2025 BMW X6 Test Drive Review: Looks Can Be Deceiving

The 2025 BMW X6 is named a “sports activities exercise coupe,” by BMW, however it’s colloquially known as a coupe SUV – a sport utility car with a sloping roofline on the again. It might be argued that the Lexus RX and Infiniti FX started the pattern of SUVs that appear to be coupes ages in the past, however the X6 is commonly given credit score for creating this contemporary section when it arrived in the marketplace in 2008. The X6 is now in its third technology, launched within the 2020 mannequin yr, however it acquired a big Life Cycle Impulse (LCI) for the 2024 mannequin yr.

DrivingOnRoad has beforehand pushed the third-generation X6 and the X5 on which it’s based mostly, however this was our first time spending every week with the automotive after the facelift. BMW despatched us a 2025 X6 M60 completed in Isle of Man Inexperienced, a colour first utilized to the M3 and M4, to seek out out if the mannequin that created a complete section stays the most effective in its class.

Exterior

The Massive Inexperienced Egg

Throughout our time with the X6, we jokingly referred to it because the “Massive Inexperienced Egg,” a reference to the out of doors cooker by the identical title and the automotive’s oddly formed proportions. To create the X6, BMW principally took the X5 and angled the roofline on the reardown to resemble a two-door coupe. The 2 midsize SUVs look comparable from the entrance, however you may simply spot the X6 from the aspect or rear as a consequence of its distinctive form. Some patrons love the thought of a high-riding car with coupe-like proportions, therefore this car section’s enlargement, however we expect automobiles on this class are inclined to look worse than their standard counterparts for no measurable achieve. Here is how they examine by way of exterior proportions:

Although we favor the X5’s styling, the latest LCI has resulted within the prettiest wanting X6 but. BMW revised the headlight signature with an aggressive arrow form, whereas the slim taillights comprise an L-shaped signature. Wheel sizes begin at 20 inches, however 21-inch and 22-inch wheels are additionally out there. The X6’s colour palette is broader than most German SUVs, with some previously M-exclusive colours which might be out there for gratis, together with our tester’s Isle of Man Inexperienced metallic. BMW gives 9 commonplace colours, three premium choices for $1,950, and one matte hue referred to as Frozen Pure Gray metallic for $3,600. It’s also possible to go for a BMW Particular person colour at the next price.

Inside

Enhancements and Errors

Inside, the X6 advantages from the identical upgrades seen on many latest BMW fashions. There is a new curved show that includes a 14.9-inch gauge cluster show and a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen housed beneath a single piece of glass. It seems to be good, however the lack of bodily buttons for local weather management is a criticism we have levied since BMW Working 8 was launched. What used to require a easy button press to alter the fan pace now requires tapping right into a separate menu, one other display faucet, then a 3rd enter to get again to no matter display you had beforehand.

Although there are fewer bodily controls than earlier than, you continue to get an iDrive management knob with surrounding shortcut buttons, which may be completed in glass as a part of an $1,850 Govt Package deal that additionally contains tender shut doorways, rear aspect sunshades, a panoramic Sky Lounge LED moonroof, and gesture controls that allow you to management the audio by waving your hand. BMW has additionally moved nearer to Mercedes ranges of ambient lighting whereas remaining a bit extra restrained. An ambient gentle bar combines with lights within the speaker grilles and moonroof to create a lovely ambiance at night time.

Sensafin artificial leather-based comes commonplace in 5 colours – Silverstone, Coffe, Tacora Crimson, Black, and Cognac – whereas prolonged Merino leather-based is offered for $1,950 in Ivory White, Espresso, Black, and Tartufo. Our tester got here with actual cow disguise, which feels upscale and may be geared up with air flow and therapeutic massage, the latter of which was lacking from our X6. These seats may be mixed with seven trim decisions, together with Fineline Open Pore Wooden, Fineline Stripe Borwn Excessive Glos Wooden, Anthracite-Brown Poplar Matte End Wooden, Fineline Black Wooden, Carbon Fiber ($300), Particular person Piano Black ($580), and Silver Ash Root Open Pore Wooden. We aren’t followers of the carbon fiber look, so we might persist with one of many no-cost trims.

Practicality

Slight Compromise

By choosing the X6 over the X5, you’re making a compromise in practicality on account of the sloped roofline. The trunk comprises 27.4 cubic toes of house, which is significantly lower than the 33.9 cubes discovered within the X5. Folding the rear seats opens 59.6 cubes, once more lower than the X5’s 72.3 cubes. BMW uncared for to incorporate any buttons or levers to drop the rear seats from the trunk, an enormous oversight in an SUV at this worth level. The X6 additionally pays a toll in passenger house. Rear occupants within the X6 get much less of the whole lot by some margin, though entrance legroom is half an inch or so extra.

