OT: X6M

[x5mad]

A bit off topic but I recall someone here who has ordered or is interested in X5/6M.

Well, am looking to trade into an X5M but dealer only had X6M. They loaned out the car to me for 24 hours. Am not sure at this stage whether I will be trading in just the X5 or both X5 and 135.

I have to say though, first impressions not great.

Cons:
- Sport seats too hard for long journeys (had back ache travelling from Brisbane to Gold coast).
- Seats look very plain. More of an M sport pack rather than special M seats.
- Engine and exhaust sound. Erm, what sound? Very dissapointing, does not sound anything like a V8 in the way an E9x sounds. At high revs I was expecting some music but all I got was an embarrasing sound. Not far off say a bog standard <2.0L 4 cyclinder being flogged to within an inch of its life e.g toyota yaris.
- I strained to hear downshift throttle blipping (very addictive in an M3), but could not.
- Anyone who complains about turbo lag in our 135s will start to appreciate their cars more once they have tried out the X6M. The lag in this car was very noticeable in any gear.
- M dynamic mode was not any better than just drive. If anything it made things worse, gearshifts were so brutal it could only be described as jerky. A thump and then lurching of your head fowards.

Now to the pros:

- Handling as you've read is absolutely phenomenal. Not just for a truck but for a car full stop.
- Power!
- Top view camera is very cool (birds eye view of your car)


So it looks kinda weighted to one side. However I have a feeling this car behaves the way it does due to improper run in. It may all improve in time as I found out with my 135 everything became smoother and engine / exhaust sound improved with more miles.

I have to say the 6 speed auto in the 135 is extremely smooth, so much more so than the one in the X6M.

Might have to rethink this!

Some pics:

[WAY]

My X5M is in the country, but I won't be getting it till the new year due to my inability to pick it up this side of xmas.

Here is a brief review I wrote previously on another forum. Agree with most things you said, except turbo lag. There wasn't any in the car I drove, but throttle isn't sharp like other NA cars I have.

--------------------------------------
So today I spend 3 hours driving the X6M on a mixture of freeway, city and country roads (twisties). The car is very impressive indeed! Let's just say that other than the dull exhaust note, I can't fault it for what it is. Where I make a comparison to what I know, I will mainly compare against my other family cars, and not my sports cars as it just wouldn't make sense.

The first thing I notice as I pulled out of the parking spot is the soft rumble it makes at low revs. Not bad I thought, not excellent like the V8s in my C63 or AMV8, but not bad. Then the rev rises. As it rises higher and higher through the rev range, it started sounding more and more like a 4 cylinder turbo engine, Golf GTI specifically. Then I started playing with the gearchange at high revs at full throttle. Wait a minute, this also sounds like the Golf GTI (in DSG guise) where it "farts" on the fast gearchange. I didn't mind that at all and it's one of the things I miss since selling my GTI. But the exhaust note is VERY dissapointing especially given that it is a V8! Btw, pressing the M mode button increases the V8 rumble a bit, but it is still by no means nice sounding in anyway. I have read that the X5M sounds better due to the different body configuration so that remains to be seen.

At low speed, the steering is light, much lighter than my 135i but heavier than the C63. But like the C63, it firms up at speed and becomes quite meaty. The ratio is also much more direct than a standard X5 or X3, and gives you a much more precise steering. I later was told by the dealer that this is the same rack as the M5 and I am not surprised. I am so glad this rack is so much more direct than our X3 that will be replaced by the X5M.

The ride on this car is magnificent. Maybe this is less relevant to you guys in Germany, but we have crappy roads here and my two current family cars (the C63 and X3 M sport) bounce like a pogo stick. This car almost waft through the rough roads, or at least relative to the C63/X3 it does! Then as I headed out to the twisties, I got to really test the handling ability. Wait, this car weighs 2.4 tons? No way! It corners so flat and the electronics is so clever in pulling it in to give it a very high limit. I did a tight left-right-left at 100kmh and it just went through it with so little fuss that I thought I was going 60kmh!

And that brings me to speed, or rather the perception of speed. This car hides speed very well. You could easily travel at 100kmh thinking you are going 75. It's the low rpm and wind noise I think that hides the perception of speed. The engine is powerful, but not as sharp in throttle response as my C63. In fact, (once again) the power delivery reminds me very much of the Golf GTI. It has a slight turbo lag which isn't really perceptible but when you compare it against something like the C63 than it is there. The big torque gives you the shove in the back the way turbo cars are very good at doing, but again I find that the C63 is more "violent" in that respect. This car I think is desgined to be a bit more subtle in all areas.
Back to the gearchanges. The gear change is twin-clutch quick which surprised me. I don't know how the engineers do it but it works as well as the DSG/DCTs out there. Maybe the auto gearbox is not dead yet afterall.

