Now it’s fair to say that I’m not the biggest BMW fan in the world. I’ve done the BMW bit, and they are, on the whole, very well-sorted drivers cars. But they’re a bit lacking in soul. And they do unfortunately attract a certain amount of hostility in the general public. But some of it is justified when you come across the morons in their M3s driving as if the road was their own personal Fiefdom. But BMW are pretty good at niches, and the new BMW X6 on sale at the end of May, does fill a niche. Very well.

I wrote about the X6 a while ago when it first became public. To recap -

Although based on the underpinnings of the hugely successful X5, the X6 is radically different. In pictures it seems to be quite a dinky 4×4, but don’t be fooled. This car is big. It’s longer, wider and lower than the X5, but you still sit up high, so the 4×4 view out is still there. And it has some very interesting detailing, not least the dramatically sloping roofline and massive rear tailgate. This really is a very different looking car. The interior is beautifully finished but, unlike its sibling the X5, there is no seven seat option. In fact, the X6 has just four seats. This isn’t a multi-people, all purpose 4×4. It’s a big, bold coupe on stilts.

Now I actually like this car. It’s big, it’s well finished and it handles. There’s a good range of engines, and the range-topping 4.8 twin turbo is a good performer, managing the 0-60 sprint in not much more than 5 seconds.

This is a good alternative to the Range Rover Sport or Cayenne. Capable. Worth having.

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The whole 4×4 bandwagon rolls on, with a new, different player, in the guise of the BMW X6. So much for the ‘Green Police’ assertion that 4×4s are dinosaurs and due to die a timely death at any time.

The BMW X6 really is a new slant on the 4×4 / SUV sector. BMW call it an SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle) to differentiate it from the run-of-the-mill SUV. Is that just marketing hype, or is this really a new take on the 4×4? Well actually, it really is very different to most of what’s out there at the moment.

Although based on the underpinnings of the hugely successful X5, the X6 is radically different. In pictures it seems to be quite a dinky 4×4, but don’t be fooled. This car is big. It’s longer, wider and lower than the X5, but you still sit up high, so the 4×4 view out is still there. And it has some very interesting detailing, not least the dramatically sloping roofline and massive rear tailgate. This really is a very different looking car. The interior is beautifully finished but, unlike its sibling the X5, there is no seven seat option. In fact, the X6 has just four seats. This isn’t a multi-people, all purpose 4×4. It’s a big, bold coupe on stilts.

The X6 has a fairly predictable set of engine choices, including a twin-turbo straight six putting out 300php, and a couple of diesels. But the peach is the 400bhp version of the 4.8 out of the X5. That should be very quick! And it gets the BMW Dynamic Performance Control, a very clever system that actually sends more power to the wheel with more grip. With a widened track and 20in wheels you can expect this to handle very well indeed.

In many ways I think this is the car Porsche tried to make with the Cayenne. It’s a really good looking car, something, despite all the tweaks, Porsche have still not managed with the Cayenne. Will it be as nice to drive as the Cayenne? It looks likely. But will it be as good off-road as the Cayenne, which is second only to the Range Rover when the going gets rough? In all likelihood, no. But that really isn’t what people buy these cars for. It’s the looks, the performance and the high seating. And the BMW seems to have those in spades.

So if you’re looking for a very stylish, quick and different 4×4, then you can find the BMW X6 for sale in the UK from April next year.

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