USED BUYER'S GUIDE BMW X6

FROM £5,000 BMW’s coupé-SUV is a bit of a Marmite car, but it's powerful, handles well and is still practical. Here's what to watch for

- By Richard Dredge

LUXURY SUVs weren't all that plentiful when BMW launched the first X5 in 1999, but a range of competitors soon followed in its wake. Always keen to stay one step ahead of the pack, BMW then did the unthinkable when it came up with the coupé-SUV in 2008, in the form of the X6.

Essentially a less practical and more rakish X5, the X6 was one of the most divisive cars on the market, but that didn't stop it from being a runaway success for BMW, which sold almost a quarter of a million of them before the second-generation car arrived in 2014.

Expensive when new, but now very affordable used, the X6 Mk1 is still a superlative family car – but you need to buy with care.

HISTORY

THE X6 arrived in showrooms in May 2008, in 30d and 35d (diesel) forms, along with a 35i (petrol), all with xDrive four-wheel drive as standard. All had a turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine and a six-speed automatic transmission.

Just three months later the xDrive50i joined the range, with a 408bhp twin-turbo V8 petrol unit. The even-more-ludicrous X6 M appeared in April 2009, with a 547bhp twin-turbo V8. It could do 0-62mph in just 4.7 seconds.

By the end of 2010 there was a 302bhp 40d option, then from August 2011 there was a more extensive options list, a five-seat option (early cars were four-seat only), a wider range of colours and the more luxurious Exclusive Edition went on sale.

A facelift in March 2012 brought optional LED headlights, a tweaked nose design, plus an optional Euro 6-compliant 3.0-litre diesel engine. There was also now a triple-turbo 3.0-litre diesel: the 381bhp M50d.

WHICH SHOULD I BUY?