2013 BMW X6

The 2013 BMW X6 finally has some serious competition in the coupe/SUV segment, but remains one of the most impressive sport crossovers around.

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Test drivers appreciate the novelty of the 2013 BMW X6, a four-seat SUV with up to 555 horsepower. However, they say it’s an overall impractical purchase for nearly every SUV shopper.

Reviewers say the 2013 BMW X6 performs better than any SUV has a right to. They say that even its base six-cylinder engine provides great acceleration, and that it handles better than most SUVs. However, as a vehicle with such a focus on performance, critics say it could do better. They note that its hefty curb weight negatively impacts handling, and that sedans or smaller crossovers with similar cargo capacities can offer better performance. Although the BMW X6 is technically an SUV that comes standard with all-wheel drive, it’s in no way an off-road vehicle. Plus, the X6’s fuel economy isn’t stellar. Base trims get 16/23 mpg city/highway, according to the EPA, and models with larger engines get even worse mileage.

The BMW X6’s interior may be small compared with other crossovers, but auto critics say it’s well-made and well-equipped. It only seats four, which is unusual for an SUV, and it costs much more than many SUVs that offer more cargo and passenger space. Reviewers do note that BMW’s iDrive system remains overly complicated, a complaint that’s been made about the system since it debuted.

“Is this X6 M as pure an expression of M-power as universally lauded cars like the M3? With its nondual-clutch gearbox and considerable heft, the answer is a definitive No. But for swift, civilized transport with an unconventional silhouette, the X6 M goes a long way toward satisfying a question that few, if any, have asked.” — Popular Mechanics
“Marketed as a cross between an SUV and a coupe, the 2013 BMW X6 unfortunately represents a rather poor blend of both. … So, there’s the logician’s case against the 2013 BMW X6. If that doesn’t dissuade you, then we’ll simply add that it looks pretty cool in red.” — Edmunds

Video: How touch screen controls in cars should work

If you have a (relatively) new car, the center stack is probably flawed. You’d hoped for something sleek and intuitive, and instead, you wound up with Lieutenant Uhura’s computer from Star Trek: lots of bells and whistles that don’t seem to do much of anything.

This is a major problem, and solving it ranks among the biggest challenges facing today’s car companies. Our vehicles themselves may be better built than they once were, but as systems like Ford’s popular but much-loathed MyFord Touch demonstrate, our infotainment features are ready for the scrap heap.

Enter designer Matthaeus Krenn, who bemoans the fact that automakers “merely replicate old button layouts and shapes on these new, flat, glowing surfaces” littering today’s dashboards. In his notes for the video embedded above, Krenn says:

I propose a new mode that can be invoked at any time: It clears the entire screen of those tiny, intangible control elements and makes way for big, forgiving gestures that can be performed anywhere. In place of the lost tactile feedback, the interface leverages the driver’s muscle memory to ensure their ability to control crucial features without taking their eyes off the road.

Which sounds great, until you see what he’s actually proposed.

Is Krenn’s prototype beautiful? Absolutely. It looks like something out of Logan’s Run or Tron (high praise, back in the day). It would make a fantastic control panel for your in-home thermostat, lighting, and stereo.

Could it work in a car? Yes, but it would probably kill you.

We understand how Krenn’s interface works. We appreciate the way that it’s designed to be adaptive, so that it works no matter where you first touch it. Eventually, we could get used to its one-, two-, three-, four-, and five-finger controls.

But learning the system would take time, and we could envision many occasions when we meant to turn up the a/c but instead cranked up the Def Leppard. Also, we think he’s being far too optimistic when he suggest that a user could flip through her entire song catalog without glancing over at the screen.

And heaven forbid one of your parents should get a car with Krenn’s interface. You thought teaching them AOL was hard?

2014 BMW X5 – Review

2014 BMW X5

2014 BMW X5

2014 BMW X5

2014 BMW X5

2014 BMW X5

2014 BMW X5

2014 BMW X5

2014 BMW X5

2014 BMW X5

2014 BMW X5

2014 BMW X5

2014 BMW X5

2014 BMW X5

2014 BMW X5

2014 BMW X5

2014 BMW X5

2014 BMW X5

2014 BMW X5

2014 BMW X5

2014 BMW X5

2014 BMW X5

2014 BMW X5

The 2014 BMW X5 didn’t need a radical revamp–and it doesn’t get one for the new model year. It is changed, but in reassuring ways. The German-engineered, South Carolina-built sport-utility vehicle remains an aesthetically pleasing ute with good driving feel and enough onboard technology and off-road capability to earn its place in gated-community garages everywhere.

Mild evolution has its fan base, though, especially among German automakers. It’s a formula the latest X5 nails. BMW’s looked for ways to make the X5 more interesting to look at, more fuel-efficient, and more comfortable, and it’s found more than a few, without dropping its moderate levels of off-road capability too low, without sacrificing too much of its innate BMW feel to the electronically controlled future.The X5 hasn’t dramatically changed its sheetmetal, but the cabin’s reworked handsomely, if not unabashedly. The new X5 is more gracefully sculpted than its ancestors, in measurable amounts but not in any dramatic fashion. There’s plenty of X3 down the sides, where the tapered roofline and lower beltline nudge it gently toward a more sport-wagon-like form. The proportions make more visual sense, though it’s not a huge transformation on the order of, say, the first- and second-generation Cayenne. In the cockpit, the monolithic bulge of BMW’s latest dash designs shows up in swell form, made distinctive this time with a choice of neutral and brown leathers over the standard black leatherette. It’s not so broad a palette until you reach into the more extreme colors on the option list. There’s even a reddish-brown.
The new BMW X5 occupies that performance space typical of German SUVs like the Mercedes M-Class and VW Touareg and, yes we’re going there, the Jeep Grand Cherokee. There’s diesel power available, insanely plush spin-offs with V-8 thrust, sophisticated all-wheel-drive systems that provide moderate amounts of off-road capability, and extravagant suspension systems meant to muddle the crossover roots enough to make it more than palatable on-road. The familiar 300-horsepower, 3.0-liter, twin-turbo, in-line six-cylinder engine is the base engine, good for 0-60 mph times of about 6.2 seconds. We’ve yet to drive it, but have spent half days in the spiffy new xDrive35d turbodiesel and the V-8-powered xDrive50i. If 0-60 mph times rule, the V-8’s 4.9 seconds bests the diesel’s 6.9 seconds–but in our estimation, the diesel’s fuel economy and torque in-town feel more than makes up for the two seconds of slack.

