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| Message: | Am I the only one to wonder what exactly is the point of this vehicle? I own four BMWs, including an X5. The X5 is a "sport activity vehicle" in that it can tow a camper trailer (up to 6500 lbs) take a couple of kayaks on the roof, and haul a dog in the back. And yes, I do all those things with my X5. A lot. It is a very useful vehicle for hauling things. Which is why I bought it in the first place. But the X6.... Well, you can't get the dog in the back for starters (at least not a retired greyhound). Kayaks on the roof? I suppose so, but where is the luggage rack? I suppose the towing capacity is the same as the X5, so at least it is useful there. But other than that, I just don't get it. They took a useful vehicle and took its greatest use (the large cargo area) OUT - leaving us with a gas-hungry SUV (13 mpg?) introduced at an inopportune time. I mean, this thing will be as popular as a Hummer!* People will be thowing rocks at it! (And by the way, I don't get the gas milage bit. My X5 3.0 5-speed gets 20 mpg all day long. It even gets 17 towing a trailer. Does the X6 come with an anchor it drags around?) And BMW and Mercedes have to STOP calling four-door cars (or trucks or whatever) "coupes". This thing is about as "coupe" as my Ford Pickup (at least THAT has two doors!). If want something sporty that hauls four people in comfort, the BMW 5-series or M5 fits the bill nicely. This thing gives you the gas consumption and handling worse than the X5 with the interior room of a 5-series sedan (perhaps less). I just don't get it. And I suspect the market won't get it either. I don't see this as a big seller for BMW. But I guess time will tell. BMW has answered a question nobody is asking - "Gee, can I get an SUV without all the utility and interior room, but with the same crappy gas milage? Oh, and take out the rear seat headroom while you're at it!" (Subaru tried this with their Outback sedan, a very slow seller, to say the least). As a BMW shareholder, I am disappointed that the company wasted valuable engineering time on this project. They say "form follows function" in a good Engineering design. But for the life of me, I cannot see what function the X6 is supposed to perform. This does not seem to be an "ultimate driving machine" but rather little more than some sort of ego enhancer or [Oops!] enlarger. * Hummer sales have tanked with rising fuel prices. GM is talking of selling off the brand, but there is no one foolish enough to buy it. Let's face it, once the novelty wears off, who wants to drive around in a shoebox-shaped Tahoe? Or a runnning-shoe shaped X5 for that matter? FWIW. This one ain't on my short list. | ||||
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