Showing posts with label Super Cars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Super Cars. Show all posts

10 Best James Bond Cars

Posted by Black Duc On Thursday, October 16, 2014 0 nhận xét

When It Comes to Movie Cars, Nobody Does It Better




It has been 50 years since Sean Connery first uttered those famous words, "Bond. James Bond." From Dr. No to the upcoming Skyfall, movie audiences the world over have been treated to 23 James Bond movies. With that longevity come certain expectations — exotic locales, beautiful women, outlandish plots, sexy psychedelic credits and vodka martinis, shaken not stirred. And oh yes, cars. Fantastic, classic, preferably gadget-filled cars.
So read on as we list the 10 Best James Bond cars and share some of the behind-the-scenes stories that helped make them such icons.
1. Aston Martin DB5 — Goldfinger, Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale, Skyfall
Was there really any doubt about No. 1? We could be controversial for the sake of being controversial, but how can you possibly go against the car that started it all? The car that didn't just have a starring role in one film, but went on to appear in five others? The car dubbed the most famous in the world? Say "James Bond's car," and everyone knows which one you're talking about.
Now, the Aston Martin DB5 wasn't really the first Bond car. In Dr. No he drove a Sunbeam Alpine and in most books he drove prewar Bentleys. However, the novel Goldfinger actually features an Aston Martin DB Mark III with a few special spy additions like a hidden gun compartment. For the movie, the filmmakers obviously had bigger ideas. Production Designer Ken Adam chose the latest Aston — the DB5 — to outfit with machine guns, an oil sprayer, tire shredders, rotating number plates, a tracking system and, of course, an ejector seat.
Despite what you might suspect, Aston Martin didn't bend over backward to help out. Eon Productions had to twist Aston's arm just to "loan" the film a development prototype and there wasn't any sort of product placement deal. The overwhelming publicity generated for Aston Martin by Goldfinger is a major reason such placement deals exist today. Not only did the car shortly thereafter feature in Thunderball, but it went on a worldwide tour to promote both films.
The car itself would inspire all of the gadget-laden cars that came after it, and made a reappearance years later as the personal car of Pierce Brosnan's Bond — albeit without the gadgets and a slightly different number plate (BMT 214A versus 216A). In Casino Royale, the modern Bond's ownership of the car is explained when Daniel Craig wins it in a poker game. Like James Bond himself, the Aston Martin DB5 will return in Skyfall.
2. Lotus Esprit S1 — The Spy Who Loved Me
The DB5 is the icon and the original, but if it were our choice for a spy car, the Lotus Esprit S1 featured in The Spy Who Loved Me would be it. Not only does it participate in one of the series' best car chases, it tops it off by taking a plunge off a pier and turning into a submarine for an underwater boat chase. How cool is that?
"I thought its shape could make it a believable submarine," Production Designer Ken Adam said in the book The Art of Bond. "An American submarine company built it for me. And it traveled underwater — it was not pressurized but it could do 7 knots underwater. Stunt divers with oxygen tanks operated it and we also had it as a model."
Lotus provided seven vehicle "shells" that were used to create the submarine and show individual transformation elements. However, getting fully functional road-going cars proved more difficult. During the making of the film, the second unit realized the only other car that could keep up with the Esprit for car-to-car shots was another Esprit. As it was so early in the car's production, they were informed that the only other one available was owned by Lotus Chairman Colin Chapman. He was only too happy to loan it to them.
The exotic Esprit also proved to be a handful for the stunt driver unaccustomed to midengine dynamics. With director Lewis Gilbert dissatisfied with the speeds being portrayed on film, Roger Becker, a Lotus employee Chapman had personally instructed to aid the production, stepped into drive for many of the featured shots. The result was a ground-breaking action sequence.
3. Aston Martin V8 Vantage — The Living Daylights
With Timothy Dalton taking over the part for 1987's The Living Daylights, the Bond producers were eager to use elements that tied the film to those that came before it. At the same time, Aston Martin was facing hard times (not exactly an uncommon occurrence) and was thrilled to rekindle the relationship that had made it so famous.