Efficiency

M Lite

Not together with the X6 M, which is reviewed individually, the X6 is at the moment out there with two powertrains: the xDrive40i and M60i. The xDrive40i is powered by BMW’s tried and true 3.0-liter B58 turbocharged inline-six, producing 375 horsepower and 398 lb-ft of torque, will increase of 40 hp and 67 lb-ft, respectively, from the pre-LCI mannequin. xDrive all-wheel drive is commonplace on the X6, sending energy out through a superb eight-speed automated transmission. The six-cylinder X6 can hit 60 mph in a good 5.2 seconds and obtain gas economic system figures far above that of its rivals. Here is how the bottom engine compares to core rivals:

Energy-hungry patrons will need to go for the M60i, which comes with a barely much less potent model of the 4.4-liter twin-turbo S63 V8 used within the X6 M. The V8 delivers 523 hp and 553 lb-ft, the identical as earlier than, serving to the X6 hit 60 mph in 4.2 seconds. You’ll pay extra for gasoline with the M60i, with this mannequin rated at 17/22/19, however it’s nonetheless higher than much less highly effective rivals.

Each of the X6’s engines now characteristic 48-volt mild-hybrid expertise that smooths out the stop-start system, however we seen the A/C struggled to remain chilly on sizzling days throughout extended stops.

Driving Impression

The Proper Degree Of M

The M60i powertrain discovered beneath the hood of the X6 is likely to be the most effective proof that BMW’s M Division is beginning to turn out to be pointless. That is primarily the identical engine discovered within the X6 M, however it produces much less energy, and it’s tuned to be much less aggressive. If something, this makes the M60i the superior each day driver. You continue to get a pleasant rumble from the V8 if you begin it and a wholesome growl beneath laborious acceleration, however you do not have to take care of the agency suspension discovered on the M mannequin. Our tester got here with the $2,200 Dynamic Dealing with Package deal, which provides adaptive M Suspension Professional with lively roll stabilization. It makes use of the 48-volt system to maintain the X6 flat by way of corners, although it is much less noticeable than different techniques we have examined.

Not like the X6 M, which requires a complicated diploma to arrange for sporty driving, the M60i has easy buttons on the console labeled Consolation, Sport, and Eco Sport for faster entry to every drive mode. Eco Professional exhibits what number of extra miles you eke out by driving mindfully, Consolation is the bottom setting, and Sport places the X6 right into a extra aggressive angle with a further Sport Plus mode out there through the iDrive system. All three modes ship a profit, and none of them ever make the X6 really feel too sloppy or too punishing for on a regular basis driving. Who wants the flexibility to regulate the shift ferocity and select from 1,000,000 suspension, steering, and brake settings? Three easy modes are all you want, as confirmed right here within the X6 M60i.

Pricing & Verdict

…Get The Sibling

Except you completely adore the styling of the 2025 X6, you could find the whole lot nice about this automotive, with extra inside house, for much less within the X5. Pricing for the X6 xDrive40i begins at $74,500 and the V8-powered M60i prices almost$20k extra. Even nonetheless, the M60i represents one thing of a cut price in comparison with the X6 M which clocks $129,700 earlier than choices. Even with a slew of choices, our X6 M60i tester checked in at $119,995, together with a $995 vacation spot cost – that is $10k shy of the full-fat M Competitors mannequin. In our opinion, the M60i delivers greater than sufficient energy, and you continue to get to get pleasure from having eight cylinders. It’s also possible to save almost $20,000 by choosing the inline-six, which is a implausible engine in its personal proper. However is the worth for the X6 price it?

The M60i is the powertrain we might select, however we might save 1000’s by getting it on the X5. BMW costs $6,500 much less for the X5 xDrive40i compared to the X6, and $4,300 much less for the X5 M60i. The X5 is basically the identical automotive, however extra sensible – and higher wanting. Even the lately facelifted Audi Q8 and SQ8 look higher than the X6, however we perceive that magnificence is subjective. There’s additionally the Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe, which mimics the X6’s egg form very carefully however cannot match the M60i’s efficiency from its mid-level, inline-six AMG variant. It is not the prettiest of the three, however the X6 does stand out as essentially the most highly effective and the most effective all-rounder.

Our skepticism about coupe SUVs apart, the 2025 BMW X6 is a stellar car that is laborious to fault. If you’d like a sporty SUV, it is the most effective; we might simply personally spend our cash on an X5.