Pure insanity: BMW X6 ActiveHybrid The author reports "I'm confused" which is understandable. This is the last Lutz-ism and hopefully will join the 'mild hybrids' on the dust-bin of history . . . with the "Dust-to-Dust" report. But something else is happening in the Auto reporting world. I'm finding more and more, serious articles about hybrids. Gone are the snarky, left-handed compliments of the past. That doesn't mean they fawn over hybrids . . . that would be just as wrong. But I'm finding more and more serious hybrid and a smattering of EV articles. I still find 'snark' in the comments. After all, the automotive press spent the last decade denigrating hybrid owners as: (1) style, not substance; (2) not really car savy; and (3) fools with money to waste. That attitude is not found in AutoWeek and Autoline Daily. Perhaps they have stopped writing for Bob Lutz . . . at last. Bob Wilson
Wow, it gets 20 mpg. Erm, is it me or is that not so good? Surely if it had got 35mpg it would be worth shouting about. The X6 diesel versions we have in Europe get about 30 US mpg.
I'm suprised that that article is just came out. BMW and Mercedes have walked away from the two mode, and seem to be quite far along developing better, though milder, hybrid technology. Car and driver was not kind to bmw's choices to not even try to make the vehicle lighter or more fuel efficient. 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid X6 / X6 Hybrid - Fuel Economy and Pricing - Car and Driver
"Hubris" is the perfect term for what happened. They believed their own nonsense about hybrid owners instead of trying to survey and understand us. Their criticisms of hybrid owners became the 'customer' they designed their hybrids . . . but it was a fiction of their own making . . . hubris. Now they are faced with a 'lost decade' and in the case of GM, their remaining response is the Volt. Bob Wilson
I can think of several BMW products that would make more sense to hybridize, pick a BMW product at random and odds are it would make more sense to hybridize. Mini-Clubman would be the best BMW starting point. It's lighter than a Prius. The Mini is already popular with borderline greenies, and other people that will go for unconventional transportation. The BMW 1 series would make more sense than the X6 too, it weighs about the same as a Prius.
This may be over engineering taken to it's ridiculous extreme. I think BMW was a good company which is now in the process of self destruction through mismanagement. They seem to have moved away from their traditional enthusiast customer base and have been floundering around for the past 4 or 5 years. I suspected they were in trouble when they started offering only run flat tires without even a space saver spare and making engines without dip sticks. I am glad I had the oppotunity to own one of the last good ones. I don't intend to buy another.
A 3 series with a hyrbid system would fill most reasonable needs, but the people who buy this kind of non-performance crap aren't about things that make sense, are they? Old BMW buyers = car enthusiasts, people who care about driving. New BMW buyers = status whores, (typical, ignorant,suburban) soccer moms, people who care about what they are seen driving. I drove an e30 M3 once. It made me sad about today's BMWs.
Yeah, in the UK the 3 series is more popular than the mondeo (probably the Taurus is the closest comparison) so they've quickly become a fairly mainstream brand. A 5 series with a hybrid power train would be great.
I know the hybrid comes with more standard equipment, but you could buy a normal X6 + honda fit + hybrid badges for both for the cost of the X6 hybrid. BMW isn't ripping people off with the high price differential, just think they have to spread the cost over so few vehicles. BMW is doing some really cool hybrid concepts now that they have abandoned the X6 strategy and started concentrating on some hybrids that may sell. BMW's have been bought by posers since I was a kid. They also have great steering and suspensions. But who needs a SUV that accellerates great and is a hybrid? I'm all for waste of money concepts like the porsche 918 that shows how cool phev can be.
A Taurus does not hold a candle to the Mondeo.. And how fast is the diesel? Perhaps the X6 Hybrid is the "best of both worlds"? It's fast AND fuel efficient... kinda like the GS450h. It's efficient for M-F and fast for Sunday. And it's cleaner I guess... If you think EV in a Prius is cool, it's even weirder when the vehicle is 2x the size and 2x the weight.
Fixed that for you. This failboat is $89 grand and seats 4. It hits 60mph in 5.2s and gets 17/19 mpg (C&D review). A Nissan GT-R is $85 grand and seats 4. It hits 60mph in 3.2s and gets 15/22 mpg (C&D review). For less money I'd rather drive a GT-R, even though it *gasp* isn't a hybrid. I'd be saving the environment by using less gas. The GT-R is by no means a light car, but more size, more weight = more fail.
