I agree with you JCL regarding the balance of the inline 6 and V-12. I have had a few BMW inline sixes and my parents have had two BMW V-12's for a long time, but seeing as this was posted in the e53 forum, that is what I was trying to focus on. As far as the e53 is concerned, there is a night and day difference in the overall performance and seat of the pants feel between the 6 and the 8. The 6 cylinder available in the e53 was way underpowered for the heft of the X, imo. Not trying to knock it. It is a good vehicle, but not enough oomph for me. Actually, I wish I had either the 4.6is or 4.8is...more power (insert Tim Taylor grunt here). The only plus for the 6 was the availability of the manual trans, but that benefit was outweighed by the horse power and torque of the 8, imo.

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Profeshenal spellar