BMW’s Most Radical New Model of The Decade

BMW

Nov 22, 2007

A few years ago, the idea of building a 4x4 that thinks it’s a coupé would scarcely have been believed – but BMW has done exactly that with its stunning new X6. According to the German marque, the four-door, four-wheel-drive vehicle will redefine the off-roader as we know it when it goes on sale here next summer.

Dubbed a Sports Activity Coupé, the X6 aims to combine the racy look of a coupé with the luxury and ruggedness of a prestige SUV. Radical? Certainly. And under the skin, it gets even better, with a clever new 4x4 system and hybrid power.

The car is set to rival the Range Rover Sport and Porsche Cayenne, and Auto Express gained exclusive access to a prototype at a test track near the BMW production plant in South Caro­lina, US, to see how it’s shaping up.

Virtually unchanged from the Active-Hybrid concept which the company revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, the X6 looks startling. It’s very different to BMW’s other big off-roader, the X5, with every single body panel being unique. The windscreen is more raked, and the lights front and rear are completely new.

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