The Aston in question was a Volante that Q's boys in the workshop somehow "winterize" to become a regular Vantage coupe. Probably best to overlook that one. Also best to overlook the fact that the car itself dated back to the original DBS that appeared in 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service. The Series 5, as it's known, was still substantially enhanced over the years and now featured a 5.3-liter, 370-horsepower V8. It was also still gorgeous, still an Aston Martin, and it was also the first car since The Spy Who Loved Me to be laden with gadgets.
Bond's "winterized" Aston featured outrigger skis, spikes that deploy from the tires, lasers mounted in the wheel hubs, a rocket afterburner and missiles hidden behind the driving lights. The snow-bound mountain chase scene in Czechoslovakia is one of the most underrated in the series' 50-year history.
4. BMW 750iL — Tomorrow Never Dies
While the three cars above were all lust-worthy, there's always that voice in the back of your head asking, "Would a secret agent really drive something that flashy?" Well, a 750iL is hardly anonymous, but it would certainly blend into a parking lot while still exuding that premium air expected from a James Bond car. It was also a classic, V12-powered BMW flagship sedan with a design that many view as the last good-looking 7 Series.
Its colossal size (for a Bond car) made it possible to stuff in more gadgets than ever previously seen. BMW provided 10 cars to the production, two of which were packed with 12 sunroof-mounted rockets, a wire cutter that popped up from the roundel, a hidden gun compartment behind the airbag, tire-shredding tetrahedrons that deploy from the rear bumper and re-inflating tires.
Q Branch's idea of security also moved beyond simply blowing the car up (see No. 6). Windows were smash-proof, door handles were electrified, there were noxious gas canisters and Bond could retrieve the car using his mobile phone. That particular function made for a particularly unique chase where Pierce Brosnan's Bond drives from the backseat.
Some have said that 007 shouldn't have driven German cars, but the ramshackle state of the British car industry in the late 1990s made sticking with the home team a little difficult. Could you really see 007 driving a Jag Vanden Plas? It wasn't ideal and certainly the result of a lucrative product placement deal, but the brand and Bond were nevertheless a good fit.
5. Mercury Cougar XR-7 — On Her Majesty's Secret Service
It seems only fitting that a new James Bond should be introduced in an equally new Aston Martin, and that's exactly what happened during the pre-credits sequence of On Her Majesty's Secret Service when George Lazenby chases down Diana Rigg's Tracy di Vincenzo in his DBS. It was a nice enough car, but her red Mercury Cougar convertible is the bigger automotive star in this fan-favorite film.
Little explanation should be needed as to why a classic 1969 Cougar XR-7 might be a memorable automobile. True, it's the first car on our list without gadgets, but it makes up for that with more screen time and action than any of the cars below. With skis mounted to its trunk, the Cougar slips and slides between 6-foot snowbanks as it evades Ernst Stavro Blofeld's Benz-driving henchmen through the Swiss Alps. To shake them off, Bond urges that they crash a snow-bound stock car race, where the Cougar takes a mighty beating, but emerges victorious after some pretty memorable powerslides to boot.
The kicker: It's Tracy doing all the driving. No wonder she ends up as Mrs. Bond.
6. Lotus Esprit Turbo — For Your Eyes Only
Truth be told, the Esprit Turbo did very little in For Your Eyes Only. A white one gets blown up by its own self-destruct system when some baddies try to break into it, while Roger Moore's Bond drives another around the ski resort town of Cortina d'Ampezzo. However, there is something about that particular car that is just so incredibly cool — the deep red paint, the gold wheels and graphics, the white-letter tires and of course, the Olin Mark VI skis mounted to the back. Suppose there's something about red sports cars and skis.
This Esprit also represented a step up from the Esprit S1 featured four years earlier in The Spy Who Loved Me. OK, so it couldn't turn into a submarine, but its four-cylinder engine was at least turbocharged to produce 210 hp. The S1 was only good for 160 hp in Europe, 140 in the States. Other enhancements included a strengthened chassis, redesigned rear suspension, a Giugiaro-designed body kit and some pretty spectacular rouched leather in place of the S1's plaid cloth.
7. Toyota 2000GT Roadster — You Only Live Twice
This car also wasn't driven by James Bond. Instead, Japanese S.I.S. agent Aki twice shows up to save an unsuspecting Bond from a nefarious end, then proceeds to show off some pretty impressive driving through Tokyo in her Toyota 2000GT roadster.
