BMW X6 - Stomp of Approval

Apart from the fact that we live in a free and democratic society and can buy whatever darn vehicle we like (providing we have the money), people might further rationalize their purchase of a big, premium crossover SUV (such as the BMW X5) by saying that although it weighs a lot and has a larger than average footprint, it’s highly practical. The BMW X6 slashes a fastback-type line through that argument, yet is still strangely compelling. An update for the 2013 model year has done nothing to detract from this state of affairs. Perhaps this is one of those instances where the elements of BMW styling (double kidney grille, Hofmeister kink, etc.) and their proportions all seem to harmonize. Nevertheless, the 2013 model looks a lot like its predecessor; the foglamps pushed to the outer edges of rectangular housings appear to be the front end’s most noticeable change. There’s some new hues to choose from, including a fetching Marrakesh Brown metallic (nice to see brown making a comeback these days). And the X6 now offers a third row of seats, just in case someone has quintuplets. Engines are the same as before: the 300-hp turbo straight six or 400-hp turbo V8. There are M Performance packages that boost juice to 315 and 440 hp respectively, while a separate X6 M model brings 555 hp to the party.