The BMW X6 is an all-round SUV

Not many car manufacturers have designed cars with coupe shapes. Apart from Mercedes Benz that manufactured the GLE Coupe, the other manufacturer on the market, also of German origin, is BMW. A case in point is the BMW X6 2022 X-drive 35d. 

A sport utility vehicle (SUV) by classification, Sharif Takiwereza, a German car enthusiast, says his particular model of the BMW X6 runs on a 3,000cc diesel turbocharged engine. 

“In simple terms, the turbocharged system gives the car a power boost. It is a device that forces more air into the engine, making it run faster and more efficiently. This extra air helps the engine produce more power without needing a bigger engine size,” Takiwereza says of the car that was built with a sloping roofline. 

Eddie Matovu, a car importer, says BMW X6 models are manufactured with different engine sizes. These include the 3000cc diesel, 3500cc diesel, 3500cc I petrol, 4000cc diesel, 5000cc petrol and 5000cc diesel, all of which give very good sporty performances.

In Japan, dealers sell 3,000cc petrol and 4,400cc petrol engines, products that Matovu says are not for the African market. 

“Almost all BMW X6 models are sleek and classy when still new. They come with a six-speed automatic transmission and are high performance cars with an angular design and attractive interior. However, as they get older, they become costly to maintain. The diesel ones, for example, tend to have nozzle and injector problems since they use fuel that is high in sulphur,” Matovu says. 

“When they start experiencing mechanical problems, even mechanics do not have the precision to measure the nozzles as they were before. With time, it starts to produce a knocking sound. Its spare parts are also expensive, much as there are cheaper alertanatives. However, these will not work for long and are not as durable as the genuine ones that come with the car,” he adds.

Consumption 

When it comes to fuel consumption, the BMW X6 does not consume much. In fact, it is a purely urban drive SUV. However, Matovu advises that it should not be your daily drive if you constantly drive on roads with potholes. 

“It is not a car you will drive to the village. Although it does not have performance issues, such as skidding, it is not meant for off-road driving. It is purely an urban SUV. On the road, it comes with tectonic gears on the steering. On-road, it performs faster than most SUVs that if you were to have a race, it would outperforms most cars,” Matovu explains. 

Service and maintenance 

One advantage is that BMW X6s use high performance oil. If you do not cover 10,000km in six months, you will spend approximately Shs470,000 on engine oil. If it is your daily drive, you will need bout Shs2m for service, this without changing gearbox oil. On average, you will need between Shs4m and Shs5m for normal service and maintenance in approximately six months. 

Before buying       

Before buying a BMW X6, one of the important features to note is that it comes with different tyre sizes. The rear tyres are wider than those at the front. For instance, if the front tyre has a size 20 rim, the rear will be 22 because the rear of the car is broad. 

These tyres also differ in prices. Size 22 of a good quality tyre will cost approximately Shs1.5m while the front one will cost between Shs800,000 and Shs900,000. 

The rims are so brittle that when you hit a pothole and it cracks, getting another rim could be challenging because they are sold in sets. A set of rims costs Shs4.2m because they are mostly low profile sporty tyres and rims, on top of being big (size 20 and above). 

These cars do not easily develop mechanical issues. Everything is electronic. For example, all the four tyres have antilock braking system (ABS) sensors. If one is not functional, its power reduces, and in this case, it must be replaced. 

Cost 

Like any other car, the newer the year of manufacture, the higher the cost of the BMW X6. There are, however, the more expensive sporty versions, engraved with M-series to distinguish them from the non-sporty ones. 

According to Matovu, a 2010 model is approximately £8,000, which is equivalent to Shs39m and a 2014 model, depending on the mileage, say one that has covered 100,000 miles will cost £12,000, which is equivalent to Shs58m. 

The newer ones, say the 2016 model costs £17,000, which is equivalent to Shs83m. A 2017 model costs approximately £21,000 pounds, which is equivalent to Shs102m while a 2016 model M-Sport X-drive costs £24,000 pounds, which is approximately Shs117m.

A 2017 model with a low mileage will cost approximately £28,000 pounds, which is equivalent to Shs137m. All these costs do not include taxes for importation.