The brakes on this thing is massive, and it shows when you stomp on the brake. I didn't drive on roads that required constant heavy braking, but I can tell you from a few high speed brake test that the car tracks absolutely straight stomping on the brakes and it stops in a short distant. It lacks feel the way the AP Racing brake with track pads feel on my 135i, nor is it super sensitive like on my C63. I think it is a good balance, but I did notice that it worked a lot better than the initial few application of the brake before there was any heat on them.

So all in all, a mighty impressive vehicle for my family use. I just get the feeling that I won't be using the C63 much as the family car as this is bigger, grippier and for more comfortable! I can't wait to get delivery of my X5M!!!

[BMW86]

Nice write up. I think the X6M looks amazing, especially in black. I would love to drive one sometime. It's a shame it's not living up to its hype. I just can't get my head around how fast and well handling it is for such a big 4WD. If I was after a 4WD I'd get the X6M or X5M for sure. Don't know about the price tag though!!

[x5mad]

Thanks for the review WAY.

Will be very interested to hear your report when you get round to picking up your X5M.

At the moment am sitting on the fence.

[BBK]

Thanks for the info guys! Very interesting.

Can I ask how much you guys paid?

[amk2912]

Top Gear wasn't very complimentary in their review of the X5M.

[WAY]

Originally Posted by amk2912

Top Gear wasn't very complimentary in their review of the X5M.

amk, you are not seriously listening to what JC say? That is just entertainment, pure and simple! But you can tell he is impressed by the car. If he isn't, you will when you look at the cars surrounding the time that the X5M did in the wet.

[amk2912]

Personally, I'm waiting for the TT 4.4 V8 (that's in the X6 xDrive5.0) to make it into the X5.

My 3.0 E53 has spent the last few days cruising around the Margaret River region and I must say it was comfortable on all surfaces, including rough corrugated dirt tracks. It's amazing what a set of Michelin Latitudes can do for a comfortable ride!

I'd be worried that the ride in an X5M/X6M would be as tight and butt aching as my E90 M3 (even in "comfort" setting) on less than perfect roads hence why I'd prefer a TT V8 in a standard E70. My kids get a bit spewy and green in the back of the M3 but no problems in the X5.

[WAY]

X5 xDrive50i will be available along with the face lift in 2010.

[alik01]

Amk2912, your M3 would be amazing on the roads down in Margs, have you taken that down yet?

The X6M seems amazing on paper, but really hope the turbo lag drops, defies what instant response reputation of BMWs. I love how the normal X6 drives, handling really is phenomenal.

Way, love the sound of your garage!

[amk2912]

Originally Posted by alik01

Amk2912, your M3 would be amazing on the roads down in Margs, have you taken that down yet?

Haven't run the M3 down Caves Rd or Sues Rd yet...but it's just a matter of time! There are a lot of very interesting roads in the area - and fairly good quality too. I did a run from Dunsborough to Augusta along Caves Rd in my dearly-departed 135i last winter - what a car! Got a bit hairy at times - wet roads with leaf litter can be a bit challenging!

[amk2912]

Originally Posted by WAY

X5 xDrive50i will be available along with the face lift in 2010.

There is a God!!! Thanks Way, TT V8 AND 09 iDrive - as good as sold!

[BBK]

Originally Posted by amk2912

Personally, I'm waiting for the TT 4.4 V8 (that's in the X6 xDrive5.0) to make it into the X5.
.

I'm confused... doesn't the X5/6M have the 4.4TT V8?

[BBK]

Oh wait... the M has the same engine but more power/torque?

[WAY]

Originally Posted by BBK

Oh wait... the M has the same engine but more power/torque?

Same basic block, but quite different with a very clever manifold. All which dulls the sound of the engine/exhaust. The regular TT V8 sounds a lot better.

[amk2912]

Isn't this same X5/6M motor supposed to make it into the F10 M5?

[WAY]

Originally Posted by amk2912

Isn't this same X5/6M motor supposed to make it into the F10 M5?

Correct. Hopefully they would have solved the issue of the exhaust note by then. Also, M5 is reported to have KERS and 50 more hp.

[alik01]

Originally Posted by amk2912

Haven't run the M3 down Caves Rd or Sues Rd yet...but it's just a matter of time! There are a lot of very interesting roads in the area - and fairly good quality too. I did a run from Dunsborough to Augusta along Caves Rd in my dearly-departed 135i last winter - what a car! Got a bit hairy at times - wet roads with leaf litter can be a bit challenging!

I used to have quite a bit of fun downthere in the 525i during my uni days on the weekends and be back in Perth on time for pizza at Ecco in Subi! You should definitely take the M3 down there, would be an amazing drive!

So the X6 4.4 does sound better? I was just wondering about the sound complaint for the X6M, the X6 I test drove sounded amazing, thought the M would be that much better. What's the science behind the manifold?

