- Volkswagen R50 - Slightly Bigger Than R32
Volkswagen has provided us with two very upmarket Golf/Rabbits in the last few years. Based on the Golf MKIV and then the Golf MKV, the R32 was and is a performance and luxury oriented Gabbit. For around $33,000 USD, Volkswagen will sell you an all-wheel...
- The Proliferation Of The Niche Vehicle
Remember when it came time to buy a new car and you decided between small, midsize, or large? Unless you wanted a two-door, or perhaps a convertible. Trucks, or anything with flat load floors like an SUV, did not take up 50% of sales, and the choices...
Cars
WHERE THE BMW X6 SITS $$$-WISE
BMW has taken some heat - from here and other sources - for the effort it has taken to introduce an uglified X5. Not only is the X6 odd-looking; but its purpose is still somewhat undiscovered. One might suggest that the X6 is BMW's answer to the question nobody asked. Or even thought to ask. Restrict practicality and utility while at the same time making gains in sportiness. Who's looking for that kind of vehicle? We all asked that question years ago when alternatives to the typical large sport-utility vehicles began to appear. We all learned that there always seems to be someone willing to lose a smidge of usefulness to gain a more sportatious reputation. After all, why did anybody purchase the first-generation X5 when more traditional (domestic) choices were more SUVish?Â
Apparently for the same reason that some consumers are interested in the X6, rather than the X5. Consider the X5 normal now, in the same vein as the 'normal' Porsche Cayenne and 'normal' Mercedes-Benz ML. Yup, the X5 is just an everyday crossover/SUV; same as the Infiniti FX and Audi Q7. Who wants normal?
I'll tell you who doesn't want normal: the folks who are going to shell out $53,000 on a base X6 xDrive35i. This is the 300 horsepower, twin-turbocharged 3.0L six-cylinder; not the naturally-aspirated 3.0L six that the X5 uses. Nonetheless, this six-cylinder X6 battles with the V8 X5 and its 350 horsepower. Battles in what way? Price. Â
The X6 buyer who chooses to run cheaply, rather than requiring 400 horsepower from the twin-turbo V8 of the xDrive50i ($63,775 with destination), will save only a couple thousand dollars when compared with the V8 X5. At the same time as driving an ugly duckling that's still trying to find its place in this world. Oh, while also losing space - not only compared with the X5 but with the smallest sibling, the X3, as well.
And another thing. BMW calls the X6 a Sports Activity Coupe. Beyond the straight dorkiness of that, there's also the opposition to conventional thinking in which 'coupe' equals 'two doors'. Puhleeeeeze.
- From Norway With Love: Bmw 1m Hatchback Packs M3 Coupe’s 4.0-liter V8 With 435 Ponies
If BMW’s upcoming, limited production 1-Series M Coupe with its 335Hp 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged straight-six doesn’t tickle your fancy, you may want to take a look at this custom made 1-Series 5-door hatchback that’s being offered...
- New Bmw X6 Xdrive35i And Xdrive50i M Sport Packages Include Significant Power Upgrades
This fall will see the introduction of a new M Sport package for the BMW X6 xDrive35i and xDrive50i turbocharged gasoline models. What's interesting about this package is that, unlike other M Division kits that comprise mainly of styling upgrades...
- Toyota Begins Leasing Its Fuel-cell Hybrid Vehicle For $7,700 A Month
With the lease term for Toyota’s next-generation fuel cell hybrid vehicle set at 30 months at a cost of 840,000 yen or about $7,700 per month, the experimental FCHV-adv isn’t for you everyday Joe. So it’s no surprise that Toyota announced...
- Volkswagen R50 - Slightly Bigger Than R32
Volkswagen has provided us with two very upmarket Golf/Rabbits in the last few years. Based on the Golf MKIV and then the Golf MKV, the R32 was and is a performance and luxury oriented Gabbit. For around $33,000 USD, Volkswagen will sell you an all-wheel...
- The Proliferation Of The Niche Vehicle
Remember when it came time to buy a new car and you decided between small, midsize, or large? Unless you wanted a two-door, or perhaps a convertible. Trucks, or anything with flat load floors like an SUV, did not take up 50% of sales, and the choices...