2009 BMW X6 Vehicle Review

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http://www.clmnews.com/ Coupelike agility combined with SUV utility? That's the promise of the 2009 BMW X6. It sounds like a stretch, but if any company can pull it off, BMW can. It already made its X5 SUV handle like a sedan, so making the similarly sized (although slightly lower) X6 feel like a coupe isn't impossible. A choice of two turbocharged engines should help. Base models, which will be known as the xDrive35i, will get the same twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-6 as the 3 and 5 Series sedans. It delivers 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque, so even the entry-level X6 should be plenty fast. The real news is the top-of-the-line model known as the xDrive50i. It's the first BMW to use the company's new twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8. Like the smaller inline-6, the all-aluminum V8 uses direct injection to help deliver both efficiency and big power. Rated to produce 400 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque, the xDrive50i tops both the supercharged Range Rover Sport and the Porsche Cayenne S in both horsepower and torque. BMW says the xDrive50i will go from zero to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph. All-wheel drive is standard on both trim levels of the X6 along with a six-speed automatic transmission. A new system called Dynamic Performance Control (DPC) has also been added to the xDrive all-wheel-drive system. In addition to modulating power between the front and rear wheels, DPC also has the ability to increase or decrease torque to each of the rear wheels to help steer the X6 through corners. Those wheels will be 19 inches in diameter on most X6s, although 20-inch wheels will be available as an option. Production starts in the spring of 2008 at BMW's assembly plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, so expect to see the X6 in dealerships by June. Make: http://www.clmnews.com/ your daily home for News, Politics, Sports, and Entertainment news

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