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      12-06-2009, 10:53 AM   #1
IUandUofM
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Drives: 2010 BMW X6 M
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Got my X6 M on Friday ... reasons for purchase and inital impressions (long winded)

I know, I need to get photos posted ... will work on that ...

This is long winded, so if you just want to skip down to the review of the BMW X6 M skip a few paragraphs (look for the line separator).

Ok, first things first … I am not an expert about cars, especially when it comes to engines, transmissions, and related topics about how to drive performance cars the “right way”. But I am slowly learning, and I am the type that wants to learn with the right equipment. That being said, you need to take my opinions with a grain of salt.

From a historical perspective, I have owned a 2004 Bentley Continental GT, which spoiled me for life … but without a warranty, the cost and stress of ownership were unbearable (my last annual service maintenance was $4,000, and it cost $1500 to replace a single bolt assembly in the arm-rest) … but damn was it fast! I didn’t like all the constant attention, 50% of the time at the gas station I’d have to talk to a random stranger about it … you are like a hot chick who just can’t shake off the stares … sometimes I just want to be left alone.

So believe it or not, I thought that I didn’t need “so much” car, and traded it in for a conservative, 2009 BMW X6 35i. Geesh … all my good intentions (lower cost, warranty, better gas mileage, less attention-getting) were overshadowed but the disappointment with the performance … the performance was so much of a downgrade from the Bentley if felt like I was driving a Ford Escape … but I made the decision an I was going to deal with it for 4 wonderful warranty and service supported years. However, I then started to consider buying a second car for fun … something that I could get the feeling of the Bentley back. I found it … the Lotus Evora (it new, and wow!), but automatic transmission option is not available until next year … and that car is $80-$90k. Needless to say, my wife was not happy with me spending time considering that.

Then … about 6 weeks ago, my BMW sales rep calls me out of the blue. He said, that he had a special opportunity “just for me” … my salesman bullshit radar was going nuts. He said that knowing that I loved my Bentley, and that I just bought the X6 35i just six months ago, what if he could buy back my X6 for just a $5000 loss from my purchase price … but then I would have to buy the X6 M (which I had just loosely heard of) and only pay the tax on the difference (in Ohio). The offer didn’t make much sense to me … seemed too good to be true. I still don’t know why it made much sense to the dealer … maybe some of you can shed light on it. Anyway, he hooked me pretty easily, where I could have a car that had the performance of the Bentley, can be used for everyday driving, and the attention-getting aspects would be in more control. I ended striking a deal that netted me a final trade-in loss of $3,000 and about $1,000 off of sticker of the custom-ordered X6 M of my choice. I convinced myself that was a good or at least a fair deal … especially when I have heard of dealers marking up the X6/X5 Ms $10-$20k over sticker (market adjustments). If I got screwed, don’t tell me!

================================================== =

Ok, now to the review.

My vehicle:
2010 BMW X6 M
Carbon Black
Black Extended Merino Leather
Piano Black Trim
Premium Sound Package
Drivers Assist Package
Smart Phone Integration
Satellite Radio
Space-saver spare

So let me walk through my decisions:

Carbon Black Paint. This was my most uncertain decision. I had the black sapphire metallic on the X6 35i, which I liked, but really was intrigued by the carbon black. My dealer did not have any Ms in stock, and I have never knowingly seen this color before. I am really not a big fan of straight “blue” cars … but all the threads on this color, people said, “don’t worry”, “trust us”, you’ll love it. I really was worried. Well, not anymore. I do love it … if you have never seen it, to me, 80% of the time you and everyone else will think it is black, not dark blue, but solid black! When I saw it on the lot, it was 8am here … the sun was just up, and even with my face to the paint I couldn’t see the blue. Then later in the day, depending on the angle of the sun, the black turns to blue (or at night when artificial light hits the angles of the car). I have owned it for 3 days now, and still haven’t really had the moment to appreciate the blue’s guest appearance. Also, I do like that it is an exclusive M color … unlike the sapphire black metallic. Everyone I have showed the car to, the topic of the color is discussed, and we spend the time looking at it (that wouldn’t happen with the sapphire black).

