First Test: 2011 BMW X6 M by Motor Trend
#1
04-13-2011 | 12:03 PM
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From: Zoo York
First Test: 2011 BMW X6 M by Motor Trend 
2011 BMW X6 M
"Nevertheless, you're laughing the entire time, because it doesn't make sense. It's Heath Ledger's Joker placing a pen on the table and asking, "How 'bout a magic trick?"
A BMW executive takes a large lump of money and a small lump of hallucinogens and hands both to a group of engineers with the following instruction: "Go nuts." Sometime later -- after the passing of key statutes of limitations -- the BMW X6 M appears.
The hulking and incredibly fast red aberration you see here provides a rolling look into their madness. The engine, for example. BMW has a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8, but these engineers figured 400 horsepower simply wouldn't do. So on went new pistons, camshafts, turbochargers, and a modified cooling system, amongst other things. The engineers finally settled on 555 horsepower, a number so convenient they might as well have called it "enough." They then programmed in a launch control system, because what good is a 5181-pound SUV if it can't accelerate like a Cadillac CTS-V?
"Wait a second," you might think. "What about the Cayenne Turbo?" Yes, both are monstrously silly, twin-turbo SUV's. But lo, the BMW is quicker. Reaching 60 mph in 4.0 seconds and the quarter mile in 12.5 seconds at 110.8 mph, the X6 M dismisses that comparatively sensible Porsche by three-tenths. How? With the transmission in manual mode, all that's required from the BMW driver is that they press the inconspicuous "M" button on the steering wheel and flatfoot both pedals. And when the checkered flag appears on the dash, they sidestep the brake. As the all-wheel drive jettisons the X6 M from its place of rest, the transmission takes care of the upshifts -- the driver is merely along for the ride. (Helpfully, the owner's manual suggests that you not use launch control when towing a trailer.)
The hulking and incredibly fast red aberration you see here provides a rolling look into their madness. The engine, for example. BMW has a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8, but these engineers figured 400 horsepower simply wouldn't do. So on went new pistons, camshafts, turbochargers, and a modified cooling system, amongst other things. The engineers finally settled on 555 horsepower, a number so convenient they might as well have called it "enough." They then programmed in a launch control system, because what good is a 5181-pound SUV if it can't accelerate like a Cadillac CTS-V?
"Wait a second," you might think. "What about the Cayenne Turbo?" Yes, both are monstrously silly, twin-turbo SUV's. But lo, the BMW is quicker. Reaching 60 mph in 4.0 seconds and the quarter mile in 12.5 seconds at 110.8 mph, the X6 M dismisses that comparatively sensible Porsche by three-tenths. How? With the transmission in manual mode, all that's required from the BMW driver is that they press the inconspicuous "M" button on the steering wheel and flatfoot both pedals. And when the checkered flag appears on the dash, they sidestep the brake. As the all-wheel drive jettisons the X6 M from its place of rest, the transmission takes care of the upshifts -- the driver is merely along for the ride. (Helpfully, the owner's manual suggests that you not use launch control when towing a trailer.)
Source & Read more: 2011 BMW X6 M First Test - Motor Trend
#6
04-13-2011 | 01:55 PM
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 3,733
From: Best Coast
While i see what your saying, ///M never meant light weight... Most are PIGS that both handle and drive amazingly.... We at-least this is true in the last 10-15 years.
#7
04-13-2011 | 02:55 PM
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Posts: 3,143
From: The Library, NY
That's ~1000lb north of any modern M car.
#10
04-13-2011 | 03:03 PM
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 3,143
From: The Library, NY
To me an M car is something very specific. It has history. It's more than a chunky body kit and more HP.