LA Times-Review/Editorial-X6
 

Grab another BP pill.From a "Platypus" we X6 admirers have now evolved into someone liking a " BMW sedan w/ an elephant on it's back"," an overloaded Conestoga wagon",and this jerk get's in a "beehive hairdo" swipe at SC where the X6 is made.Don't break anything after you read this piece of automobile journalism!!!! Thanks! PalBay

http://www.latimes.com/classified/automotive/highway1/la-hy-neil25-2008jul25,0,5569564.story?track=rss

Funny enough read though ...I like the final thoughts: A Bavarian bison

I've been saying that for a year...well not exact words and all :)

I agree with this guy. Great looking car/sac/whatever, but what's the point. IMHO, if you don't need the utility of the X5, BMW makes better looking and better performing cars than the X6. For the price of a fully loaded X6 you can get a M5 - which BTW seats 5.

But I do understand some will like it because it's different, and I can't deny it looks good. Different taste is what makes the world more interesting.

I tend to agree, though the newspaper "reviews" are more fun
than inspirational, lol!

Cool looking, amazing that the mass and higher cog can be made
to go, stop and handle like they do...

Very pricey, no manual trans, very heavy, piddling mpg, etc.
But, many will buy one the first yearish out the door.

The crunch will come in year 2 or 3, sales-wise, if it goes that far.
Sort of a grown up, 4 pass. Z3 M coupe, imo.

I suspect the prod planners and marketeers, (whom have done a
marvelous job of pumping the new car), weren't factoring in 4 buck
gas and a slightly different spin on "energy usage", when this car
went from clay to proto to "let's build it".

It will probably sell out in yr 1 and, maybe 2, due to the world-wide
big pockets, but remain a very niche car here in the US/CDA, imo.

No dis to those of you that made the leap...just too expensive/weird
leap for this ol'guy.
BR,mD

Typical California cynic IMO.
I definately won't be running off buying one anytime soon, but seeing myself in a few years, I could see myself in one of these rather than an X5, I've sat in one at the showroom, and quite like the feeling from the drivers seat, whereas in the E70, I feel like I'm up "too high"
Its almost the RRSport to the X5. I like it. Its rear end still looks 1000x better than the garbage in the LCI E90.

Well if the article is a typical Ca cynic and the maine guy says the back end of the 6 is good, guess i'm glad i'm from the middle of the country. :rofl:

I can tell you exactly who the X6 is aimed at: me.

Single.
No kids.
Needs more room than a sedan (dog, sports equipment, general utility)
Has a dog so needs more room.
Wants AWD for NE Winters and ski trips.
Doesn't want a soccer mom vehicle.

And unfortunately for BMW, it gets crap MPG and it's too expensive so I have no interest.

BTW- Infiniti released the X6 in 2003. It's called an FX35.

Bingo

Fortunately for BMW, it's sold out....

My friends in Germany tell me if you order an X6 today, it will be mid 2009 before you recieve it. They wouldn't even consider an Infiniti (rebadged Nissan, oops I mean Renault)

Germany is not the US as there are 6's on the lots here. I see the July sales were down to the 400's about half what they were initially. Someone is blowing smoke about the sold out thing.:dunno:

I see the lack of SUPPORT for BMW, in a BMW forum, irritating. Kinda like when the Corvette guys come into the Viper forum, I'm not really interested in hearing constant negativity.

When you watch the evening news, they always seem to spin on the negative. I remember NBC saying almost every night on the news "The housing bubble, when is it going to burst?" Which was well before the bubble broke. Maybe the negative press got most people believing it was really bad, and that made the real estate situation worse than it should have been. I'm not saying things weren't insane three years ago, but there's a good way to communicate a problem, and a way that just makes things worse.

By the way, I heard X6 production was going up. How many automotive factories can say that these days?

Well let's put it this way.. I am a BMW guy, probably put more miles on a BMW than you have and like my 2008 4.8 with about 7000 miles. Now what is negative about that. I am commenting on a BMW press release saying they sold 400 units in July and also commenting on that the last time I was at a BMW dealer (recently) there was 6's on the lot. Now what the hell is negative about that?? Get a life.