Interestingly, though, Toyota didn't actually sell a 2000GT roadster. Like the Lotus Esprit S1 and BMW Z3 after it, the 150-hp 2000GT wasn't yet in full production. Toyota only intended to sell its first-ever sports car as a coupe, which was a problem. Not only would it make in-car filming difficult, but 6-foot-2 Sean Connery couldn't actually fit in the thing.
A simpler Targa-style roof was tried, but Connery's head popping up above the roof line looked ridiculous. A roadster was the only solution and Toyota's Toyopet Service Centre converted two coupes into roadsters in a mere two weeks. Well, they technically weren't convertibles since there were no side windows and that black tonneau cover didn't actually conceal a folding roof. But that's the magic of the movies, and so, too, was the variety of communications gadgets added to the car, including a closed-circuit TV.
8. Ford Mustang Mach 1 — Diamonds Are Forever
Sean Connery's Bond drives the Mach 1 as he and Tiffany Case (Jill St. John) evade the hapless police through downtown Las Vegas. Only The Blues Brothers challenges Diamonds Are Foreverfor 1970s land yacht police car carnage. Director Guy Hamilton hated American cars and was only too happy to destroy as many as he could while making them look ridiculous in the process.
Ford happily lent the Bond producers eight revised-for-1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1s with the Sportsroof option. This was the last major restyling of the original Mustang and it included the car growing in almost every dimension. Thankfully, Case's Mach 1 featured the 7.0-liter 375-hp Cobra Jet V8 that would disappear the following year.
Yet, the Mach 1 in Diamonds is best known for one of the most infamous continuity errors in film history. Facing an alley too narrow to fit through, Bond drives the Mustang onto the passenger-side wheels, squeezes through the passage and comes down safely on the other side.
While the first part of the shot in the alley was filmed at Universal Studios, the emerging shot was filmed in Las Vegas by a different unit. Unfortunately, they did the shot on the driver-side wheels. Director Guy Hamilton didn't seem to care much and was content adding a nonsensical in-car shot of the car rotating onto its opposite wheels while inside the alley.
"To this very day, every time I see it, my heart goes in my mouth," said the series' long-time continuity "girl" Elaine Schreyeck in the documentary Inside Diamonds Are Forever.
9. BMW Z8 — The World Is Not Enough
While the BMW Z3 was launched to overwhelming fan fare in GoldenEye, the car was barely used. That mistake was not repeated four years later. Featuring retro-inspired styling by Henrik Fisker and a 400-hp V8, the classic BMW Z8 got its fair share of screen time in The World Is Not Enough. Though not as gadget-laden as the 750iL, the Z8 nevertheless featured little missiles that popped out of the side gills and a clever steering wheel to control them.
More noteworthy, though, is the Z8's untimely end. We can still hear the groans in the theater as those helicopter saw blades sliced the beautiful roadster in two. Q is not going to like this, indeed.
10. Aston Martin DBS — Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace
As painful as the last entry's demise was, it couldn't possibly match the spectacular end met by the Aston Martin DBS in Casino Royale. As Daniel Craig's Bond chases down Vesper Lynd's abductors on a dimly lit Montenegro mountain road, she suddenly appears lying bound in the middle of the road. Bond swerves to avoid her, flipping the DBS a record seven times before crashing down onto the grass.
Accomplishing the stunt was more difficult than it appeared on film. No matter how hard the stunt drivers tried, the DBS simply was not going to lose control in such an epically disastrous manner. As such, a compressed air cannon fitted behind the driver seat fired a cylinder into the road when the driver swerved to avoid the actual stuntwoman lying in the road. The results were better than anyone expected.
The DBS featured in Quantum of Solace wasn't exactly babied, either. In part driven by Ben "The Stig" Collins, this DBS participates in a wild chase around Italy's Lake Garda and inside a quarry. Though it didn't feature in the movie, one of the many cars used in the chase accidentally plunged into the lake after stunt driver Fraser Dunn lost control, smashed through a rather flimsy protective railing and dropped 8 meters into the drink. He survived relatively unscathed, but the car had to be salvaged from 55 meters down
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2015 Ford Mondeo first drive

