2020 BMW X6 sports activity vehicle. Photo: BMW
This week I'm driving the 2020 BMW X6 xDrive40i, what the German automaker calls a "sports activity coupe."
- It's what you get when you blend an SUV with a coupe — a slope-roofed crossover with less utility and less headroom.
- That distinctive look of the X6 costs almost $6,000 more than the traditional squared-off BMW X5, and some people won't mind paying even if it's less practical than an SUV.
- Personally, I'm not a fan of the X6's rear end. It's neither fish nor fowl, and just looks awkward to me.
That said, the X6 is an excellent ride, as you'd expect from BMW, and loaded with useful technology.
- With the $2,300 Premium package you can get gesture control which allows you to wave your hand at the instrument panel to adjust the radio volume, for example. (It takes practice, but I'm getting better at using this function.)
- A new back-up parking assistance feature takes over steering to maneuver the vehicle out of a parking space, mirroring the path most recently used in the forward direction.
There are many assisted-driving features available, including a system that will relieve the driver in stop-and-go traffic up to 40 mph, and a highway lane-keeping system that will actively steer away from a potential collision.
The bottom line: Built at BMW's huge factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the X6 starts at $64,300 and goes up to $85,650 for the high-performance V8 version, the X6 M50i.