BMW claims that the new X6 is pretty tough but is it tough enough to be drivable on an active volcano? The guys from GQ set out to find out and they had the audacity to film their trip on Mount Etna, Europe’s biggest volcano and one of the most active in the world.
Now, what you shouldn’t imagine is that lava comes squirting out of the mountain every day, as you see in the movies. By active, it means that there’s activity on the mountain pretty often in the shape of tectonic movements but full-blown eruptions are rare.
That’s where the guys from GQ Magazine decided to go to test the new car’s xDrive system and overall concept. Unfortunately, they didn’t go as high as 10,991 feet (3,350 meters) which is the highest point of the volcano but instead went as high as 8,700 feet (2,651 meters) which is high enough if you ask us.
Of course, they were met with snow and ice and hardened lava at certain points, but overall, the Bimmer was up for the job, without breaking a sweat.
The model they tested was an xDrive30d version fitted with a 3-liter inline 6-cylinder engine making 258 HP and 560 Nm (413 lb-ft) of torque, numbers that might seem a little low at first, considering the car’s 2 ton weight.
However, this SUV (or Sport Activity Coupe as BMW likes to call it) is quite agile on its feet, doing 100 km/h (62 mph) from a standstill in 6.7 seconds. Admittedly, a lot of the credit goes to the xDrive all-wheel drive system and the 8-speed automatic gearbox that comes as standard and as a sole option for changing gears.
We won’t keep you any longer, we know you want to see the SAC taking on that huge volcano so please, by all means, enjoy the show!
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