Posted by Black Duc On Monday, October 13, 2014 0 nhận xét

2015 Ford Mondeo first drive

The new Ford Mondeo is two years late coming to Europe, so was it worth the wait?

4 out of 5 stars
Ford Mondeo 2015 front
The new Ford Mondeo costs from £20,715 
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This new 2015 Ford Mondeo should have in fact been the 2012 Ford Mondeo. That’s when it went on sale in the US, albeit called the Fusion, as part of Ford’s vision for a range of world cars that also includes theFocus and Fiesta.
Problem was, back in Europe Ford had been forced to close the factory where the Mondeo was due to be built, and so began the long process of shifting production to another plant (in Valencia, Spain). And when I say long, I mean two years.
Not that we’ve missed the new Mondeo in the same way we would have a Focus or Fiesta. For while those smaller models have thrived, the Mondeo’s sector has been eaten into on three sides; by the growth of crossovers and SUVs; by a shift in the company car market to premium brands; and by an overall trend for downsizing.
If Ford sells 20,000 Mondeos in 2015 it’ll be quietly happy – amazing when you think that in its Nineties heyday it was achieving six times that volume.

Boot capacity of the Mondeo hatch is a vast 550 litres
Whichever engine you choose, the Mondeo looks as sharp as a Sabatier, with an Aston Martin-esque grille that wouldn’t look out of place on, well, an Aston Martin. It really is a good piece of design.
Sadly, the same can’t be said of the interior. Because in a segment occupied by the new VW Passat andBMW 3-series, the Mondeo feels decidedly ordinary once you’re sitting inside it. Sure, there’s an 8in touchscreen and you can jazz things up with leather trim, but there’s still a load of scratchy plastics and the general sense of Ford having spent on the whole interior what VW allocates to just the dials. If Ford’s Vignale luxury brand is to catch on, it’ll have to do significantly better than this.
Being enormous (the norm for this class of car nowadays), the Mondeo will swallow five adults and all of their worldly possessions without breaking sweat. Even in the hatchback the boot is a whopping 550 litres, with an estate version further boosting practicality.

The interior of the Ford Mondeo features an 8in touchscreen
There’s also now the kind of technology buyers expect in this class, such as an automatic parking function and a not very good voice activation system.
On the safety side is an optional autonomous emergency braking system that will bring the car to a stop if it detects it is on course for a collision with another vehicle or pedestrian, plus as a first for this sector you can order inflatable rear seatbelts to further protect occupants in a crash.
We drove the 180bhp diesel, which wasn’t nearly as fast as it sounds like it should be. Getting from 0-62mph takes 8.3sec, but it’s the lack of a big surge of mid-range torque that is more noticeable by its absence. Still, CO2 emissions of 115g/km aren’t to be sniffed at (the cleanest Mondeo emits just 94g/km), and it can still be rowed along reasonably swifty. It’s a quiet engine, too, adding to the Mondeo's superb motorway refinement, and in our hands returned an indicated 60mpg.
As with previous versions of the Mondeo, by far and away the standout feature is the balance struck between ride comfort and handling. Even in non-sporty Titanium trim this thing has a rare sense of balance in the corners and poise over the bumps. Part of this is down to a new rear suspension system that’s shared with the latest Mustang, and the rest the result of good old fashioned chassis tuning.

The new Mondeo has been sold in the US since 2012 as the Ford Fusion
A first for a Mondeo, the power steering is electrically rather than hydraulically assisted, in a bid to reduce weight and improve fuel economy. The result, if not ultimately quite as polished as the previous Mondeo’s helm, is still very good by class standards. Perhaps not the quickest, but like the gearshift (and the brakes, and the throttle for that matter), it’s consistent in its response, silky smooth and beautifully weighted; a combination that makes the Mondeo a pleasure to drive on twisting roads – or any road for that matter.
It should be noted, however, that our test car was on adaptive damping, which is an option that will be saved for the Vignale in the UK (along with seats that massage you as you drive). Regular Mondeos will have either a standard or Sport setup, the latter lowered by 10mm and with firmer springs and dampers.
All in all, though, this new Mondeo is big, smooth and handles with more verve than anything else in the class. It might not be destined for huge sales success, but the Mondeo’s arrival in the UK is definitely a case of better late than never.
THE FACTS
Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi 180 Titanium
Price: Range from £20,715 (as tested £24,165)
Power/torque: 180bhp @ 3,500rpm/295lb ft @ 2,000-2,500rpm
Acceleration: 0-62mph in 8.3sec
Top speed: 140mph
Fuel economy: 64.2mpg (EU Combined)
CO2 emissions: 115g/km
Telegraph rating: Four out of five stars
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TT-winning BMW ridden

