M IS FOR MONSTER
BMW’s high performance arm set its sights on a big coupe-like SUV, and made it blisteringly fast
The second generation of the BMW X6 M aims to set new standards in the performance SUV sector. On paper it has certainly succeeded. With 575hp, it is 20hp more powerful than the previous version of the coupe-like SUV, while its 750Nm of torque is up by 70Nm over the last generation.
More significantly, it has 55hp more than the Porsche Cayenne Turbo and 18hp more than the Mercedes-Benz GLE63 AMG Coupe.
For those who are interested in such things when buying a 15-million-baht performance SUV, fuel economy has improved by 1.8kpl over the old car. It might not sound like much. But given that the new car claims 9kpl on average, that is a significant increase.
Perhaps the most staggering figure, though, is the 0-100kph time, which takes only 4.2sec — 0.1sec faster than the BMW M5 saloon.
On the road, the X6 M lives up to all those impressive-sounding numbers and is blisteringly fast. It’s rare that you will have the opportunity to floor the throttle completely, but in truth you don’t need to — the X6 M explodes away from a standstill even with a gentle prod of the accelerator.
If you keep your foot down, the eightspeed M Steptronic transmission shifts through the gears precisely and rapidly. But flick one of the paddles behind the steering wheel and it hands over control instantly and allows you to hold the gears right up to the limiter.
It almost gets to this speed too effortlessly. You are kept somewhat isolated from the sensation of speed, meaning you really have to be travelling at some pace before you get a sense of it.
The efficient brakes mean you can carry vast amounts of this speed into a corner with confidence. They’re of the high-performance compound sort — significantly larger than the previous X6 M’s — and the calipers are painted in the typical dark blue of M cars.
It sounds fast, too. The electronically controlled flaps on the exhaust system make the most of the V8, which produces a fantastic series of snarls, barks and roars. But for all of this noise, the X6 M still manages to keep itself in check when it needs to. It is remarkably calm at low speeds, and almost more so at motorway pace.
The X6 M comes with the Adaptive Dynamic suspension set-up that makes other BMWs ride and handle so well. In Comfort mode, it smoothed out the few pockmarks on the road surfaces of our test route to make the X6 a wonderfully fast cruiser. Even in Sport mode it still deals fantastically with all the lesser potholes you will encounter on a daily basis.
The rest of the cabin is standard X6, albeit with higher levels of luxury than you might get on lesser versions. It comes with kit such as a leather-trimmed instrument panel, electric front seats, professional navigation, BMW’s Connected Drive and DAB.
One big fallback with the X6 M is its relative practicality. Its boot is smaller than all of its main rivals, at 580 litres, and the swooping bootline will make it harder to carry larger items. It is also only a four-seater, so won’t be able to take as many passengers.
For all its capability, it’s hard to recommend the BMW X6 M. Truthfully, there are other cars that do the individual jobs it performs as well or better. For instance, BMW’s own M5 is just as fast and is a great deal cheaper.
Similarly, if you want a fast SUV, then the X5 M will offer much the same package as the X6 — it is just as quick and has more in the way of space and practicality.
However, despite this, the X6 M is still a fantastically capable car, despite its vast size. If you can get past the huge price tag then, this is a genuine Porsche Cayenne Turbo alternative.