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      03-12-2008, 09:34 AM   #1
Suzie's Dad
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Drives: ML550/AMG
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: The Dark Side

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Sat in it. Im officially in love.

I went to a car show preview yesterday evening and saw and sat in the X6 for the first time. It was a Space Grey 35i. It is interesting that despite the number of negative comments the X6 seems to get on the various X5 forums, it absolutely dominated the BMW stand. There was a crowd of people around it almost the whole evening, totally ignoring the new M3, the 135i, and all the other BMWs on display. I don't think I heard a negative comment in the 30 minutes I was standing there drooling. And this was an affluent crowd; on our way into the parking lot we followed a new M5, a new Maserati, and a surprisingly good-looking brand-new Buick Enclave.

The X6 is one of those cars (yes, car; it sure isn't a truck) that is better looking in the flesh than in pictures. It was parked right next to an X5, so the differences were immediately visible. It just seems that little bit slicker, with a smoother front bumper, more attractive headlights, and a squatter and more aggressive look.

First impressions: (1) Man, that Space Grey is a nice color. For a couple of milliseconds there I was considering changing my order from Vermilion Red to Space Grey, but then I got over it. (2) It had the optional metal-full-of-black-dots running boards that are, I believe, part of the Activity Package. Yuck! Strike them from your list of options -- they look cheap, tacky, and totally out of character for the car. (3) The front doors seem short. You sort of climb in and then slide backwards into the seat. I think this is probably because the seats are set lower than in the X5, and maybe a little toward the rear. It wasn't a particularly bad problem, but my preference would be front doors that are maybe a couple inches longer. (4) Holy cow, that rear hatch reaches up to the sky! You can see immediately why BMW made the opening height programmable in the power liftgate. (5) Now this one I can't explain: I had noticeably more headroom than in my X5. According to the specs, it has one inch less front-seat headroom, but that certainly wasn't the case. Maybe, because you are sitting a bit lower than in the X5, there is a temptation to recline the seatback a little. I don't know. The back seats, however, are another story. I fit in there and I could certainly survive short trips, but I wouldn't want to be there for any distance longer than, say, 500 feet or so. My head was wedged against the roof liner. Definitely for short people. Even Suzie -- see avatar to the left -- will be depositing grey hairs on the roof liner. (6) Optical illusion: because there is no roof high above it, the trunk area seems smaller than in the X5 when the hatch is open. Move to the X5 beside the X6, and it is apparent the trunks are the same size, with the X5 winning only on height. Strange. (7) The foglight surrounds look kind of cheap and a little out of place. My wife mentioned this and I heard somebody else say it too.

Personally I think the X6 is stunningly beautiful. I always disliked Chris Bangle's designs because they were full of fiddly detail -- eyebrows above the lights, finicky bits of detail in the trim, etc. But all his designs have had that fundamental BMW macho stance: wide and low, with wheels pushed out to the edges and a presence that says "drive me". I think the X6 captures the best of Bangle and finally omits his excesses. It has that indefinable 'presence' that you sense with Astons and Bentleys and the like. It is large, in your face, and seems to say Screw you, I yam what I yam and I could care less what you think of me. It reminds me of a girlfriend I had who stood 6' 2", was gorgeous, and instead of trying to hide her height she accentuated it. Scared off most of the guys, but a few of us more discriminating types were captivated. She was perfect. Sadly, she was looking for the perfect man so I didn't last.

But I'm in love again.

Last edited by Suzie's Dad; 03-12-2008 at 06:17 PM..
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