Posted by Black Duc On 0 nhận xét

TT-winning BMW ridden

Roland Brown tries Michael Dunlop's Isle of Man TT-winning motorbike and speaks to the man himself

Michael Dunlop's TT-winning Hawk BMW S1000RR
Roland was glad to ride the Hawk BMW S1000RR away from the Isle of Man Photo: Matteo Cavadini
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There was one minor hitch to BMWs generous offer to let me ride Michael Dunlop’s TT-winning S1000RR at the Jerez Grand Prix circuit. Not enough brick walls. Or kerbs, trees, lamp posts, or any of the other “street furniture” that makes racing on the TT circuit such a unique and dangerous experience.
Not that I was complaining, I hasten to add. Riding this two-wheeled missile on the Spanish circuit’s broad, smooth Tarmac with its generous run-off areas was quite exciting and challenging enough, thank you very much.
The most remarkable thing about this most successful of BMW motorcycles is arguably not how special it is, but how ordinary. Built by the Leicestershire-based Hawk Racing team, its most exotic component is its 999cc, four-cylinder engine. This comes direct from the Munich factory, is built to World Superbike specification using lightweight titanium parts, and produces 222bhp – that's 30bhp more than the production bike.

The Hawk BMW S1000RR is built for strength as much as speed
The aluminium frame, by contrast, is from a standard road-going S1000RR. And although the Öhlins suspension, Brembo brakes and Dymag wheels are high-quality racing components, they’re parts that any racer can buy.
Even so, it feels wonderfully racy as I head out for my blast at Jerez. The way it accelerates out of the tight final turn, sheer power lifting its front wheel despite my efforts to pull my weight forward and keep it down, is as impressive as it’s thrilling.
As the BMW storms down the main straight towards its top speed of almost 200mph I’m glad that, like most TT racers, Dunlop prefers a tall screen, to help escape the wind on the Mountain Circuit’s high-speed stretches. Thankfully, the bike slows for the following hairpin with reassuring ferocity.
It handles very well, too, but is slightly less agile than I expected, built for stability through fast and bumpy Manx curves. Michael, the elder of two racing brothers from the famous family (he’s the brother of William, son of the late Robert and nephew of Joey), has a boxer-like physique that helps him muscle it around.
As I climb off the BMW after my handful of laps, I can’t help feeling that although I’ve had a vivid demonstration of its speed, I’m not much closer to understanding what it must be like to lap the TT circuit at an average of more than 131mph, as Dunlop did on the way to winning this year’s Superbike and Senior races.

Michael Dunlop celebrates winning on the Isle of Man
I’d hoped he would explain what it took to push this fearsome machine to the limit on those unforgiving roads, but he’s reluctant to give much away. “I just get on and ride it,” he says. “It’s just a bike, like the Honda I rode last year. Could I ride even faster if the walls weren’t there? It’s just not something I think about.”
It’s no wonder Dunlop doesn’t want to reveal his secrets. After four wins in each of the last two years, he has succeeded John McGuinness to become the top man at the TT. BMW want to keep him for next year and Honda would love to have him back, but Dunlop will take his time before signing a new deal.
The S1000RR he rode has earned its place in BMW’s museum, where it will end up after being displayed at this autumn’s big motorcycle shows. It’s a fine bike, but as Dunlop knows, and my ride confirmed, one old racing phrase is especially true of a TT winning machine: its most important component is the nut holding the handlebars.
THE FACTS
Michael Dunlop's TT-winning Hawk BMW S1000RR
Tested: 999cc four-cylinder four-stroke, six-speed transmission
Price: £100,000 (estimated)
Power/torque: 222bhp @ 14,300rpm/not disclosed
Top speed: 200mph (approx)
Fuel tank/range: 80 miles @ 15mpg (estimated)
Verdict: Built with the express aim of winning a TT, and won two in a week. Fast, stable, reliable and, with Michael Dunlop on board, unbeatable on the Isle of Man
Telegraph rating: Five stars out of five
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50 years of Japanese cars in the UK