[amk2912]

Originally Posted by alik01

I used to have quite a bit of fun downthere in the 525i during my uni days on the weekends and be back in Perth on time for pizza at Ecco in Subi! You should definitely take the M3 down there, would be an amazing drive!

So the X6 4.4 does sound better? I was just wondering about the sound complaint for the X6M, the X6 I test drove sounded amazing, thought the M would be that much better. What's the science behind the manifold?

Mate - you would love the new Perth-Bunbury Highway. From my home in the northern burbs to Margaret River took bang on 3 hours! No more pain-in-the-butt crawling through Mandurah, Falcon etc! And - that was at the speed limit!

On the way home today just where the PBH joins Old Coast Rd I saw what I thought was a E92 coupe coming up fast - turned out to be a shiny new black E92 M3! Lovely - made me jealous as I wanted to play but the old E53 couldn't keep up!

[WAY]

Originally Posted by alik01

What's the science behind the manifold?

Here is what BMW said...

The M TwinPower Turbo:
Twin Scroll Twin Turbo Technology with a joint exhaust manifold for both rows of cylinders making its debut in the market.
Power and performance typical of BMW M is delivered by the power unit in both the BMW X5 M and the BMW X6 M by a new design and construction principle: The new M TwinPower Turbo with Twin Scroll Twin Turbo Technology and the exhaust manifold extending over both rows of cylinders patented by BMW offer absolutely extreme response and spontaneity, a linear build-up of engine power, and an unusually consistent torque curve.

The two turbochargers are positioned together with the catalytic converters in the V-section between the two rows of cylinders. The position of the intake and exhaust ducts provided in this way serves to reduce the length of the pipes and manifolds and increase their cross-section, with pressure losses on the exhaust side being significantly minimised in the process.

The joint flow of exhaust gas provided by the common manifold system connecting two cylinders at a time also ensures optimum gas throughput. The separation of exhaust flow is continued until the exhaust gas reaches the turbine wheel, building up ongoing pressure on the two Twin Scroll Turbochargers not impaired by any kind of counter-pressure.

With maximum charge pressure amounting to 1.5 bar, the use of Twin Scroll Twin Turbo Technology with its inter-cylinder exhaust manifold makes unique use of the turbocharging potential.

Immediate, direct response to the gas pedal and truly exceptional pulling force from the engine starting at low speeds and continuing consistently to the highest load level characterise the new M TwinPower Turbo from BMW M GmbH. The truly impressive development of power ensured in this way is accompanied by fascinating engine sound accentuating the fast-revving engine characteristics and the linear build-up of power by a supreme acoustic effect typical of a BMW M Car.

Reflecting the superior power of the engine, the V8 power unit comes with a cooling system developed specifically for the two new models. One special feature in this context is the indirect intercooling effect serving to optimise performance under particularly dynamic driving conditions.

The new M TwinPower Turbo develops its outstanding output and performance with equally outstanding efficiency. In addition to direct High Precision Injection, both the BMW X5 M and the BMW X6 M are equipped with a wide range of technologies from BMW EfficientDynamics. Apart from Brake Energy Regeneration, these also include on-demand control of the electrical fuel pump, a detectable a/c compressor, as well as a volume flow-controlled supply of hydraulic fluid to the anti-roll system also operating specifically on demand.

Both models offer average fuel consumption in the EU test cycle of 13.9 litres/ 100 kilometres, equal to 20.3 mpg imp. Their CO2 rating is 325 grams per kilometre. And last but not least, the engine naturally fulfils all the requirements of the US LEV II standard as well as the EU5 requirements in Europe.

[delete-this-account]

shame about the exhaust note.. but that's what happens when you stick a couple of turbos between the manifold and exhaust. that manifold sounds a bit tricky too

Originally Posted by WAY

With maximum charge pressure amounting to 1.5 bar...

that's a lot of boost for a V8.. 22.5psi. what's the car like off boost? it must run quite low compression??

how much do the 135/335 run from factory??

[alik01]

Originally Posted by amk2912

Mate - you would love the new Perth-Bunbury Highway. From my home in the northern burbs to Margaret River took bang on 3 hours! No more pain-in-the-butt crawling through Mandurah, Falcon etc! And - that was at the speed limit!

On the way home today just where the PBH joins Old Coast Rd I saw what I thought was a E92 coupe coming up fast - turned out to be a shiny new black E92 M3! Lovely - made me jealous as I wanted to play but the old E53 couldn't keep up!

That would be awesome, remember they were putting the finishing touches on it when I was leaving Perth. My folks were looking at a place down there and were actually put of by the travel distance. Then they settled on Darwin!

Playing with another M3, would have been a great way to cut the travel time!

Way, thanks for info. Was reading about it last night, love the idea of the 2 turbos wedged in between the cylinders. Didn't some other manufacturer come up with that as well? Porsche?