BMW set out to build the fastest, most powerful, best driving hybrid vehicle in the world. What they came up with is part sports coupe, part SUV, and part sports activity vehicle. Scheduled to be available next year, the 2010 BMW Active Hybrid X6 is in a relatively new category called the ”Sports Activity Coupe” or SAC for short.

The ActiveHybrid X6 is built for speed and power. The gas engine is a 4.4 liter, 32 valve twin-turbocharged V8 rated at 400 hp. Providing assistance are 91-hp and 84-hp electric motors that boost the overall peak horsepower to 480 with top torque at 575 lb-ft. BMW’s version of the already popular Two-Mode transmission makes its debut in this vehicle and a high performance, liquid cooled NiMH battery pack rounds out the hybrid wizardry. Add it all up and this green machine will propel you from zero to sixty in 5.4 seconds with a top speed of 130 mph.

This green version of the X6 is able to go a mile or two in all-electric mode, reaching speeds of 35-40 miles per hour before the big V-8 kicks in and CO2 kicks out. Rated at 17 mpg in the city and 19 on the highway, it’s no Prius when it comes to bypassing a few gas stations. Even so, it is a 20% improvement versus their X6 xDrive50i. That added fuel economy improvement does come with a price though. The ‘10 ActiveHybrid X6 will start at $89,000 and should exceed $100,000 when fully loaded. That will make it one of the most expensive hybrid cars, just a few thousand shy of the Lexus LS 600h L.

When the label “hybrid car” or “hybrid SUV” gets attached to a $90,000 vehicle that gets less than 20 miles per gallon, expect a lot of naysayers. At the same time, there is a market for cars in this price range and some company has to fill it. 20% better gas mileage and fewer emissions don’t seem like a bad thing, so where is the real downside? BMW will most likely apply this hybrid technology to future SUV’s, SAC’s, or whatever they call their next category of personal transportation. When they do, I’m betting the results will be even more impressive.

Here is a video of the BMW X6 Active Hybrid from AutoSpies.com:

More reviews and test drives here:

Popular Mechanics
X6 Test Drive: North Shore Outlook
Car & Driver
ActiveHybrid X6 (Official Website)