2012 BMW X6 Preview

In the hierarchy of its crossovers, the 2012 BMW X6 BMW calls a Sports Activity Coupe. With a sloping roofline, standard seating for four, and a luxurious interior is designed around the driver, it’s not hard to see why.

This vehicle was never designed to be your football shuttle offers standard 19-inch wheels, traction tires and catered to in a performance focus. Only this year, BMW finally saw fit to fifth option to sit in the passenger crossover can offer.

With a capacity choices come through a 300 horsepower turbocharged 3.0-liter inline 6-cylinder engine or an available 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 capable of 400 horsepower, the 2012 BMW X6 hustles with a lively acceleration in either configuration. If 400 horsepower is just not enough, however, will sell you a BMW X6 M with 555 hp and a recalibrated suspension, making it all but the most powerful sports cars in embarrassment. The BMW X6 defies conventionality. Whether your goal is to understand, it works somehow, wearing as much as a performance that defines BMW. 

Body: Crossover SUV
Engines: 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6, 4.4-liter turbocharged V-8
Transmissions: eight-speed automatic, six-speed automatic
Models: 35i, 50i, M

The X6 ActiveHybrid, unloved model leaves the stage left this year, not join the rest of the 2012 BMW X6 series on the U.S. market. In addition, the 2012 BMW X6 finally offer the possibility of a middle-passenger seat in the back row – the first time since the launch vehicle as a late-2008 model. An iPod adapter, BMW Assist, auto-dimming mirrors, heated front seats and lighting are all included as standard equipment among other options. Heated rear seats are added to the cold weather package. Otherwise, the BMW Individual customization program are added to the options included the X6.

If the vehicle crossover coupe segment began, the 2012 BMW X6 is still the most uniquely identifiable. With a pitched roof back, wide tires on large wheels, and a crouched position, the BMW X6 looks like an X5 for the most part until you reach the back half of the vehicle. Like it or not, the polarizing styling is an attention-grabber. With two rear doors is more a matter of convenience than a necessity, because the more practical X5 BMW lineup is in almost the same price with little compromise in the roofline.

As the only crossover SUV in the lineup BMWs with paddle shifts behind the wheel outside of the ultra-fast X5 M, it is clear that the intent of the 2012 BMW X6 was the line between car and crossover offerings blur in BMW‘s portfolio . Accented in aluminum and covered with leather, the BMW X6 offers a wonderful atmosphere for the driver and passengers. Options in the X6 include a Headup display and a tech package with a high-beam adjustment and side-view cameras. A (much needed) rearview camera, navigation system, four-zone climate control, rear sunshades and other features available in premium BMW package.

Handling more like a big 3-series than you would ever expect a 5000-pound SUV to the 2012 BMW X6 is a pleasure to drive if you do not have to look through the small rear window. Acceleration is brisk with the inline six. With the V-8 model 50i, it is downright fast. And the BMW X6 M 555 horsepower, it is enough to terrify your passengers in the best possible way, hitting 60 mph in about 4 seconds on the way to an electronically limited 155 mph. It is much faster than any sane person would be a high-riding crossover, but BMW did his homework by getting the suspension setup right so the car would feel stable at speed.

Four-wheel anti-lock brakes (ABS), seat mounted airbags, curtain first and second row overhead airbags, airbag occupancy sensor, traction control, stability control and all-wheel drive are all standard on the 2012 BMW X6. 

35i: 16 mpg city/23 mpg highway
50i: 14 mpg city/20 mpg highway
M: 12 mpg highway city/17mpg

xDrive35i Sport Utility
Sticker Price: $59,300
M Sport Utility
Sticker Price: $90,000
xDrive50i Sport Utility
Sticker Price: $69,900

Source: AutoKedabra