Let’s get this out of the way first, my mind cannot comprehend the person who looks at any of those ‘coupe’ crossovers and goes ‘’wowzers, that is beautiful. I need it’’. But, I’m in the minority (in more ways than one) and these things sell like bread and milk during a snowstorm.
Now that we got that out of the way, this 2024 BMW X6 stellar. So much in fact that I came upon a revelation…I haven’t reviewed a BMW that I didn’t like! It hit me like a pile of bricks, since I have spent majority of my life making fun of BMWs. Call it the VAG fanboy in me but I finally get it. The ‘BMWness’ of the way all of their models drive. It’s an innate feeling of superbly balance chassis, finely tuned suspension and impeccable powertrains. This X6 is the epitome of modern day BMW.
Our test unit was the M60i variant. Anything that is designated MXXi is the inbetweener trim, slotting itself from the plebian models and the full fledged M versions. M60i As with most inbetweener models, this is the one to get. It blends sledgehammer performance, civil ride with a more approachable price point.
This M60i’s twin turbo V8 makes 523 HP and 553 TQ, drop kicking the X6 to 60 in a hilarious 3.8 seconds! It’s one of the best powerplants I have ever tested. Seamlessly transitioning from sedate to psychopath by a mere squeeze of your right foot and delivering a snarly soundtrack with the tidal wave of torque, proves that a V8 engine has no substitute. Oh and we got a relatively ‘okay’ 17 mpg on average to boot.
It’s not all power though with the M60i. Our test unit had the 4 wheel steering option which made the X6 change direction like a flea! Delivering immediate turn in, laser steering angle and with a perfectly tuned adaptive suspension, the X6 M60i can fling itself from bend to bend without a care in the world.
The only thing I can truly point out that is disappointing is the steering. It’s direct but delivers a very strange feel to it. It’s not just one thing that is glaring to point out but multiple little things that add up.
It’s little numb. It’s a little overboosted. It’s a little synthetic in Sport Mode. It’s somehow a bit more numb in Sport Mode. It’s a bit floaty at low speeds. Add all of those ‘bits’ you get the sum of total of the steering overall.
Now you would be forgiven in thinking the M60i is all about performance and nothing else. You would be wrong. It’s the interior that really stands out for me. This 2024 X6 M60i interior is one of the best interiors I have ever reviewed. It is the perfect combination of contemporary design with common sense layout. The seats feel, look and smell excellent. The interior space is cavernous in the front and even with the stupid sloping rear deckline of the ‘coupe’ design, the rear is plentiful as well. Everythiing you touch feels substantive, heavy and thoroughly built. The interior lighting can go full JJ Abram’s Enterprise to a calmer Strange New World Enterprise and everything in between. There is ACTUAL aluminium trim on the steering wheel that feels sumptuously cold to the touch. Then there is the crème de la crème…the glass controls.
The crystal shifter is a work of modern art. It’s mesmerizing to look at it, feels lusciously dedicant to engage and is completely worth the X option package in and of itself. Surrounding the shifter is an all glass control interface for the drive controls down to the infotainment. Yes, I know it’s sounds osentious to say ‘all glass controls’ but compare this the sea of piano black plastic scratch prone trim you would get otherwise…it’s something that truly helps elevate the interior of the X6 into something special.