Do you remember how loudly we all laughed when BMW introduced the X6 around 2007? It's been thirteen years now, and I can bet you BMW is...
laughing the loudest of all. Especially when they were on their way to the bank, because the X6 was an incredible success.
It was such a big success even, that BMW not only downsized the X6 to create the X4 and X2, but Audi and Mercedes started copying the concept.
Even Porsche joined in with the Cayenne Coupé. That proves BMW had quite the vision. They created a car that people clearly wanted to have.
BMW also released the first X6 M-version back then. It was the first M with four-wheel drive, it was the first SUV with a real M-label,
and it was a success, despite the fact we thought it was a crazy concept. In the meantime, it was very quick. Both on the staights as in the corners,
even though it didn't feel like it. And because people wanted bigger and more expensive, the X6 M was another success.
So it shouldn't come as a surprise to you that BMW has almost immediately released the X6 M after the new generation was launched.
In this case, it's the X6 M Competition, which means we're working with 625 horsepower. Oh yeah. Also, it's bigger than its predecessor.
Longer, wider and higher. However, compared to the regular X5, it's lower, wider and higher.
That gives it just the right amount of sporty appearance it needs. Also, because it's got a longer profile, it's a tad less ugly than it used to be.
That's not very hard, but still.
Despite the fact it remains a strange concept, we're used to power-SUV's nowadays. If you're drivng in a busy area, like a shopping street or on a...
popular boulevard in the summer, and the car falls into place. The car gets pointed at, people take pictures... I think the X6 M turns more heads...
than with a M8. Especially with the younger people, because they don't mind a high car. I mean, you'll be seen and you can take your friends in the back.
Your entourage for your club visit, so to speak. And the 'New Money'-generation generally likes cars like this.
That means the sales numbers are very high, so you can't really blame BMW for playing into those cards.
Anyway, let's take a look around. I do have to say, it looks very good. BMW was a bit behind Mercedes and Audi when it came to interiors,
and I won't say BMW has past them. I still think Mercedes is the absolute frontrunner when it comes to interiors.
But I do like the way this looks. The color combination is very nice, and you can customize it to your liking of course.
But look at this carbon panels. It has leather in the doors which have some sort of 3D-effect, just like the carbon-plated speakers.
I just get happy looking at it. Also, the ergonomics remains perfect. They still have iDrive with a central control button.
Also, it has a touchscreen. So you can combine between the two, which is perfect. That's something other brands can learn from.
Right then, the drive. The first thing that stands out is the fact that it's very hard. Even in the Comfort-mode, the X6 M is a very hard car.
If you're driving around slowly, you won't really notice. When you get to a speedbump or to a bumpy road however, you'll have to take it easy.
It's when the speeds get higher that the car starts shuddering. Driving on the motorway at around 120 km/h, and you encounter some imperfections,
the car shakes pretty vigourously. It weighs 2.300 kg, and that all needs to be damped in a way that it remains stable for the dynamic handling.
But it's incredibly sturdy doing that. In a way that I think will become annoying on your daily commute, or on any long drive.
It's just not smooth. It's not as big of a problem as in the X5 M, which has the same troubles. However, that has a higher centre of gravity,
so it suffers more from that problem than the X6. So it's better in here, but cars like the Mercedes-AMG GLE, the Porsche Cayenne Coupé,
the Audi RS Q8, they're much more comfortable. And that's the whole point, this BMW is so much more extreme.
You can corner so incredibly quick with this car. Because of the enormous amount of rubber, there are crazy amounts of grip. Especially in the dry.
If you want it to understeer, you really have to search for it. If you're just driving very fast, you won't have understeer at all.
So your stopping distance is around 33 metres, which are Porsche 911 Turbo-numbers. From the previous generation that is, but that's still crazy.
It is very exciting though. BMW lets you send a lot of power to the rear wheels through different driving modes,
and it will be able to powerslide a little. That's cool, but in a car with this size and this weight, it can be a bit scary.
I mean I get the logic if you want that in a M2 or in a M4, but in a X6 M? I don't want that rear to escape from me, especially because the limit is so...
far away. I mean, you're already driving very fast. You do need a big heart. I also wonder if the target audience of this car wants that possibility.
Maybe they like the idea. Anyway, BMW wasn't scared to go all the way. Like I already mentioned, the Competition has more power.
625 horsepower instead of 600 horsepower. The chassis however, hasn't been changed. It's not like the chassis was hardened like on the M3 and M4.
It's all just from the standard X6 M. It only has bigger wheels, additional power and other interior gimmicks like the leather. Also, the sports exhaust.
I first drove the previous X6 M on a race track in the USA, and I wondered how it was possible to have those capacities in such a car.
You can drive it so incredibly fast. Not only in a straight line, but in corners as well. We're talking about Autobahn-speeds here. It's all possible.
That's incredibly impressive. That chassis-technology is so advanced nowadays that stuff like that is possible.
I do have to admit that BMW has again made a big step compared to the previous generation, and that says something. The predecessor already...
was extreme, and this is even quicker. It can do 0-100 km/h in under four seconds if everything goes right. In corners, you're able to go faster with...
even less body roll. It feels very trusted, but extreme at the same time. Add the luxury and the space on the inside to that...
I mean, the target audience has grown as well. They just sell incredibly good, and BMW is cashing in like mad.
This particular car will cost you €242.000, which is a huge price. But the consumer that wants a car like this doesn't care.
There is more competition present today though. The Mercedes-AMG GLE Coupé, the Porsche Cayenne Coupé Turbo,
the Audi RS Q8, or maybe even the Range Rover Sport SVR. Maybe that's not a coupé-like car, but it's in the same class of car.
So the competition became bigger, but BMW has taken a more extremer turn. This car is more exciting, a tad crazier. It's not immediately faster,
because the rest has this amount of power as well, but it's the car which likes to break out when you're driving very fast.
It has a kind of villainous vibe, and that suits BMW.