For love knows no boundaries, my love affair with the BMW X6 M50i

As human beings we have types (romantic types), at least that’s what we think.

The thing about that is that it is not always as black and white as we would like to think. Well, until the opposite of your type sweeps you off your feet.

Back to cars which is why you are here. When BMW first unleashed the X6 into the market I was one of those who did not get it. I thought it was weird. I asked myself what was the point of this gigantic spaceship, why not leave the X5 to do its thing as it always had. In fact, I likened the X6 to a SsangYong Actyon (I don’t expect the 2000 brigade to know what SsangYong is let alone the Actyon) that went to private school. A bit of background about my relationship with the BMW brand, I was never a big BMW fan, even though I’ve always had enormous respect for the brand. From their engineering sophistication to execution and technology but not a fan. Growing up I was a fan of the other German brand.

See, that thing about types. Before I knew it I was in love with the X6, so much so that if I get asked what are my top five favourite cars, an X6 will be on that list. That’s how I got swept off my feet by a non-type (if there is any such a word).

So you can imagine my recent encounter with the new BMW X6 M50i. Every part of me was ready. I was going to have this whole handsomeness of a metal on an open road to bond with. Oh boy, did I get the satisfaction.

After securing the dates for my test rotation, I decided that I would head out to the village in Limpopo where my parents had retired to. It is a good four hour drive from my home in the West Rand. My son, niece and I left Gauteng just after lunch on a beautiful spring Friday. Armed with music and snacks. We said a small prayer as it is tradition in my family then headed out towards the notorious Moloto road. I remember us singing along to some of Whitney Houston’s greatest hits. My kids are free with me, we are friends so it was just three friends in the car enjoying a road trip. Every time an opportunity arose, I opened the engine a bit, just to get the feel for it. The moment I put foot on the throttle the beasty sound exacerbated in the air and piercing through the closed windows, sending the kids into a fit of excitement. What lies under the hood is the 4.4-litre twin turbocharged engine wielding a whopping 390kW and 750Nm, making the X6 M50i one of the most daring modern day SUVs on the road. As its massive body prepares to lift the nose before it launches itself up the hill on Moloto road, my son starts giving me blow by blow stats on the car, understandably so, he can’t contain his excitement. As this is my son and mine’s first trip since our unfortunate year that was 2019, we are determined to make it worth our while. Having driven all X6 (SA) models I can safely say I thought the M50d was out of this world, don’t get me wrong I still do but boy there is something pure and almost devilish about the M50i.

We travel for kilometers and I observe that the M50i does not guzzle fuel as I’d expected it to.

Don’t ask me the fuel figures for this is toy meant for big boys and girls.

I glance at the fuel gauge and realise that there will be no need to fill up but only when coming back on the Sunday. I spot a new filling station that hadn’t previously been there, well at least when I last travelled on that road a little under two years back. I decide to turn into the filling station to get more water, we get into the shop and enjoy the feel of it. I tell the kids that the location of the filling station was well thought of. The three of us agree. Off we go, leaving other motorists and staff looking on as the X6 M50i makes the most ridiculously awesome sound joining the main road. The nose lifts again and I can feel him trying to tempt me to break all the laws of the republic that would get sister “breathelizer” jump onto the road with equal excitement. I resist the temptation. Now back to types, before falling in love with the X6 (not even a particular model), the other German brand was my “type”. But look where I found love. Never say never.