Posted by Black Duc On 0 nhận xét

50 years of Japanese cars in the UK

The Daihatsu Compagno was the first Japanese car to be officially sold here, a warning to British industry that went unheeded

Daihatsu Compagno front

Around the time of the 1964 British Motor Show, one announcement from Dufay (Birmingham) Ltd, a subsidiary of a London-based film-stock manufacturer, was overlooked in all the excitement surrounding the latest models. Most public attention was directed towards the Mini Moke, Sunbeam Tiger and, depending on how you defined excitement, the FC-series Vauxhall Victor, so it was easy to overlook the news that Dufay had agreed to import a range of small saloons made by Japan’s oldest car maker.
The first imports arrived in May 1965, making the Daihatsu Compagno the first Japanese car to be officially sold in the UK. Four versions of the Compagno were imported but regardless of whether you chose the two-door 800 Berlina, the Estate, the four-door Berlina or the Vignale-styled 1000 Spider, Dufay promised that they “have everything!”.
The 800 cost £799 17s 4d, a figure inflated by British import duties, making the Compagno an expensive prospect for a 1965-vintage small car because it cost about £200 more than the comparable Ford Anglia 123E Super. However, the equipment list included a heater, tinted glass, whitewall tyres, fog and reversing lamps, reclining seats, wing mirrors, a cigarette lighter, a clock, electric screenwashers and even a radio with an automatic aerial.

The Compagno featured a heater, reclining seats, a cigarette lighter and a clock
Sadly, few buyers called Muswell 2901 for further details, for when production of the Compagno ceased in 1970 a mere six British-market versions had been sold. Dufay had sold Japanese cameras but had no expertise with retailing cars and it would not be until nine years later that Daihatsus officially returned to the UK.

The original two-door 800 press car survives to this day as an example of a wasted opportunity, for the Daihatsu had more than enough showroom appeal – it was truly a car for “the carefree and the cautious” alike, with its “jaunty low-slung bucket seats”. The Italianate styling was more elegant than the cuboid lines of the Vauxhall Viva HA and the four-speed column gear change was not unpleasant to operate. There was also a surprisingly capacious boot and if the Compagno’s separate chassis and live rear axle lacked the sophistication of the Morris 1100’s engineering, then so did the Triumph Herald.
The Compagno 800 did need more motorway performance, as the 797cc engine could coax a top speed of only 66mph, resulting in the Compagno 800 becoming one of the few cars that can be outperformed by aRenault 4. Suburban Graham Hill clones would have been more at home with the top-of-the-range Spider, which was not just the only fuel-injected Japanese car of that time, but exceptionally good-looking into the bargain. And what other car could have offered “kitten-quiet, tiger-quick power”?

The Daihatsu Compagno's 797cc engine gave it a top speed of just 66mph
When the Daihatsu first arrived in the UK, Japanese cars were already rivalling British models in several European and Commonwealth markets – a 1963 Australian motor magazine gloriously proclaimed that theNissan Cedric “was no cissy”. An Autocar test of the two-door Berlina from August 1965 sniffed that the “long-threatened Jap invasion of our motoring scene” was “essentially well made, but technically unadvanced” – yet this was the key to the success of so many cars that came after the Compagno, from the Toyota Corolla to the first Sunderland-built Nissan Bluebirds.
The Compagno deserves to be remembered as more than a footnote in British motoring history, for when the press demonstrator CHB 8B was registered on October 23 1964 it was the harbinger of future Japanese commercial success. Besides, anyone not totally enthused by the combined British/Spanish market brochure stating that “the Compagno Berlina 1000 De Luxe has got it!” is quite possibly dead.
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2015 BMW X6 first drive

