Originally Posted by SkipSauls

The X6 had the older N54 engine, and like my previous 335i, had a temperature gauge instead of the MPG meter. This was the oil temperature, which is not the same thing as the coolant temperature, and typically runs hotter. I'm not sure whether the LCI e9x's with the N55 engine still have this gauge, but it may be that BMW has done away with it on all cars with the N55. It was often a point of concern on the e9x boards as people assumed that it was too "hot" because it was the oil temp instead of the coolant temp.

I look forward to the day when all of the analog gauges are gone, replaced by a single "black panel" LED/LCD/etc. It would be nice to be able to select which gauges you want, where to put them, etc. I think that Ford, Ferrari, Lexus, and others are already taking baby steps in this direction. Replace the entire center stack with an iPad-like touchscreen for all of the controls, nav, etc., and it will all be better.