X6 vs. Cayenne discussion

[genew]

correct me if i am wrong but the cayenne and the x6 are two different kinds of apples. why compare them?? if a person needs to haul something the cayenne could, the x6 couldn't. am i missing something?? i would think you would need to compare the x6 to something else but what??? i am sure the x6 drives great but will it sell the numbers it needs to sell?? hope so!!

[LeMansX5]

Originally Posted by genew

correct me if i am wrong but the cayenne and the x6 are two different kinds of apples. why compare them?? if a person needs to haul something the cayenne could, the x6 couldn't. am i missing something?? i would think you would need to compare the x6 to something else but what??? i am sure the x6 drives great but will it sell the numbers it needs to sell?? hope so!!

Most Cayenne owners don't buy it to haul. BMW does not expect to sell lot of them. I am sure it will sell what they expect it to sell.

[vinuneuro]

LeMansX5 can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the X6 is meant to create a new niche (nice within a niche).

[genew]

Originally Posted by LeMansX5

Most Cayenne owners don't buy it to haul. BMW does not expect to sell lot of them. I am sure it will sell what they expect it to sell.

Now wait just a minute .... are you telling me i bought an x5 e 70 and i don't plan on hauling anything??? I think maybe a guy buying a cayenne might use the cargo space at times, don't you??

[LeMansX5]

Originally Posted by vinuneuro

LeMansX5 can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the X6 is meant to create a new niche (nice within a niche).

BMW made X6 for people who like coupe like driving with high seating position with a premium brand.

Originally Posted by genew

I think maybe a guy buying a cayenne might use the cargo space at times, don't you??).

Sure and at times. Cayenne customers are X6 target custmers. Average Cayenne owner is little different from average E70 X5 owner. Average Cayenne customer is looking more into sporty fun drive than worried about space and hauling. Not that X5 is not fun to drive.
You will see a family going in 5-series but rarely you see a family in 6-series.

[Canadam]

Interesting addition to this discussion...

[genew]

[quote=LeMansX5] BMW made X6 for people who like coupe like driving with high seating position with a premium brand.

I agree 100 percent....then why compare it to a cayenne?? I think you answered my question. In my area people are using the cayenne just like the x-5. maybe people in your area are more sporty??

[E61Silver]

My feeling is that a SUV offers more space for people and items, it has has the ability to tow. The problem with most SUVs are that they are heavy and need to provide a lot of power to overcome the weight. The weight and power results in a lot of cost (high price) and low mpg.

The X6 has all the disadvantages of a SUV and less utility. To pay a lot of money for X6 when you can get a number of cars that offer better performance, seems strange. I guess some people need to look down (ride height) on others no matter what the cost is.

If BMW or others offered a light weight SUV, made of Alum, that would be a real improvement. Porsche & BMW of providing more and more HP to overcome weight seems like something the US car manufactures used to do.
Audi and Jaguar recently offered like all Alum cars that was the right direction.

[palbay]

2009 BMW X6: Perfectly pointless


I grabbed the keys to the BMW X6 last night. By the time I got home I was wondering whether, in a quiet corner of the FIZ, BMW's giant engineering center in Munich, a bunch of engineers were crying into their weissbier over this thing.

Don't get me wrong, the X6 -- in this case the six-cylinder version -- is an impressive piece of work. The 3.0-liter turbocharged engine is smooth and torquey and punches the X6 hard away from the lights. The ride is beautifully controlled, a huge improvement on the first-gen X5, which bounced around like a Conestoga wagon on the Oregon Trail. It changes direction with near sport-sedan alacrity.

But driving the BMW X6 hard is a bit like watching an elephant tap dance -- you're left faintly bemused by the whole act, but not entirely sure it belongs anywhere outside a circus. I couldn't help wonder how much time and effort it took the BMW engineers to make this 4894-pound truck perform like, well, a BMW. More to the point, I wondered whether deep down the BMW engineers, car guys all, thought the X6 a waste of their talent. You see, good as it is, the X6 is still a truck. A perfectly pointless truck.


A Ferrari 599GTB has a point. A Toyota Prius has a point. A Ford F-150 has a point. But what, exactly, is the point of a BMW X6? Despite all the clever engineering, it still manages to artfully combine all the disadvantages of a tight-fitting coupe with all the downsides of a big SUV. The result is a vehicle that can't go off-road or carry as much stuff as a regular SUV and doesn't quite go around corners as well -- or use fuel as efficiently -- as any comparable BMW car.

I guess the point the X6 proves is the auto business has long ceased to be about transportation. The auto business is really a fashion business. The X6 exists only because BMW's marketing mavens are convinced there are enough of you out there who want an SUV that thinks it's a coupe. And judging by the approving looks and thumbs up grins our test X6 is generating on L.A.'s streets, it seems they might be right.




This is from Motor Trend.com,under their Blogs section.Thought I would stir the pot a little.My response to Mr.MacKenzie:I don't want a "mudplugger",ie Porsche Cayenne (I don't tow anything-19 cu ft rear storage vs 26 cu ft for X6-Off road for me is turning around on a dirt road),or Range Rover Sport or shall I say "6k Flying Brick".Nor do I need or want the utility of the X5 (great SUV),or the Chevy Tahoe's and their ilk's of the auto universe.I don't want or need a traditional sedan or station wagon ( still not big enough for my motoring needs). Viola!!!!! The X6 fit's me like a glove.....and I suspect many thousands more like me with similar vehicular needs !!!! Thanks. PalBay

[amh]

It is interesting how we justify our choices and how others condemn them in highly judgmental fashion. Have to admit that the thought process is much more comprehensive than in the old days-what does all this consumption say about us? How many cars do we need to own? What mileage is acceptable vs impact on the environment? My rights vs. my responsibility to others? Rational thought vs emotional attachment?

Wife persuaded me to only have two vehicles. The math says 95% of the time we have one or two people in the car and 4% of the time we carry three people. In the choice between our finalists the X5 or X6, the real difference for us is handling and fun. If I bought the X5, I know I would always keep the 335 coupe for fun... So for us, the X6 fills a need.