Whoa, pull out the wedgie man. He was just commenting, like everyone else he is entitled to his opinion.

"Probably put more miles on a BMW than you have"

Your superiority statement irritates me too.

I will agree with the LA article on one thing, it isn't for everyone.

The people who are standing in line to buy it seem happy it exists.

People who are brand loyal take offense to things that they believe are poor moves for a company. do you really expect them to just sit back and support everything bmw puts out? aren't they even more so entitled to an opinion being that they've invested so much money in the company? How do you figure people who do not like the X6 are not "supporting bmw", everytime we drive from our homes we're supporting them by advertising at every inch of the road. I think you're just mad some people don't like the X6 so you assume there's something terribly wrong with them. I think gresch has the best post of supporting both sides.

:iagree: :iagree: :iagree:

Personally will be waiting for that 4.4-L twin turbo to make its way over to the X5 body.

Last I checked, this was a site for discussing automotive topics. If you only want roses and rainbows with everyone conforming to 1 thought, then internet forums aren't for you.

I've owned 3 BMW's in my life and many other brands as well, I don't like EVERY product that BMW puts out and I don't like every product that the other manufacturers have produced either. That's not to say I'm negative about BMW on the whole or any other manufacturer. Every vehicle is aimed at a certain demographic/purpose/income level.

What's your point? If BMW were only producing 12 X6's a year, guy #12 on the list wouldn't get one until August of next year. Everything is relative.

Why wouldn't they consider an Infiniti? Do they all have group-think? the same exact automotive needs? they all live the same lifestyle? they all make the same money?

Whether you like it or not, Infiniti DID release the FX series 5 years ago, and the X6 IS a similar vehicle and it costs $10-$15k more than the Infiniti.

You're making some ridiculously broad statements that wreak of fan-boy ooops, I mean extremist).

X6 is a great car. In my opinion it looks better than the X5 ,and after a test drive at my dealer I can tell you the handling is amazing ,much better than my X5 with adaptive drive.

NY Times review, for those who think Nissan shouldn't be considered in the same breath as Bimmer :)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/22/au...ws/22AUTO.html
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...fications.html

The reasons I don't like Infinity:

Underneath, they are Nissans, which is owned/controlled by Renault. Example: When a car company designs a 'base' model and calls it the Armada, then stuffs the same vehicle full of gizmos, extended leather, puts a new grill and taillights on it, then sells it for $10K more. I think rip-off. I would not pay extra money for an Escalade because a Yukon Denali is the same truck. At least the Cadillac has a unique engine. Can't say that about Infinity. How would you feel if BMW shared a platform between a 3 series and a Fiat? The car might drive, ride and handle great, it may look stunning, it may be a great value, but underneath, a car guy knows what else shares the platform. Designing an inexpensive car (cost is the target) is very different from designing the best.

As far as I know, the LS460 has it's own platform, and I admire that. The sad thing is that it shares the engine with the Toyota and Lexus truck line. I'm not saying it's not a great engine. I guess I would be proud to drive a Tundra pickup and know the engine was 95% based on the top of the line Lexus.

These are just my opinions, I'm not sure I deserve such harsh personal attacks for sharing.

One more reason that my German friends would never consider an Infinity. National pride. We used to call it being patriotic in this country.

Valid "opinion" but if you're going to post it...there is a chance it will get bashed :) The joy/pain of an open forum.

Going the IMO road, I wouldn't label a car like that saying one is inferior of competing with the other (for all rational purposes). I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'd take my old 350Z over my E46 M3 any day :)

OK...now back on the X6 sucks, excuse me..X6 topics ;)

I get the joy/pain part. I usually enjoy an open discussion, and actually like it when someone opens my eyes to a new way of thinking.

Like the LA article said, the X6 is like expensive, impractical shoes. To those it fits, it's awesome. I just get tired of people saying 'I hate it' over and over. You will never convince the BMW board to change directions when the sales are strong. Before I get flamed for that statement, think worldwide, not just the US. The company is exporting as much as it can due to the exchange rate. SO, if sales show a slower month, then maybe it's due to less cars available for the US market. On purpose.

