Power and then some

The BMW X6 has plenty of appeal and maintains a proper balance between speed, power and off-road manoeuvrability, says Philip Shane.

I recently had the pleasure of listening to a few tracks by Fourplay and Hayley Westerna on a beautiful audio setup consisting of a pair of 500w McIntosh Monoblock amplifiers connected to a pair of high quality Dynaudio studio monitor speakers.

The setup had a perfectly balanced sound and precise imaging. It was pretty impressive.

The thing about this kind of setup is that it is quite unconventional and expensive. Those Dynaudio monitors were designed for about 150 watts of continuous power output, which means that your amplifier rating could be anywhere upwards of 30 watts to the usual 150 watts. Instead, these were powered by an amplifier that supplied more than three times the rated power for these speakers. What was even more unconventional about this system was the fact that the Dynaudios were bookshelf speakers. Hulking power amplifiers like these, are designed to power large Floorstanding speakers with huge power handling capacities. So what gives?

The beauty of this particular audio setup was the fact that the speakers were driven with the kind of power that would never make them struggle to produce sound for the entire frequency range. A conventional setup would provide adequate power, but could make larger speakers ask for more under certain demanding conditions.

The end-result is an adequately powered studio monitor with effortless sound production capability and perfect balance for any kind of sonic requirement.

The point I am trying to make is: when you take a product designed for a certain application and then decide to add extra power to it, it shines. The end result might not look attractive, but it's the performance in that price segment that counts.

Similarly, if you take a good- looking, road-going SUV like the BMW X5 and add extra power to it with a twin turbo, change its suspension to handle a lot better and make it seat fewer people, then add-in a new unconventional segment-defining look, you'd probably end up with something like the X6.

When I first heard about the launch of the X6 and its 'Sports Activity Coupe' concept, my immediate response was "no, not another SUV& when are they ever going to stop?" With all the manufacturers racing to produce cars that set benchmarks both in performance and intimidating looks, we find newer segments being created.

The X6 that I test-drove came with a twin turbo 4.4-litre engine that produces 407 hp in the rpm range of 5,500 6,400, and a maximum torque of 600 Nm from 1,750 - 4,500 rpm. It does a 0 100km/hr sprint in 5.4 seconds. Impressive figures and even more impressive handling and ride comfort. The X6 also comes with options of a straight-six with Twin Turbo (306 hp), a straight-six diesel with Variable Twin Turbo (286 hp) and a straight-six diesel with turbocharger (235 hp).

Build quality and steering feel are the same as that of most BMWs. This combined with the Intelligent X-Drive system enables precise cornering and manoeuvring by adjusting understeer and oversteer in real time. The Dynamic Performance Control seamlessly enhances the stability of the all-wheel drive X6 resulting in a driving experience which is rare in vehicles of this size. An admirable factor in the BMW is that even on the highway, the smoothness and luxury of the car do not diminish your driving pleasure. You remain firmly connected to the road.

Many automobile manufacturers overlook this fact and end up producing vehicles whose interiors give one the feel of being in a vault even when the vehicle is doing 200 km/hr.

With the X6, BMW has managed to retain the sportiness of its cars while providing an SUV that has quite a lot of road presence.

The tyre profile and ground clearance of this vehicle isn't that of an off-road vehicle and the stock version isn't intended for any rough off-road conditions either. However, a fully modified X6 might do pretty well at the Desert Challenge where we've seen some fast times set by its smaller cousin, the X3. Achieving a proper balance between speed, power and off-road manoeuvrability through modification is what makes a good driver win at the Desert Challenge and I think the X6 has the potential.An interesting feature of the X6 is the variable distribution of power and torque between the rear wheels, not only when the engine is pulling the vehicle, but also in overrun conditions when the driver takes his foot off the accelerator.

This is achieved by an additional, superimposed transmission unit within the final drive made up of a double planetary gear set and a multiple-plate clutch operated by an electric motor.

The X6 is the first vehicle in the world to feature this stabilising mechanism which is independent of engine load and drive power.

The driver receives instant information on the instrument cluster on how much the Dynamic Performance Control (DPC) system distributes the drive power between each of the four wheels under various conditions. This level of sophistication in the DPC system thereby results in very little intervention by the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), unless the vehicle is pushed to extremes. It enables the driver to utilise more power and torque from the engine when cornering and during extreme manoeuvres. Pretty good, I say.

Other cool features include the optional Active Steering, and Adaptive Drive system that varies the body roll using high speed Flex data transmission and a Brake Energy Regeneration system.

The sound system and SatNav which are part of the iDrive System are much the same as those in modern BMWs. This model has an additional heads up display which shows essential information on the windscreen, thereby eliminating the need for the driver to move his eyes off the road and on to the instrument cluster frequently.

To sum things up, crossover SUVs really aren't my type of vehicle, but the X6's segment and combination of features is interesting and definitely worth a test drive. This car has gadgetry and systems that are quite practical, but it is still more of a fashion statement.