BMW X6 puts awkward form above practical function

It’s hard to talk about the 2013 BMW X6 xDrive35i without first getting something off of my chest: I think that its SUV-coupe form is stupid. Now, I’m not talking BMW 5 Series GT levels of stupid — it doesn’t deserve that level of insult — but I simply can’t understand why anyone would walk onto a BMW lot and buy a large SUV that is based on the X5, but with less cargo space, when the X5 itself is sitting right next to it with a lower sticker price.

X6 form factor By giving the X6 its coupelike roofline — literally the only visible thing differentiating it from the X5 — BMW has also given the SUV poor visibility through the gun-slit rear window, which terminates about 4 feet off of the ground and nearly a foot ahead of the high rear bumper, making parking extremely difficult. The blind spots at the rear quarters are big enough to hide a beige 1998 Toyota Camry in — I know because I nearly rolled over one during a highway lane change despite not one, but two over-the-shoulder and mirror checks. If BMW insists on building a car with such heinous behind-the-driver visibility, the optional rear camera should be standard, but isn’t. And blind-spot monitoring isn’t even available as an option on the X6. However, a sonar-based parking-distance controller is standard, displaying … [Read more]

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