If GM were smart, they would sell (if they could) all Corvettes overseas. Why? A Vette that sells for $50,000 in the US can sell for 50K Euros in Deutschland. Today that's $77,695 back to GM's bank account. Too bad they can't sell all the gas guzzling SUV's to Europeans!

The Germans are "guilty" of doing the same thing. The cheaper VW Touareg was revamped into the Cayenne, same chassis with an upgraded engine. So it's the same as your Denali-Escalade comparison. For me that's not a turn-off. If I'm ripping maximum revs in a Cayenne Turbo, I don't think to myself "I'm not really enjoying this acceleration because it's really just a VW Touareg underneath:( ". Not to mention that the 911 is basically a hopped up Beetle!

Most cars 'share' some components. I agree that the Touareg and Cayenne share underbodies/suspension design etc. They don't share any sheetmetal, and on your turbo example, an engine. Do you feel better in the VW knowing it also underpins the Porsche? Or do you see and feel the family traits when you are driving your Porsche and see a VW? My opinion is that the Porsche should not share the VW chassis. It could be much better with a 'no limits' chassis design instead of fixing up the VW design.

The beetle/911 comparo is not valid (I hope you were joking) They have never shared a single part.

BMW and Mercedes don't do this. My opinion is that it hurts the brand image if you do. Would I refuse to buy a car because of it? Probably not.
Rogue = EX
Murano = FX
Armada = QX
350Z = G37 coupe
Maxima = G35 sedan

The biggest example I can think of is the Lexus ES350. I just cannot get over seeing this car for exactly what it is: An insulation stuffed Camry.

I guess I'm not interested in the snob appeal (badge) of a brand, but the driving experience. I also can't see spending extra money for basically the same car.

All that being said, I would buy the V8 touareg over the V8 Cayenne. I like the styling better.

I would not buy an Fx35 over an X6.

Actually Porsche/VW use to share carbs and other engine components...it was a quick way to get around the Porsche name costs. G35 is actually based on an Altima frame. Japanese choose a different design model, separating the mid grade from the premium: Honda/Acua, Nissan/Infiniti, Toyota/Lexus. BMW will sell a down graded version of their higher-end models: 525/8, 318, 325/8, 1-series, etc. and they mix and match frames/parts where possible with X's utilizing sedan frames, etc. Of course Audi does this completely through the VW lineup.

Interesting little page: http://www.funtrivia.com/en/World/Volkswagen-14042.html

Porsche can't use a VW part?
http://www.356registry.org/tech/vwtoporsche.html
http://books.google.com/books?id=pax...um=6&ct=result

I'll stand by my first statement:

Most cars 'share' some components.
Earlier 911 and Beetle share brake and clutch pedal pads, according to your links.

I'll admit defeat on the other: A 911 and Beetle never shared a single part. I should know better, I worked at a Porsche dealership for 7 years! lol

Thanks Wagner, I didn't have time to pull up all the historic links about the super-Beetle....errr, ummm, I mean Porsche.

;owned;*Viperfreak2*

Owned? :yawn:

Pedal pads are important :rofl: common parts, just like dome lights and defrost switches.

Oh yeah, and those winners of the automotive world, the 924/944. Now THEY shared some VW / Audi parts!

While we are on the subject, guess where I got a new rotor button for my Ferrari?

No doubt it is beautiful. I parked my X5 next to one at the dealer and my car looked like a box truck. Hell, it even makes the e70 look bad. but when I walk around to the back, I get reminded of all the aztek references people have made. for shame.

OK Wagner I'll one up you on the 350 Z. Had a 71 240Z :D Great car but was continually fighting rust issues. They were hot back then as they were on allocation and you actually needed to know someone to get one. Ha!

I had a first gen 300ZX as well :) All cars in the pre-Nissan days were rust prone. I remember my dad had a B210 that rusted completely out. Then he was selling it and the day the new buyer came in, the car wouldn't turn off :rofl: