The 2012 X6 facelift will get a tri-turbo diesel
BMW are to give the X6 a facelift in 2012 and add the tri-turbo BMW X6 xDrive50d to the range with 375bhp and that extra turbo.
First the facelift.
BMW are planning to give the X6 a bit of a titivate next year. The X5 Coupe that no one – not even BMW – thought would sell particularly well has been selling at more than twice the rate BMW had hoped. It seems the idea of an uglier X5 with less room for more money just floats a certain sort of person’s boat.
And a lot of those people whose boat gets floated by the X6 live in China and lunch a lot. Yes, the X6 is a favourite with China’s wealthy ladies. Which probably reinforces its credentials as a lifestyle car rather than a real BMW – but a sale’s a sale.
So to keep things fresh and focused BMW are giving the X6 the typical mid-life makeover with a set of LED tail lights, new headlights with a daylight-running corona and new front and rear aprons. Just enough to look fresh, but not enough to make the current X6 look like yesterday’s car.
But the big news for the facelifted X6 comes under the bonnet.
Two years ago we reported that BMW were planning what could best be described as a diesel X5M. Well it now looks as if that will actually arrive as the diesel X6M, although it won’t get that moniker.
The BMW X6 xDrive50d will arrive with the facelift next year featuring the same 3.0 litre diesel lump found in the XDrive40d, but with an extra turbo bolted on.
The xDrive50d tri-turbo is expected to deliver something in the region of 375bhp – just as we predicted two years ago – and a proper wall of torque but still with impressive economy.
An engine that will suit the X6 and X5 very well.
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