All-new BMW X6 revealed

BMW has attempted to apply a veneer of social conscience to one of the world’s most arrogant cars.

The all-new X6, which launched at the Moscow Motor Show this week, is touting fuel economy savings of up to 22 per cent and similar world-friendly emissions reductions.

That’s not to say the belligerent nature of the huge SUV-coupe isn’t still at the forefront of the second-generation X6. In fact, the heavy-hitting, twin-turbo V8 petrol version has slashed 0.6 seconds from the old flagship’s 0-100km/h time.

Now streaking past 100km/h in just 4.8sec, the xDrive50i now gets Valvetronic variable valve timing to go with its vee-mounted turbochargers and direct fuel-injection system, lifting its power by 10 per cent.

Now boasting 330kW, the big rig skedaddles its way to 250km/h and is the fastest SUV BMW makes. There is no word yet from BMW on local pricing though the outgoing X6 xDrive50i sold for $150,545.

The power upgrade comes with a torque jump, too. Peak torque is now 650Nm, up from 600Nm, though that peak arrives a little later, with the curve flattening at 2000rpm instead of the old car’s 1740rpm.

The combination of variable valve timing and auto start-stop has pulled the V8 X6's fuel consumption down from 12.5L/100km on the NEDC combined cycle to 9.7 -- a number almost the same as the old car’s highway figure. It now emits 225 grams of CO2/km, which is considerably down on the old car’s 292-gram figure.

All variants of the X6 will come with eight-speed automatic transmissions and all of them will have all-wheel drive as standard equipment. On sale in the northern hemisphere in November this year, the new X6 will arrive with a choice of the xDrive50i’s V8, the classic, single-turbo 3.0-litre diesel six or the tri-turbo diesel straight six.

The base xDrive30d motor has been tickled, delivering a 10kW boost to 190kW at 4000rpm and BMW boffins have also found another 20Nm to lift the torque total to 560Nm. They’ve also delivered the torque earlier, with the peak number arriving at 1500rpm instead of 1750.

Its straight-line speed is the most improved in the family (and needed to be!), with almost a second cut from the 0-100km/h time, which now sits at 6.7sec.

It’s also benefited from chopping out a big chunk of fuel consumption, with its NEDC combined figure dropping to 6.0L/100km from 7.4 -- astonishing given the car’s weight has barely changed (down by just 10kg to 2065kg).

While the other two engines have been tickled, the M50d’s tri-turbo motor is unchanged. With 280kW and 740Nm, it manages to lop 0.1sec off its 0-100km/h time, even as it packs on another 35kg of mass.

However, the addition of start-stop means its economy improves from 7.7L/100km to 6.6 with a corresponding drop in emissions.

If weight is an issue as BMW constantly claims, then they either had the work-experience kid on weight reductions (to pull the xDrive50i’s empty mass down to 2170kg) or the old car’s 2190kg figure really was as light as they can make a big SUV. Removing 20kg from 2.2 tonnes really is like taking a single stone from one of the pyramids.

But 260,000 people didn’t buy the outgoing car just for its powertrains, all of which could be found just as happily in the more conservatively styled X5 with which the X6 shares much of its rigid bits.

Launched onto the world in 2008, the US-built X6 made an impact in parts of the world BMW didn’t expect it to, such as Russia (hence the Moscow launch) and Italy, particularly in the fashion-oriented north. That provides a clue to the car's buyer profile, with image-conscious buyers regarding the X5 as simply too much of a family school runner lacking in the presence they demand.

The new one fits the bill again, even as it is stalked by a new wave of competitors that includes the Mercedes-Benz MLS, Porsche’s Cayenne and something secret from Audi.

For all of that, it rides on a chassis that is so similar to the old car’s architecture that it carries the same 2933mm wheelbase and uses the same rear suspension system, modified just a bit.

The biggest mechanical upgrade is the addition of an electric power-steering system, which helps with fuel economy numbers, but the double-wishbone front suspension remains, though BMW has worked on the car’s directional stability and wheel-bearing friction.

The back end can be improved with an optional air suspension system, plus the electrical fiddling of Dynamic Damper Control. There’s also a professional adaptive suspension package, while the adaptive damping system is standard on the M50d and the M Sport packages.

For the boaties (caravanners need not apply -- they don’t fit the X6 ethos), there is a tow capacity of 3.5 tonnes.

Under the skin, the X6 xDrive50i’s standard features include bi-Xenon lights, 19-inch alloys, an automatic tailgate function, two-zone climate controlled air conditioning, paddle shifting on the steering wheel, leather trim and an auto-dimming mirror.

There’s a 40:20:40 split-fold in the three-pew rear seat, while the luggage capacity has gone from 570 litres to, err, 580. The bigger improvement is in the luggage capacity when the seats are folded down, jumping from 1450 litres to 1525.

It might share its core engineering dimensions with the outgoing car, but it has some differences, being 32mm longer (4909mm), six millimetres wider (1989mm) and a scant 3mm taller, at 1702mm. Its track width remains 1706mm wide at the back, though the front track has come in a touch to 1640mm.

It carries over the same 85-litre fuel tank in both diesel and petrol forms, too, and BMW claims a 500mm wading depth.

The new X6 range is expected to land Down Under late in the third quarter on this year.