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BMW Active Hybrid X6, continued ...Published: March 01, 2010
This system – consisting of two large electric motors plus three
planetary gearsets for an effective total of 480 hp – is effective in
both low- and high-speed scenarios. If you accelerate gently from a
stop, the ActiveHybrid X6 can theoretically reach 37 mph on one
electric motor alone, though I had trouble going much faster than 25
mph.
If greater acceleration is needed, the second electric
motor first starts the big engine and then switches to a new role as a
generator. And under various scenarios, these two motors can swap jobs,
work together for propulsion or completely get out of the way and let
the old-fashioned piston engine and gears do the job.
On
the road, the ActiveHybrid X6 is astonishingly fast, capable of
reaching 60 mph in 5.3 seconds, according to BMW. Of course, anything
with a 400-hp engine is going to impress you, but add in the low-rev
torque of an electric motor – and wow. My only reservation driving it
is that when you lift off the gas after accelerating like crazy, it
tends to carry on a bit before it slows; that’s a little unsettling.
Otherwise, fit and finish are everything you’d expect from a BMW:
top-notch.
Compared to the xDrive50i’s horrific 12 mpg in
the city and 18 on the highway, the ActiveHybrid improves the city
figure to 17 but has no effect on the highway result at all. Sounds
unimpressive. But think of it this way: To match the ActiveHybrid’s
modest-looking fuel savings over the xDrive50i, you’d have to increase
a 25 mpg car’s efficiency to 37.6 mpg. Now that’s better, isn’t it?
Of
course, personally, I’d save the ActiveHybrid’s $21,700 price premium
over the xDrive50i – and just drive a little slower. So it gets my
Auto-Razzie anyway.
• Who should drive this car:
The ActiveHybrid X6 has all-wheel-drive grip, but not that much space
inside, and offers gratuitous acceleration combined with intense
environmental technology. I think that narrows it down to a lonely rich
skier in Aspen who’s suffering from a split personality.
How it drives:
There’s a hint of unevenness in its brake pedal effort when it
transitions from regenerative stopping to convention brakes – a quirk
shared by all hybrids – and its ride is decidedly firm. But who the
heck cares when a car is as improbably fast as this one?
MPG (city/highway): 17/18
Cost (base price): $88,900; requires an $875 destination charge
Comparable: Porsche Cayenne Turbo, Lexus LX 570
Kim Reynolds is technical editor of Motor Trend magazine.
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| BMW Active Hybrid X6, continued ...Published: March 01, 2010 |
If greater acceleration is needed, the second electric motor first starts the big engine and then switches to a new role as a generator. And under various scenarios, these two motors can swap jobs, work together for propulsion or completely get out of the way and let the old-fashioned piston engine and gears do the job.
On the road, the ActiveHybrid X6 is astonishingly fast, capable of reaching 60 mph in 5.3 seconds, according to BMW. Of course, anything with a 400-hp engine is going to impress you, but add in the low-rev torque of an electric motor – and wow. My only reservation driving it is that when you lift off the gas after accelerating like crazy, it tends to carry on a bit before it slows; that’s a little unsettling. Otherwise, fit and finish are everything you’d expect from a BMW: top-notch.
Compared to the xDrive50i’s horrific 12 mpg in
the city and 18 on the highway, the ActiveHybrid improves the city
figure to 17 but has no effect on the highway result at all. Sounds
unimpressive. But think of it this way: To match the ActiveHybrid’s
modest-looking fuel savings over the xDrive50i, you’d have to increase
a 25 mpg car’s efficiency to 37.6 mpg. Now that’s better, isn’t it?Of course, personally, I’d save the ActiveHybrid’s $21,700 price premium over the xDrive50i – and just drive a little slower. So it gets my Auto-Razzie anyway.
• Who should drive this car: The ActiveHybrid X6 has all-wheel-drive grip, but not that much space inside, and offers gratuitous acceleration combined with intense environmental technology. I think that narrows it down to a lonely rich skier in Aspen who’s suffering from a split personality.
How it drives: There’s a hint of unevenness in its brake pedal effort when it transitions from regenerative stopping to convention brakes – a quirk shared by all hybrids – and its ride is decidedly firm. But who the heck cares when a car is as improbably fast as this one?
MPG (city/highway): 17/18
Cost (base price): $88,900; requires an $875 destination charge
Comparable: Porsche Cayenne Turbo, Lexus LX 570
Kim Reynolds is technical editor of Motor Trend magazine.
<<< PREVIOUS PAGE
