BMW X6 mixes coupe and SUV, but why?

The X5 is widely lauded as the best handling large SUV going around. So someone in BMW HQ thought it would be a good idea to make it even sportier ... and now we have the X6.

Imagine you're out partying one night and you've had a drink or two too many. This is around the time that you start thinking that having a DJ mix Radiohead's "Paranoid Android" with Beethoven's fifth symphony would be the musical equivalent of adding strawberries to chocolate fondue -- that is, simply divine.

You wake up next morning though, remember your DJing fantasy and thank your lucky stars that it never happened. Shame then that the guys at BMW didn't have that same morning-after moment of clarity when they dreamed up the idea of mixing a coupe together with a four-wheel drive -- which is what the new BMW X6 is meant to be.

In sports car style, there's a heavily sloped rear roof line and frameless windows, which is nice in isolation. And although it isn't as tall as the X5 that it's based on, the X6's high-riding stance makes it look awkward at best. The X6's "sports activity coupe" style also means that it can only seat five people, as opposed to the X5's seven seat capacity.

Due Down Under in August, there will be two models on sale initially: the AU$111,500 xDrive35i with a 225kW twin-turbo 3.0-litre straight six and the AU$117,000 210kW xDrive35d twin-turbo diesel six. Standard features include 19-inch wheels, a rear view camera, sat nav, TV and a 12 speaker audio system. In '09, an xDrive50i model will lob ashore packing a 300kW, 600Nm twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8.