Posted by Black Duc On 0 nhận xét

2015 BMW X6 first drive

Now in its second generation, the BMW X6 is more efficient and even better to drive - but just as brash

BMW X6 review
Agile handling has always been a strength of the BMW X6 
By 
11:25AM BST 13 Oct 2014
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Not so many years ago, big 4x4s were under attack. The green-leaning considered Sloan Square-roaming off-roaders to be the ultimate form of earth-baking indulgence, their occupants vilified as unthinking, planet-wrecking Chelsea tractor drivers. And then the snows came. Britain was iced white, and suddenly a big, robust and unstoppable four-wheel drive didn’t look quite such a silly choice.
Their sales have kept on growing ever since, criticism of them reducing to little more than a murmur. And that even applies to the BMW X6, one of the most indulgent of them all. Not because it was any bigger or heavier, but because this curious, five-door coupe of a 4x4 was promoted as a four-seater, and because there’s something slightly absurd about trying to build a sports car out of a vehicle with the height of a decent garden shed.
But the X6 didn’t just attract criticism. It attracted buyers, too - almost 260,000 of them since 2008. If you’re unfamiliar with the arithmetic of car manufacturers’ production runs (entirely understandable) then believe us when we tell you that this is a pretty big number for a specialised, high-end machine like this.

The engine in the M50d produces 381bhp - enough to get it to 62mph in 5.2sec
Its sales even surprised BMW, which discovered that this 4x4 primarily designed for America, where it is built and where its scale seems more reasonable, was proving just as much of a draw for customers in China and Europe. And that’s why it has had no hesitation in producing a second-generation version.
Although some engines from the previous model reappear in this version, all have been upgraded and installed within an all-new body, which carries a redesigned interior. The X6 now carries more equipment but weighs no more than the outgoing model, plus it can be ordered with optional features such as a self-parking system, night vision assistance and a traffic jam assistant that allows the car to automatically edge along behind the vehicle in front. And it will also seat five adults as standard, in contrast to the previous model, whose back bench was shaped to seat four unless otherwise specified.
BMW is currently offering four engine options with this new X6, three of them diesel, one a petrol, with more to come, including a hugely powerful X6 M model and a hybrid. Tested here is the ultimate, sports-oriented diesel, badged X6 M50d. This £66,915 machine comes with a triple turbo (you read that right) six-cylinder engine, an eight-speed automatic gearbox and the pulling power of a small railway shunter. Yet it will return an official 42.8mpg – think 30-35 in the real world – with emissions of 174g/km, which isn’t bad considering its 2.2-tonne bulk and overtaking potential.

The BMW X6 has a classy interior with logically arranged controls
Even more impressive is the M50d’s way with bends. The coupe-like roofline, subtly aggressive nose and substantial wheels signal a sporting mission, while a less obvious clue is the pair of elegant kneepads sprouting from the centre console. These provide the driver and front passenger with additional bracing when the X6 is performing athletic cornering manoeuvres and as it turns out, they’re not inappropriate.
The M50d comes with so-called adaptive M Sport suspension, which firm up considerably in the Sport mode to limit body-roll. Spend the best part of £3000 and the X6’s resistance to body-roll can be further bolstered with the Dynamic adaptive package, which includes active bodyroll control and a rear axle that distributes the engine’s power to the rear wheel with the most grip, the result being still greater agility and a resistance to lean that’s remarkable given this car’s height. It’s a package well worth having if you’re a keen driver, although it’s a shame that you must pay more; this sporting X6 should really have it as standard.
With it fitted, the X6 produces briskly fluent progress through a succession of twists, your enjoyment stemming as much from the BMW’s poise as the unlikeliness of a car this big displaying such balletic composure. The accuracy of the rather weighty steering helps, although you won’t feel much of the topography beneath via its unnecessarily fat rim.
If the M50d’s handling is fluent, the ride proves less so, its 20-inch wheels jolting noticeably over sharper bumps. On Britain’s battered roads it’s likely to turn turbulent at times. That’s a contrast to the luxuriantly calming ambience of the X6’s interior, which proves extraordinarily quiet at speed. You’ll hear the diesel when you work it hard – although the sound is far from unpleasant – and there’s a whisper of wind noise around the front doors, but on the smooth roads of the US test route, the car was often library-quiet.

