In the odd little family that is the world automotive market, BMW is a little bit like a rich, eccentric uncle. The kind that, if he didn’t dress so well and speak so eloquently, everyone might pass off as a total nutcase. But perception is everything, and as long as he keeps coloring between the lines ninety percent of the time, no one’s about to call him out on his more outrageous acts. Like building a hybrid SUV – specifically one with a twin-turbo V8 that gets roughly 18 mpg and costs in the neighborhood of ninety grand.

If by some chance you came across this article by Googling “hybrid” and “SUV,” you’re about to have your bamboo socks blown off. The BMW ActiveHybrid X6 is not your Mother Earth’s hybrid vehicle; it’s your nutty uncle’s. About all it shares with your average Prius or Insight is the combination of a gasoline engine and an electric motor. All other comparisons go out the window; in fact, it’s almost unfair to mention other hybrids at all.

Then again, the BMW X6 has defied all logic since its introduction last year. It’s an SUV that thinks it’s a coupe, or vice versa. We’re not even sure any more. It’s the X6’s androgynous nature, in fact, that makes it such a perfect platform for coloring outside the lines. Earlier this year BMW shocked the world with the X6 M, a 550-horsepower beast that disregards the laws of physics and rational thought. Now the mad men from Munich are using this indefinable vehicle to once again make people question the very definition of hybrid power with the ActiveHybrid X6.

BMW chose its 4.4-liter V8 – the same twin-turbo, direct injection unit as the X6 xDrive50i – as the fossil fuel burner of choice for its first ever production hybrid (an ActiveHybrid 7-series was released shortly afterward). Coupled to that is a pair of electric motors; one acts as a combination of drive motor and generator, allowing the X6 to be driven in fully electric mode at speeds up to 37 mph for a maximum distance of 1.6 miles, while the other one does triple duty as the starter motor, alternator and a drive motor. Together, the engine and two electric motors give the hybrid X6 a total output of 480 horsepower and an asphalt-melting 575 lb-ft of torque. Clearly not the same kind of hybrid as the little toys from Japan, the ActiveHybrid X6 places a firm priority on delivering the kind of performance typically associated with a BMW, while at the same time saving a bit (and we do mean bit) of fuel.

Last month we detailed the actual technical operation of the X6’s hybrid drivetrain, in this little article. Rather than rehash that engineering seminar, we’ve chosen instead to focus on the driving experience.

Our introduction took us to Miami Beach, which wouldn’t be noteworthy for reporting on driving except for the fact that you can cruise the A1A (Beachfront Avenue) at a snail’s pace to take full advantage of the fully electric operation of this vehicle. Even though BMW claims a 37-mph limit in golf cart mode, no matter how gently we tickled the throttle the engine wanted to start itself by about 30 mph and take over. That’s partly because the NiMH battery packs are in a constant state of charge-and-discharge, and that 1.6-mile range just isn’t that long. Anything more assertive than intentional tip-toeing instantly engages the gas engine. Driving the X6 in full electric mode requires very deliberate attention; you have to want to glide silently. It’s a nice novelty, allowing the X6 to wear its “full hybrid” badge, but not a terribly functional one on a daily basis.

One redeeming quality, however, is the seamlessness of the transition from electric to gasoline power and back. With the gas engine off, the tachometer reads simply “Ready” and the X6 just rolls in silence. When the engine inevitably springs into action, the first clue is the tach needle that jumps off its peg as though it had been previously stuck, accompanied by the faint rumble of exhaust. There’s no lurch, no jerk, not even the sensation of a gear change. It just happens. When the AutoStartStop (why doesn’t BMW refer to this by its acronym?) function shuts the engine down after the X6 rolls to a stop, that too is a non-event. It simply goes silent as the vehicle comes to rest, without any other drama. Around-town driving, with the vehicle switching in and out of its various modes, is decidedly normal.

Equally impressive is the braking feel, which is as natural as any BMW we’ve driven lately and far better than most cars in general. The brake pedal itself is connected electronically to a system that comprises conventional hydraulic brakes but also employs one or both of the electric motors as generators to add braking load. The regenerative braking effect of the two motors is good for up to 0.3 g of braking, significantly reducing the demand on the mechanical brakes. BMW’s engineers have done an amazing job of allowing the brake pedal to deliver a decent sensation of feedback to the driver, even though the car’s computers are actually modulating the amount regenerative and hydraulic braking constantly. The only hint that things aren’t quite “normal” is the perceptible transition when the system deactivates regen braking entirely just before the vehicle comes to a complete stop.

On the highways north of Miami, we got to experience the other side of the X6’s split personality. With all of that power and torque, the X6 hybrid moves out at a pace that few other “green” cars can match. Zero-to-sixty comes in 5.4 seconds, impressive for any vehicle that weighs 5765 pounds. But it’s the combination of the torquey V8 and the pair of electric motors that makes the ActiveHybrid X6 so responsive in traffic. Goose the throttle and the X6 responds with authority. Because electric motors make their peak torque as soon as they start turning and the twin-turbo V8 makes great upper-end power, the combination yields a highly elastic powertrain. Pair that with a transmission packing seven forward ratios, and you have a vehicle that never has a hard time getting out of the way.

Dynamically, the ActiveHybrid X6 falls between the regular 4.4-liter X6 and the frenetic X6 M. In fact, the experience in real-world driving isn’t remarkably different than the M version. And that’s a good thing, considering they both start at the same $88,900 base price.

But what about fuel economy? After all, what’s the point of spending the extra cash for a hybrid if it doesn’t pay you back a little? The ActiveHybrid X6 is rated at 17 mpg in city driving and 19 mpg on the highway; we saw about 18.2 in our mixed drive, while some hyper-miling colleagues of ours managed in the low 20s. Compared to the 12/18 figures for the X6 xDrive 50i and the 13/18 ratings for the X6 M, the hybrid version offers a significant improvement in city fuel economy over either of its siblings.

Clearly fuel economy is not what this X6 is all about. It’s not a miserly fuel-sipper that forces compromise for the sake of economy. Instead, it delivers everything we’ve come to expect of a BMW – luxury, performance, status – but with the added bonus of being maybe 20 or 30 percent more efficient in doing so. Sounds a little nutty at first, but we know all know a rich uncle who thinks it makes perfect sense.

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