BMW BLOG

The french fellows over at Sport-Cars.fr have just sent in their review of the beautiful, powerful and imposing AC Schnitzer X6 Falcon, a vehicle based on the BMW X6 xDrive35d model.

AC Schnitzer gives the X6 a power upgrade from 286 horsepower to 310 and 680Nm of torque. The dimensions of the X6 have also been increased, 70 mm wider at the front axle and 80 mm wider at the rear. AC Schnitzer X6 Falcon sits on ultra-thin 22″ tires.

The aerodynamics package includes a front skirt with diagonal air inlets and repositioned fog lamps. The Falcon rear features a solid skirt with edge frame. In contrast to the original, all components are painted in the body color, so that it appears drawn further down and hence more dominant. AC Schnitzer has opted for a rear diffuser and completed the effect with a new rear spoiler.

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BMW X6 M reviews have began to appear weeks ago and we reported on several of them. So far the reviews have been fairly positive, with more journalists giving thumbs to this first all-wheel drive M, a vehicle that created controversy prior to its launch.

The UK based magazine, EVO, sat in the X6 M taking it for a ride and they begin with this question: Can a 547bhp M Division makeover turn the X6 into a more loveable car?

We’ll go ahead and take a look at their report….

“Let’s get the bad news over with first. This will leave plenty of space for the good news that must inevitably follow when you’re talking about a new BMW powered by a twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 with 547bhp and 502lb ft of torque and which accelerates to 62mph in 4.7sec and has a top speed of 171mph.

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We’re glad to see that some automobile magazines are starting to agree with us. Back in July when we drove the new BMW X6 M, our initial impression was extremely positive. Driving the car on a race track showed us what it can really do and those that compared it to the X6 xDrive50i, are far from the truth.

The X6 M is not a slightly upgrade over the 50i, but rather a fairly new vehicle, engineered by the talented people at Motorsport. While we didn’t have the possibility to time its 0-60mph performance, the fellows over at Straigthline are here to satisfy our curiosity.

In their track test, the BMW X6 M ran from 0 to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, but that’s not all, the overall handling and dynamics managed to leave a positive impression on them. Let’s see what they have to say:

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AC Schnitzer and Hartge are two of the most famous car tuners and they need no introduction. Over the years, each one of these companies focused part of their efforts on the BMW brand and several “tuned-up” bimmers were released by the two of them.

Hartge was the first one to open doors with their own version of the BMW X6 xDrive35d. First changes were made to the powerplant, the twin-turbo 3.0 liter diesel engine received an upgrade to 328 horsepower and 675 Nm of torque. To handle all that weight and power, Hartge X6 xDrive35d was placed on ultra-wide tires, 295 / 30 ZR 22 at the front and 335 / 25 ZR 22 at the rear.

Suspensions have been lowered as well by 30 mm. The Hartge X6 runs from 0-62 mph in 6.8 seconds and has a top speed of 159 mph.

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The “M Sports Activity twins”, BMW X5 M and X6 M, have recently started to arrive at U.S. dealerships and some lucky owners already entered into possession of the first all-wheel-drive M car ever built by BMW.

Since some of you might be reluctant to believe in the objectivity of the automobile magazines when it comes to these two controversial M models, we decided to go straight to a BMW owner that could share his personal opinion of the car. In this case, the BMW X6 M. SandmanTR from Xoutpost posted the following review:

“A bit of background history on me. When the X6 hit the market, I fell instantly in love with it. There was no question about it. But I do agree with most: You either love it or hate it.

As an X5 owner for quite some time, I was excited to see BMW create a coupe version of the SUV/SAV line so I was beside myself when BMW announced an ///M version for both of these great vehicles. We canceled our plans to order a MY2010 X6 and held on till someone (dealer) knew enough about the ///M version so we could place our order and start the waiting game for delivery.

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Ian James Poulter, English professional golfer who is a member of the world’s top two professional golf tours, the U.S.-based PGA Tour and the European Tour, decided to have some fun on a race track with the new, powerful….all-mighty BMW X6 M.

Having tested ourselves the X6 M on a race track, we can identify with the thrill he’s experiencing in this video. The X6M was built to be driven by anyone and judging from the footage, Ian is doing a great job.

On a second thought, he’s actually pretty good at cornering and pushing the car to its limits….. now we’re just jealous and already looking forward to our next encounter with the car.