Black Extended Merino Leather. I originally selected the bamboo, which was similar to the interior of my Bentley, but I did pick black on my X6 35i. What was tough for me was the full-leather dash option. I did like leather all-around on the Bentley (even the roof was leather), but believe it or not, I just had a hard time justifying the $3.8k . That being said, I did notice something that I had to confirm independently (the dealer wasn’t sure) … if you don’t select the full leather, the lower dash color is black … but if you use the BMW configuration utility online, it shows the color of the leather you selected, even if you did not select the full leather option. I then saw an EBay X5 M that had the bamboo but not the full leather. It just didn’t look right without the color wrapping around the dash. Here are links for with and without the full leather option:

With (looks good):
http://www.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=299873

Without (looks less good):
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-X...fCarsQ5fTrucks

So since I was not going with the full leather option, I went with the continuity of black. And the fact that the M headliners are anthracite (black instead of gray like on my 35i) the “all-black” is a nice look. By the way, Merino leather is more supple than the Nevada leather I had in the 35i.

Piano Black Trim. Wow! Loved this on my Bentley … and I don’t think is available on many cars (I have seen it in Rolls as well). I just am not a big fan of the “woody” look … don’t get offended, but I think it is a bit girly. My 35i had the brushed aluminum.

Premium Sound Package. This one is actually not so straight forward (at least it was not for me). I upgraded the 35i to have Premium Sound … and I was very disappointed with it (very flat sounding). I had to have a stealthy sub box and amp added in the wheel well, which helped but it just wasn’t “right”. The sound was probably the most disappointing thing about the 35i after the wishy washy performance. So, did they fix it for the M? Premium Sound is standard on the M, but when you pick the premium sound package, it states that is comes with “Enhanced Premium Sound”. Yet, the description on the BMW build-your-own site is the same as the Premium Sound (i.e. 600 watt amp). So crap, I’d have to likely re-do the sub and amp add like I did with the 35i. But then I researched the Enhanced Premium Sound, and long story short, the BMW site is wrong, there is a BIG difference between Premium and Enhanced Premium Sound.

“The X5 M and X6 M’s standard equipment also includes a premium 16-speaker audio system with 600 watts of amplification power, Digital Sound Processing and newly standard HD Radio. BMW M’s Enhanced Premium Sound system, included in the optional Premium Sound Package, offers an even higher-performing audio experience. This ultra-audiophile system features high-end speakers with Neodym magnetic drives and lightweight, extremely rigid hexacone membranes; 9-channel, 825-watt amplification; DIRAC technology for the most accurate reproduction imaginable; and an extensive range of other high-tech features. Also included in this package are a dash-mounted 6-disc DVD changer and an iPod/USB adapter. All X5 and X6 audio systems include two subwoofers in BMW’s under-seat locations.”

Full press release is here:

https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/press...tem=node__2251

So, is the extra 225 watts and better speakers make all that big of a difference? Holy crap! The sound is amazing … I would say there would be very few among us that would not be entirely satisfied with this sound system … I now need to sell my sub and amp on Ebay (not needed now). Everyone should pick this option! One thing to mention, you can tell that the X6 M has enhanced sound by the color of the speaker grill rims … they should be silver not black. I also confirmed that the speakers are not the same (the speaker cones are a different color than I had with the 35i).

Driver Assist Package. I fell in love with the heads-up display on the 35i, so had to have it again. The rear camera seems much much better than on the 2009 35i … better in low light and of course starts up instantly with the new i-drive hard-drive system. I haven’t seen the benefit of the auto high-beams yet … maybe even neighborhood lights keep the low beams on most of the time … I guess this would be good for long trip night drives, but was hoping that the high beams would go on more regularly.

Smartphone Integration. This one is debatable, but I learned a lot about this with my 35i (witch I didn’t order it on). I spent hours on the phone to figure out if you could retrofit the option, and to this day, there is still debate on it. Basically, if you ever think you want full phone and music integration from a single device (w/ the benfit of using the car’s antenna), you should consider this b/c you might not be able to add it later. The phones you can use are limited, but do include Blackberrys and iPhones. For $150, seemed to me a good choice … However is does take up room in the arm rest.

Satellite Radio. Again, for $350 w/ a year free, isn’t that big of a deal. And you don’t want to try to add this later in your vehicles life w/o some pain. It is nice on trips that is for sure.

Space Saver Spare. Also, easily looked over for $150. But there could be a time where a run-flat just wont due (if you are in the middle of know where, etc.) And since I mentioned above, you don’t need to use the space for an amp and sub if you get the Enhanced Premium Sound. It’s just $150 … cheap for peace of mind.

I didn’t get rear climate package b/c I had it on the 35i and with the shades up, they occasionally rattled and the cabin is small enough, that the climate control is sufficient from the front of the car. Also, the rear windows are tinted w/o this option so there is some sun relief (my sales rep said it they were not tinted when I bought the 35i if I didn’t get this option). Lastly, no guest I ever had in the car adjusted the settings in the back.

