When I picked up the 2010 BMW X6 M, I sent out a tweet (@RobRothwell) asking rhetorically, “can an SUV have too much power?” After all, 555 horsepower could probably speed up one of Germany’s high-speed ICE trains.
The responding tweets suggested with great certitude, that an SUV could never have too much power.
555 horsepower: How did they do that?
How does one extract 555 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm and 500 pound-feet of torque @ 1,500 - 5,650 rpm from an engine of a mere 4.4-litres in displacement you ask? That’s a good question, although a bit wordy.
First of all, you start with a polished 32-valve BMW V8 M powerplant and add to it for the first time ever, a pair of low-mass twin-scroll turbochargers and BMW’s exclusive Cylinder-bank Comprehensive Manifold (CCM) technology.
The aforementioned plumbing forces up to 21 psi of atmosphere down the intake manifold in a more fluid and consistent fashion than with a traditional turbo setup. The net result is instant bone-crushing power that’s in abundance throughout the rev band.
Now that you know BMW’s little secret on a completely superficial basis, let’s leave the tekkie-talk behind and put the technology to work.
One button – 555 horsepower
What sets the X6 M apart from, well almost everything, isn’t its fastback design, which was quickly copied by Honda/Acura and I’m sure will be copied by numerous others, but rather its enormous output of 555 horsepower; and that I doubt will be copied.
Firing-up the M-brute didn’t please my ears the way of most other high-output V8s. You see, something about BMW’s CCM technology alters the engine’s exhaust sound. There wasn’t an aggressive growl when the revs were stepped up and no baritone burble as they settled back down.
It’s not that the engine produces unpleasant auditory accompaniment, it’s just that an aspect I admire of most V8s is missing. In fact, it was hard to discern from the exhaust note whether six or eight or ten cylinders were firing beneath the hood.
The responding tweets suggested with great certitude, that an SUV could never have too much power.
 |
| The base X6 M MSRP is $99,900. My fully appointed tester rang in an eye-popping $111,850. |
555 horsepower: How did they do that?
How does one extract 555 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm and 500 pound-feet of torque @ 1,500 - 5,650 rpm from an engine of a mere 4.4-litres in displacement you ask? That’s a good question, although a bit wordy.
First of all, you start with a polished 32-valve BMW V8 M powerplant and add to it for the first time ever, a pair of low-mass twin-scroll turbochargers and BMW’s exclusive Cylinder-bank Comprehensive Manifold (CCM) technology.
The aforementioned plumbing forces up to 21 psi of atmosphere down the intake manifold in a more fluid and consistent fashion than with a traditional turbo setup. The net result is instant bone-crushing power that’s in abundance throughout the rev band.
Now that you know BMW’s little secret on a completely superficial basis, let’s leave the tekkie-talk behind and put the technology to work.
One button – 555 horsepower
What sets the X6 M apart from, well almost everything, isn’t its fastback design, which was quickly copied by Honda/Acura and I’m sure will be copied by numerous others, but rather its enormous output of 555 horsepower; and that I doubt will be copied.
Firing-up the M-brute didn’t please my ears the way of most other high-output V8s. You see, something about BMW’s CCM technology alters the engine’s exhaust sound. There wasn’t an aggressive growl when the revs were stepped up and no baritone burble as they settled back down.
It’s not that the engine produces unpleasant auditory accompaniment, it’s just that an aspect I admire of most V8s is missing. In fact, it was hard to discern from the exhaust note whether six or eight or ten cylinders were firing beneath the hood.
 |
| It’s not that the engine produces unpleasant auditory accompaniment, it’s just that an aspect I admire of most V8s is missing. |