It might use a diesel engine, but the X6 M50d sounds good when you accelerate
It’s also very classy, the aura of subtle luxury heightened by the pleasing sweep of the well-ordered dashboard, the finely crafted wood and aluminium décor and a very readable infotainment screen.
Space in the rear is unexpectedly generous given the X6’s coupe-like roofline, although it’s disappointing to discover limited foot-room, the front seats too bulky to allow your shoes to snuggle beneath them. But that back seat will seat three, and boot space is pretty generous seats up or folded down – there’s a vein of practicality running through this X6, despite its sporty ambitions.
The essential recipe for this sporting off-roader remains unchanged, though. It’s big, it’s ostentatious, it’s fast and it’s a lot more agile than it looks. It’s also well finished, and useful. For the moment, this is BMW’s ultimate four-wheel drive X model. Get ready, though, for the still bigger X7 in 2016.
THE FACTS
BMW X6 M50d
Tested: 2993cc six cylinder turbodiesel, eight-speed automatic gearbox, four-wheel drive
Price/on sale: £51,145-£66,915
Power/torque: 381bhp @ 4000rpm/546lb ft @ 2000rpm
Top Speed: 155mph
Acceleration: 0-62mph in 5.2sec
Fuel economy: 42.8mpg EU Combined
CO2 emissions: 174g/km
VED band: H (£290 for first year, £205 thereafter)
Verdict: Combines excellent performance with impressive handling, plus it’s very civilised and more practical than it looks. Styling too brash for some, though.
Telegraph rating: Four stars out of five
THE RIVALS
Range Rover Sport SDV6 HSE, priced from £61,250
Well short of the BMW’s grunt, and the far pricier V8 diesel also falls short, but its style will be more appealing to many.
Porsche Cayenne V8 S Diesel, priced from £42,990
More cylinders than the BMW, if slightly less power, the Cayenne is similarly good to to drive, more practical and much cheaper.
For all the latest news, advice and reviews from Telegraph Cars, sign up to our weekly newsletter by entering your email here
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The quietest Lamborghini ever built unveiled in Paris

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The quietest Lamborghini ever built unveiled in Paris

Lamborghini is best known as a guardian of grunt, but it has unveiled something entirely different at the Paris Motor Show: a plug-in hybrid. The Asterion is Lambo's most powerful hypercar ever, but even the head designer took some convincing the way to go was electric


This week in Paris the world’s luxury automakers will show off their best new work.
The Mondial de l’Automobile 2014 (Paris Auto Show) opens to the public on this Saturday, October 4, primed to dovetail perfectly with the final catcalls of Paris Fashion Week. And like the fashion designers before them, automakers will be doing their best to scatter their own catwalks, as it were, with style.
These days, with consumers more educated and demanding than ever, they’ve got to.
One crucial debut is Lamborghini’s Asterion, a brand-new plug-in hybrid electric concept. The car has 910 horsepower and will go 31 miles (50 km) on pure electric energy before engaging its motor. CEO Stephan Winkelmann called it a ‘ground-breaking, crucial step’ for the Volkswagen AG-owned company.

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WIN THE ULTIMATE SUPERCAR DRIVING EXPERIENCE!

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We know our site is pretty cool, but the guys over at Carhoots.com have created an awesome site to browse the finest Supercars on the planet with incredible images, videos and reviews all in one place!

That is one reason to sign up, the other is the awesome competition they are holding where you can WIN the ‘ULTIMATE SUPERCAR DRIVING EXPERIENCE’ just for signing up this week!!!

To signup and enter the draw hit the link below:

   A day of driving the fastest cars in the world just for signing up to a cool Car site??? Sounds good to us!

           Carhoots’ Ultimate Supercar Experience Giveaway!
If you love Supercars you will love this site. Carhoots want your opinions and whilst they are working on some exciting things, they want you to be a part of their community!

If you submit a short and simple car review you can also add an additional entry to increase your chances of winning!

               Carhoots’ Ultimate Supercar Experience Giveaway!

Check it out today. You won’t be disappointed.
 

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