BMW X6: Premium Economy - who is this for?
⭐⭐
1700KM of driving in 2 days later... ladies and gentlemen, we're in Premium Economy where the best compliment are we can give is that there's nothing wrong, the B58 is reliable and the features/specs look good on a spec sheet.
I really would've rather done the drive in my Mk7 TSI that I drove in college.
Gone are the days where BMW built business/first class experiences that were special and you'd think about weeks after the fact.
As a road trip car:
- Fairly powerful with the B58, don't really need to think about passing
- 10.5L/100km cruising between 135 and 150kmh
As a BMW:
- steers fairly well at highway speeds with decent weight but 0 feel
- very harsh over large bumps even in comfort mode
- ��ZF8 transmission tuning is kinda slow vs. Dodge/Alfa/Audi
- �� unlike the American V8s I'm used to (5.0/392), B58 doesn't feel special, sounds like a 2GR off idle & still falls off at high RPM
As a daily driver:
- heated armrests are nice
- autopark feature generally works very well in lower NYC & Toronto
- both phone compartments roast the phone with heat
- cost cutting from no proximity entry for non drivers' doors
- cost cutting from no electrochromic mirrors on the passenger side, hella glare
- harmon kardon distorts at medium volume
As a status icon:
- it's giving older uncle from the suburbs who exited to in-house counsel at Dunder Mifflin OR became lead construction project manager
- friends got into the car and said it looked "fun"
At 85k as driven with medium equipment, you could get
1) Well equipped Porsche Macan S that would drive a lot better & better badge. 2.9T tunes well but kinda laggy.
2) Well equipped base Porsche Cayenne that would drive a lot better if you spec it with active roll bars and rear wheel steering; 2.9T.
3) Escalade with much more comfortable magnetic ride and the 47inch OLED infotainment... but you might look like a chauffer; 6.2L
4) Used Aston DBX are in the 110k range; AMG 4.0 V8
5) Used G63 from the mid 2010s; AMG 6.2/5.5/4.0 V8s available
6) Used Bentley Bentayga with the ugly taillights (pre 2021); W12 or 4.0TT V8 available.
7) Grand Cherokee/Durango Hellcat based on ML chassis
8) X5 50e with an awesome plug in powertrain - 483 hp, 516 lb-ft, 70km range same as RAV4 Prime
Whether you're a c-lai, corporate uncle, or a young FOB... buying any of these puts you in business class - an experience that's more special, more comfortable, and better put together.
BMW's best products are the Supra, X3 M/M40i, M3..... or their leases after Loaner/BMWCCA/Loyalty/MSD/OL discounts.