The German manufacturers tend not to take the Paris show too seriously, normally holding over their big launches until Frankfurt, Detroit or Geneva. And so it proved this year for most of them; when the only new car on the Porsche stand is a Cayenne S E-Hybrid you know that tinder is being kept dry for somewhere more important.
But over at BMW, past the
2 Series convertible
and it was the new X6 that caught our attention, largely - it must be said - because of what it's lacking. Given the spectacular success of the first generation among an audience that could politely be described as being confident and assertive (and impolitely using words spelled out entirely with punctuation marks) we were expecting BMW to keep with the same formula of size and visual aggression with the new car. It's what made the original sell in more than three times it's original anticipated volumes, after all.
Yet on first impressions the new X6 seems to be positively modest when compared to the coming-past-or-coming-through looks of its predecessor. It's front end seems barely different from the X5 and there seems as much 5 Series GT as old X6 in the side-on profile. Is this an X6 with a touchy-feely side? Surely not what existing customers were expecting.
Owners take note; on sale in December
At least the engine choice keeps up with the sort of thrustiness we've come to associate with the breed. It will launch with two versions of BMW's familiar six-cylinder diesel - a single-turbo 30d with 254hp and a 50d in triple-turbo-nutter spec with 376hp. At the top of the range is a petrol-fired 50i with a V8 and 443hp. 40d and 35i versions will follow to fill in the blanks.
Prices will start from £51,150 - although you'll have to budget more for the wardrobe full of black leather jackets to accompany it - and the X6 goes on sale in the UK in December.