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Daily Driver: 2015 BMW X6 M

Daily Driver videos are micro-reviews of vehicles in the Autoblog press fleet, featuring impressions from the staffers that drive them every day. Today's Daily Driver features the 2015 BMW X6 M, reviewed by Greg Migliore. You can watch the video above or read a transcript below. Watch more Autoblog videos at /videos. VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: [00:00:00] Hey, everybody. It's Greg Migliore, and today I am driving the 2015 BMW X6 M. This is the crossover coupe that is sort of a halo SUV for BMW. It's got its naysayers but I like it. I think it's a number of things enthusiasts like. It's fast, it's curvy, it looks good, it's fun to drive, and this one that I'm [00:00:30] testing out is absolutely loaded. It comes in at more than $115,000. Now that might seem like a lot for an X6, even in M trim, but you're getting a lot of stuff here. This has got a twin-turbo V8, pumps out 567 horsepower. It's mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, which I think is a good one, and it runs with all-wheel drive. There's a number of M treatments like the wheels, some of the aerodynamic treatments up front. [00:01:00] It looks sporty and it also has a good tough crossover feel, but it still has almost a car feel as well because the X6 was designed to have a bit of a coupe dynamic. Now inside, is really a beautiful surroundings. We've got lots of trim. It looks like carbon fiber. We've got different color stitching. There's black trim, there's orange trim, there is some of the M colors of light blue and red trim on the steering wheel. It definitely looks like a [00:01:30] loaded BMW, but also an M BMW series. You lay on the throttle you can get away from stoplights quickly, no trouble. Sounds good. There's a nice exhaust note. It got moving. It's a quick car. It can get to 60 miles an hour in about four seconds, which when you consider this SUV is above 5,200 pounds, that's pretty quick. Some people question the point of an X6 in general, [00:02:00] and especially an X6 M. You're taking an SUV with less capability than an X5 and some other SUVs in this segment and then cutting it down and making a design statement. I say exactly. That's exactly what you're doing. I like a vehicle that looks like this that has those coupe-like stylings in the back. It's a little more of a cutting edge, curvy design. I think all of that's great. Then, if you're going to do different M versions of cars, why not do an X6 M?

Senior VP Hildegard Wortmann says BMW's electric journey is just beginning

Anyone who questions BMW's effort or sincerity on electrified vehicles should have a chat with Hildegard Wortmann, the German automaker's senior vice president over product management for automobiles and aftersales. I was fortunate to do just that at the Detroit North American International Auto Show earlier this year. ABG: Where might BMW go with electrified vehicles beyond your i3 urban EV and i8 high-performance hybrid sports car? "That [regulatory] train has left the station" - Hildegard Wortmann HW: I think a big advantage is that we now have two bookends: BMW i [green] and BMW M [high performance]. We can use those bookends to foster the BMW brand in total. Are electrified vehicles the answer to CAFE and European regulations? Is that the future? We don't know, but that [regulatory] train has left the station. To achieve all of these regulations worldwide, there is no way to do it without electrification. That is why the activities of BMW i are not just to launch new products. They are our build-up in competence for learning and gaining experience in electrification. We will use those learnings for the total BMW brand. Technology-wise, we now have a really good understanding of what to do, what not to do, how to work with this and how to get a lot of learnings from the infrastructure and everything that goes with it. And depending on how quickly the market takes off, we can scale it and use it across the range. We will use the competence we will have in vehicle electrification for more than just BMW i. There will be other derivatives and electrification of other products. ABG: Do you see BMW offering pure EVs with larger batteries for greater range? HW: That's a big feature of the Tesla. The question is to find the best balance [of range vs. battery size, weight and cost]. On the i3, we tried to have the right balance between how much range customers need for daily driving and how much battery we put in there. The market will show us. We have over a million kilometers driven by consumers in the Mini E and ActiveE and a fairly good understanding that those people are not driving that much. Putting a really big battery with all that weight into a car that is meant for urban mobility does not make sense. ABG: What about extended-range EVs beyond the i3's optional small range extender engine? "This whole EV movement is in its very early stages." HW: This whole EV movement is in its very early stages.

BMW M4 Convertible spied with naked top and trunk

Our trusty spy photographers have been at it again, snagging these first images of the forthcoming BMW M4 Convertible without camouflage on its retractable roof and rear deck. You'll recall that this is not the first time we've seen the followup to the M3 Convertible, but that the last batch of images we had were encumbered by a lot more camouflage - this car is virtually naked by comparison.
Not surprisingly, the M4 looks to share its folding hardtop design with the standard 4 Series droptop, and it should operate in a similar manner as well. It's no surprise, but it looks like BMW is going to try and make the transition from M4 Coupe to M4 Convertible as effortless as previous efforts converting the M3 to an M3 Convertible. That should mean that below the beltline, this car is nearly identical to the coupe we saw in Detroit.
As for the camo'd features on these spy photos, the hood, front fascia, rear fascia, quarter panels, side sills and mirrors have all been shown on the M4 Coupe, and don't really bear mentioning. There's been no word of just where the M4 Convertible will make its debut, although considering the lack of disguise on this car, Geneva seems like a likely destination.