Motorpinion

Chances are that if you have seen the new BMW X6, you already have an opinion about its swooping lines and “coupe” like prowess. BMW refers to the X6 as a Sports Activity Coupe but I must disagree with automakers of late referring to 4 door cars or SUV’s as coupes. Regardless of my core beliefs of what a coupe is, the popularity of the X6 has been solidified by one fact that Jalopnik.com reported on this week…there are none left to buy in 2008. You would have had to be high on the preorder list with your dealer to get a shot at one since the whole 2008 supply is nearly exhausted.

Honestly this does not surprise me with the popularity of the Infiniti FX that debuted in 2003. Infiniti single-handily blazed the trail for this segment when they threw out some of the utility and infused heaps of sport into their creation. After 5 years of the BMW X5 competing with the Infiniti FX, BMW has finally realized this segment can make some money and will now target it with the X6, a vehicle boasting similar pedigree. Bad news for BMW is the Infiniti FX starts over $12,000 less.

What does this mean to you? If you have the $40,000 – $52,000 to slide into a base model of one of these beasts, it may now be tougher to choose with more blood in the water.

Many people drool over BMW’s.  Granted, they do have some good exterior styling and some kickin’ motors but they have a huge flaw. It’s taken a few years but this week I finally figured out what is wrong with the BMW brand.  THE INTERIOR.  They simply never look as good as the Lexus, Acura and Infiniti interiors with whom they compete.  Here’s my “expert” opinion… 

BMW’s interior looks like a $15,000 car’s interior in the way that all the dash components (radio/cd, climate controls, etc) look like “inserted, pop in” items.  In an Infiniti for example, the whole dash looks like one piece of equipment.  A BMW looks like some high school kid installed their own Panasonic CD player, a TomTom nav system and climate controls from a totaled junkyard car and air vents from a 1986 Ford Escort.  BMW thinks they can slap some premium walnut wood trim around these disjointed parts and make it a premium car. 

Now many of you will defend this trait of BMW by saying that it is a clean, uncluttered design.  I must say after my rantings, I can nearly accept that. You have a good point in regards to simple functionality in place of dozens of buttons and scroll wheels splattered everywhere. OK, you may think that was harsh but now the good news about BMW.  Their engines are only getting better!  The newest twin turbo V6, although still new to the market, appears to be bullet proof with awesome response from the 300 horses.  The 2 turbos eliminates most of the turbo lag since they are tuned to work at different speeds and therefore can cope with different driving situations.  BMW’s vehicles have not been the most reliable in the past but they seem to be coming out of that slump. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed and wait.

Infiniti FX

BMW