Walk the line

AUDI Q8 45 TDI QUATTRO TIPTRONIC vs. BMW X6 M50d xDRIVE STEPTRONIC vs. RANGE ROVER SPORT SDV8 HSE DYNAMIC

Arguably the original coupé-styled SUV (or sport activity vehicle in BMW speak), the first-generation X6 was revealed at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. The SAV added some flavour to the firm’s X-badged line-up. The Munich-based manufacturer took the styling of its large coupés to a (quite literal) “higher level”, superimposing the sleek designs of the former over the box-shaped blueprint of the X5. The result: an SAV walking a line between the practicality of an SUV and the dynamism of a traditional coupé in terms of design and drivability.

A trend was set. Down the line, various automakers would copy the concept, tailoring their standard SUV offerings to fit the coupé-crossover niche. Revealed soon after the launch of the second X6, the previous-generation Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupé followed suit. More recently, Audi and Porsche have sharpened their pencils, handing the flagship Q and the Cayenne slanted silhouettes, while Jaguar Land Rover unveiled the Range Rover Velar. Now in its third generation, the X6 has to prove its mettle not only against an array of similarly fashioned rivals, such as the Audi Q8, but veteran rivals, most specifically the Range Rover Sport which also features in this comparative road test.

Q8 and X6 are impressive but the RR Sport feels truly special Terence Steenkamp

Admittedly, the Sport might look out of place among the tapered-tail Teutons. However, it is worth factoring in the buyer’s profile of a person looking to spend their hard-earned money on