Using The Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, as a home base, we put the all-new 2015 BMW X6 M through its paces both on-track and on-road. So how did the vehicle equivalent of Beauty and Beast perform? Read on to find out.
Sedate it ain’t
At first blush, it might seem silly to introduce a new SUV at an F1 track. But the X6 M is no ordinary SUV.
First off, the X6 M doesn’t really look like any other SUV. At least that used to be the case.
BMW pioneered the SUV coupe segment with the launch of the original X6 in 2008. Since then several other automakers have scrambled to come up with sleek-looking utility vehicles of their own, including Mercedes-Benz’s new GLE Coupe.
And the X6 M, the highest-performance version of BMW’s so-called Sports Activity Vehicle, has a spec sheet more in line with a high-dollar sports car than a typical SUV. Eight-cylinders, direct-injection and TwinScroll turbochargers all working in harmony to develop 567 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. All that power moves through an eight-speed automatic gearbox to an M-specific all-wheel drive system with a rear-wheel bias.
Thanks to those very large numbers, the X6 M’s accelerations numbers are quite small — the X6 M can scoot from 0-62 is 4.2 seconds and cover 1,000 meters in just 22 ticks of the clock. Not too shabby for a vehicle on the wrong side of 5,100 pounds.
Highway muncher
Before we put the X6′s M pedigree to the test on the track, we piloted the Super SAV around the public roads of Austin.
With a push of the start button the X6 M barks to life before settling in to a low rumble. The X6 M’s gearshift lever is needlessly complicated, but it kind of adds to the feeling of driving a high-tech toy. Once we found “Drive,” we were off.
Our attention was almost immediately fixed on the sound of the X6 M, but not for the right reasons. Although the X6 M boasts a meaty V8 under the hood, the exhaust note is more akin to an engine with fewer cylinder.
But any complaints about the X6 M’s exhaust note were quickly forgotten as we squeezed on the power. The X6 M leaps away from traffic like it’s being shot out of a cannon. Point the X6 M down any on-ramp and you’ll be up to triple-digit speeds before you can blink.
Like every M vehicle, BMW says the X6 M is “fit for the Nordschleife,” but perhaps equally impressive, the SAV is equally fit for the daily commute. We found the X6 M to be supremely comfortable over the expansion joints and pot holes of the real world, which is impressive considering the car’s sports suspension and low-profile tires.
The X6 M’s road comfort is aided by supportive front buckets wrapped in super soft leather. In fact, virtually every surface in the X6 M is covered in some form of premium material, whether it be cow hide, carbon fiber or Alcantara. But then again, you’d expect that at this price level — the X6 M carries a starting price of $103,000.
Visibility wasn’t as much of a problem as we expected, but the X6 M’s sloping roofline does limit your field of view. Use your mirrors and the car’s blind spot warning system and you should be fine, though. Rear-seat headroom is actually fairly decent, but passenger may feel closed in by the X6′s low-slung C-pillars.
Visibility isn’t an issue from the outside, however, with the X6 M sporting plenty of eye-catching cues, including its signature coupe-like roofline. Love it or hate it, it’s hard to deny that the X6 stands out from the crowd.
M-specific features of the X6 M include front fender vents, aerodynamic side mirrors, rear-spoiler, unique wheel designs and a ride height that is 10 mm lower than the standard X6.
Track time
In order to verify the X6 M’s Nordschleife credentials, BMW put us on COTA behind a pace car driven by one of its factory drivers. After a couple of warm up laps, we started testing the X6 M’s limits.
With the X6′s M2 setting engaged — which allows for some tail-out fun — we tackled the tight corners and long straights of the 3.4-mile track. We initially used the X6 M’s paddle shifters, but decided to let the car’s computer handle shifting duties early on.
Considering its two-and-half tons of mass, the X6 M handles itself remarkably well in the bends, acting more like a big sports sedan than a high-riding crossover. After a few hot laps the X6 M’s hefty did become a factor, though, with the front tires demonstrating obvious signs of fatigue. Where the X6 M used to tuck in nicely, it started to demonstrated some front end push.
But thanks to its rear-biased all-wheel drive system, understeer can easily be defeated with a dap of power. The X6 M’s back end isn’t overly eager to step out of line, but can be coaxed with the right amount of throttle modulation (aka flooring it). It may not be the fastest way around the track, but it sure is fun to drift a 5,000 pound SUV as poised as the X6 M.
Steering was quick and accurate in the X6 M, with the sport setting offering a good measure of weight. We also didn’t mind hanging on to the steering wheel’s thick rim and premium leather cover.
We found the brakes of the X6 M to initially be strong, but they did get a little woolly toward the end of our six-lap session. They never completely went away, but we started to notice a bit of fade when dragging the X6 M down from a long straightaway. We were also the last group of the day, so our test car’s brakes had already taken a beating before we ever got behind the wheel.
While it wouldn’t be our first choice for attacking the Nurburgring, we certainly came away impressed with the X6 M’s track aptitude.
Leftlane’s bottom line
The answer to a rarely-asked question, the BMW X6 M might be the ultimate (niche) driving machine.
Not as spacious as the X5 M or as good to drive as the M5, the X6 M delivers where those cars can’t — panache. And if you’re going to spend $100,000 on a car, you might as well get some attention while doing it.
2015 BMW X6 M base price, $102,100. Destination, $960.
Photos by Drew Johnson.
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