All X5s now have electric power steering with adjustable effort and an Eco Pro mode that also affects the eight-speed automatic’s shifts and throttle progression, even adaptive damper settings when they’re onboard. The X5 feels most BMW-like only when Sport and Sport+ modes are engaged: there’s a heft to the steering, a resolute resistance to body roll that only gets more defiant if it’s outfitted with M Adaptive controls and a set of rear air springs. It’s all but ready to transform into an X5 M, once all the electronics are plugged in–a reality that echoes how the X5 can feel from behind the wheel, what with the lack of steering feedback and the artificial counterdamping applied by the available active-roll stabilization system.

The X5 can seat up to seven, and for most of those passengers, it’s a warmer ambiance to soak up. Seat comfort isn’t perfect, though, with some flatness in the front buckets. The second-row seat in the X5 can now be split 40/20/40, for more flexibility, and they’re adjustable for rake. If you get the optional third-row seats, there’s separately a new Easy Entry function–but they’re still Oompa-Loompa small, making them occasional seats at best, cargo space more often, a line-item veto most of the time. The cargo hold can be opened from the keyfob or the driver’s seat: the lower piece drops like a truck tailgate, while the upper glass powers open like a minivan tailgate.

No crash-test data has been published, but the X5 should equal its prior safety ratings. Active-safety features are heavily represented on the long, long options list. New features include the Active Driving Assistant (Lane Departure Warning, and a pedestrian collision system with braking), plus ACC Stop & Go (full-range camera-radar cruise control), and a new Traffic Jam Assistant that maintains following distance and keeps the vehicle at the center of its lane by providing steering input. BMW Night Vision and a head-up display remain on offer, as well as a Parking Assistant, Surround View system, and Active Blind Spot Detection.

The BMW X5 carries a base price of nearly $53,000, in line with other European-badged luxury SUVs. At the price, it’s still without a few features we think should be standard–and are standard on some mass-market utes. A rearview camera is a $400 option; any color other than flat white or flat black brings a $550 upcharge; and leather upholstery costs $1,400 at minimum. Navigation is standard equipment on most versions; it comes with the iDrive controller with its new touch-write surface, and BMW Apps, a connectivity suite that runs via an iPhone app. (Android users: give it a few months.) If you want all-wheel drive, you’ll need to step up into the X5 xDrive35i, which is priced from just over $56,000. In the $70,000 and up range, the X5 V-8 can be trimmed out with Dakota leather, Bang & Olufsen audio, a rear-seat entertainment system, and more. Our pick? Probably the winning turbodiesel five-seat model, lightly equipped with surround-view cameras and navigation, for the best long-term value of the lineup.

Most suitable car for Nigerian Roads: Lets Have your say People

Hi guys,

I have worked and lived in most Nigerian major cities- Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan…. From my observation, the most popular car vehicle in nigerian roads today is 1998 Toyota Camry “Pencil”.

The question remains: What model and type of car do you consider to be the best for use on Nigerian roads?

 

1st made in Nigeria cars by Nissan to role out in April

The first set of Made in Nigeria 4×4  SUVs will be rolled out by Nissan Motors in April this year.
nissan Chief Executive Officer of Nissan Motors, Carlos Ghosn, disclosed this to President Goodluck Jonathan on the sideline of ongoing World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Ghosn, who said the vehicles would be rolled out of the old Volkswagen Assembly plant in Lagos, noted it was possible to produce two to three million cars in Nigeria annually.
According to him, this will lead to creation of thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the country.
He also told President Jonathan that Nissan intended to increase its investment in Nigeria and establish its own production plant in the country.
“We are interested in producing popular cars , totally adapted to the needs of Nigerians,” Ghosn told the President, adding that the company also planned to bring its global suppliers to make vehicle components in the country.
In his remarks, President Jonathan reiterated that the diligent implementation of the country’s new national automotive policy would rapidly develop Nigeria’s automobile industry.

Full Year 2012 Top 7 brands Ranking Table below.

Nigeria Full Year 2012:

Pos     Carmaker     2012     %     /11     2011     %     Pos
1     Toyota     19,755     40.7%     30%     15,238     29.7%     1
2     Kia     5,034     10.4%     n/a     n/a     n/a     2
3     Hyundai     4,259     8.8%     n/a     n/a     n/a     3
4     Ford     2,613     5.4%     4%     2,523     4.9%     4
5     Honda     2,473     5.1%     58%     1,562     3.0%     7
6     Mitsubishi Fuso     2,088     4.3%     10%     1,898     3.7%     5
7     Nissan     954     2.0%     -46%     1,772     3.5%     6

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com