A quick recap, the BMW X6 M is powered by the S63B44 engine, a 4.4 liter V8 unit which uses an an amazingly engineered and of course patented, exhaust manifold. The powerplant produces 555 horsepower, five more ponies than the Cayenne Turbo S, and also an impressive 500 lb-ft of torque at only 1,500 rpm. Turbo lag? Very very minimal.

Special thanks to Ian James Poulter and Tom S. from BMWNA for this video!

[Source: Ian James Poulter Youtube Channel]

Back in July, we had the opportunity to drive and review for you the new BMW X6 M.  Our first impressions of the first M all-wheel drive vehicle from BMW were positive and the car has lived up to its expectations. But some people called us “fanboys” and the debate about what a true BMW M car is, continued. Some people were already putting a big failure stamp on the X6 M future sales, despite the fact that we reinforced the “niche” market the X6 M is targeting and BMW’s goals for this car.

Well, with the first X5 M and X6 M cars arriving at the local dealerships, it was just a matter of time until a BMW owner will get his/her hands on the car and shared their own personal opinion. Ryan from Bimmerpost was kind to share with everyone some photos, videos and his take on the car he has just purchased.

Will he back up our story or are we truly guilty of “fanboyism”?

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Already for the eights time, HAMANN-Motorsport presents its exclusive refining program at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

In hall 5.0, exhibition stand B.32, the renowned BMW specialist and tuner of the most excellent luxury sports cars presents it latest developments. One of the displayed highlights of the 450 square meter large HAMANN stand is the world premiere of the TYCOON EVO which is based on the BMW X6.

The revolutionary difference to its predecessor is the newly designed fender extensions and the striking rear. The visual and sonorous highlights of the rear part are the earthy sports exhaust system with the remarkable center double end pipes.

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AutoWeek reports that BMW is aiming to sell 1,000 of its new 7 and X6 hybrids in their first year in the United States.

Both hybrid were revealed last month and are heading for Frankfurt Motor Show.

BMW ActiveHybrid X6 features a two-mode hybrid system which allows the X6 to run either on its electric motors alone at low speeds, internal combustion or a combination of both. Compared to the 7 Hybrid, the X6 makes use of not one, but two electric motors which deliver 91 hp and 86 hp, respectively, with peak torque values of 192 lb-ft and 206 lb-ft. Top speed in the electric mode is 37 mph, maximum range is 1.6 miles. The maximum output is 480 horsepower and 575 lb-ft of torque, enough to be crowned as the most powerful hybrid vehicle ever offered for sale.

The ActiveHybrid 7 uses a different electric drive setup from the X6 Hybrid and it’s being considered a mild hybrid. The upgraded V8 twin-turbo with High Precision Direct Injection runs together, at the same time, with a 3-phase synchronous electric motor which is positioned between the engine and the torque converter. The electric motor generates approximately 20 hp and peak torque of 155 lb-ft.

The “pumped up” V8 twin-turbo engine produces 40 horsepower more than the engine found in the 750i/Li models to a total of 400 horsepower. The overall combined output is being advertised at 455 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque.

The X6 hybrid comes to the U.S. market in December, followed by the 7-series in April 2010.

BMW’s plans are certainly ambitious, but the base price of these two hybrids will play a large role in the final sales numbers.

On another note, Jim O’Donnell, CEO of BMW North America, confirmed the rumors we have heard recently: more diesel could be added to U.S. lineup, including the new 5 Series and X models.

[Source: AutoWeek ]

With the X6 ActiveHybrid unveiling out of the way, BMW continues road testing for their first hybrid models and two new test mules were spotted in Munich and near Spartanburg plant in South Carolina.

BMW ActiveHybrid X6 features a two-mode hybrid system which allows the X6 to run either on its electric motors alone at low speeds, internal combustion or a combination of both. Compared to the 7 Hybrid, the X6 makes use of not one, but two electric motors which deliver 91 hp and 86 hp, respectively, with peak torque values of 192 lb-ft and 206 lb-ft. Top speed in the electric mode is 37 mph, maximum range is 1.6 miles.

The maximum output is 480 horsepower and 575 lb-ft of torque, enough to be crowned as the most powerful hybrid vehicle ever offered for sale. The ActiveHybrid X6 runs from 0 to 60 mph in only 5.4 seconds and still increases efficiency by 20%.  The X6 Hybrid uses a 7-Speed automatic transmission.

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