I didn’t get the Cold Weather Package b/c I guess I have never been spoiled with a heated steering wheel before … and the standard wheel is so soft, it is hard to imagine it would get as cold as other harder to the touch steering wheels.

No on the Active Ventilated Seat Package. I had an active seat on my Bentley that was more of a novelty than anything else. I also have never had ventilated seats, so maybe I just don’t know what I am missing. I am very happy with the comfort and adjustability with the standard seats.

Hopefully everyone knows not to get the rear seat entertainment option. It is place in a horrible location for the driver … your right elbow will hit it constantly, especially when you are backing up … assuming you put your right arm back against the passenger seat when you look behind you. There are a few options to address this … a “clever” low-cost one or a “real” one. The real one is to order the BMW rear entertainment system accessory, where there are two screens attached to the back of each seat. Here is the link for that (didn’t see it as option for the M, but pretty sure it would work):

http://accessories.bmwusa.com/ItemVi...productId=1101

The other “clever”option, is what I did. I found a large bean bag mount for a GPS device, that I put on top of the cup-holder area (little doors closed) between the rear two seats. Then I bought a swivel screen small DVD player that a used industrial velcro to attach to the smooth surface on the bean bag to keep the two connected. Let me tell ya, for a few hundred bucks, it works great. The player sits securely and plugs right in against the back of the driver’s arm rest. If you buy a DVD player with a swivel screen you can turn the infrared sensor towards the front of the car and have the screen aimed and the rear passengers, and the driver can use the remote from the front seat (great for small kids like we have). Here is a link for the bean bag GPS thing ($22 bucks) that fits perfectly!:

http://cgi.ebay.com/GPS-Beanbag-Fric...#ht_1999wt_736

Ok, now to the driving, etc.

Very fast, not much to say than it is amazing … if you think the defaults are not fast enough, the M button mode is even crazier … steering is amazing … everyone I took for a spin in it so far, had their mouths agape most of the time.

Engine/exhaust sound is good … much “tougher” than my 35i for sure, but not as good as my Bentley (hard to compete with V12 for sound).

The new iDrive is really nice … for those who have a 2009, unfortunately, there is a substantial difference. Noticeably faster and with many more features. You can use the full-screen if you want (even for DVD movies in park), and the nav system even has satellite imagery and 3D building options. I just started to store music on the hard drive, so that is very nice as well … one quick note on that is that you have to use the in-dash player to transfer songs from CDs, it wont work from the changer.

I also still need to figure out how I am going to handle the snow tire issue … that one caught me off-guard. I assumed the M wheels were all-season, but they are performance … so you really need to have a winter tire option. With a bit of research there are winter tires available from tirerack.com but what wheels you use are not an easy call.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...35&rearDiamete

There is an official BMW winter wheel package for the M, but hard to find much info on it … they are called 298M. I have to call the dealer about those.

Phew, I need to take a break. Thanks for reading, and good luck to everyone that is buying an M … very fun!
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      12-06-2009, 11:48 AM   #2
youngien
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Which Dealer?

Man, I am driving a X6 35i, i've been thinking about trade in and getting an M for a while now. Mind ping me your dealer info? I would drive to Ohio just to get this great deal
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      12-06-2009, 06:50 PM   #3
chonko
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Congrats on your new ride, and I am sure you are loving it.
Also, thanks for sharing as well.
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      12-06-2009, 08:35 PM   #4
DoctaM3
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      12-07-2009, 02:33 AM   #5
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Beautiful car, enjoy it in good health!

I am thinking of getting this X6M soon, and that carbon black color you on your M, I also have that on my 760Li Individual.

Its a really nice classy colour! and indeed a head turner.

Also, I wanted to know are you saying the Bentley was not a good car?
I mean sounds like you ran into a lot of maintenance mishaps?
Did you buy yours new?
How would you compare the aston martin vs bentley ownership experiences?


Since I was thinking of replacing the 760Li with the continental GT?
What year should I get, as I am thinking of getting a preowned from the bentley dealer, how does there extended warranty program work, is it comprehensive.

Sorry for the essay, but hopefully you can answer some of these questions.

Thanks
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      12-07-2009, 04:40 AM   #6
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Nice write up.
The winter tire issue is easy.
Pirelli Scorpion Ice and Snow tires fit the wheels that came with your vehicle.
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      01-10-2010, 03:13 AM   #7
raceman
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IMO X6 with 3.0 L and ECU tuning/exhaust for 100 HP+ is just about right power for this car.
Congrats and enjoy your car !
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      01-11-2010, 12:42 AM   #8
vladberca
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Congrats for your new car! After your long story it would be good to put some pics
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      01-16-2010, 08:44 PM   #9
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