Driven: 2025 BMW X6 Is A Weird But Excellent SUV

The 2025 BMW X6 is called a “sports activity coupe,” by BMW, but it’s colloquially referred to as a coupe SUV – a sport utility vehicle with a sloping roofline at the back. It could be argued that the Lexus RX and Infiniti FX began the trend of SUVs that look like coupes ages ago, but the X6 is often given credit for creating this modern segment when it arrived on the market in 2008. The X6 is now in its third generation, introduced in the 2020 model year, but it received a significant Life Cycle Impulse (LCI) for the 2024 model year.

DrivingOnRoad has previously driven the third-generation X6 and the X5 on which it is based, but this was our first time spending a week with the car after the facelift. BMW sent us a 2025 X6 M60 finished in Isle of Man Green, a color first applied to the M3 and M4, to find out if the model that created an entire segment remains the best in its class.

Exterior

The Big Green Egg

During our time with the X6, we jokingly referred to it as the “Big Green Egg,” a reference to the outdoor cooker by the same name and the car’s oddly shaped proportions. To create the X6, BMW basically took the X5 and angled the roofline at the reardown to resemble a two-door coupe. The two midsize SUVs look similar from the front, but you can easily spot the X6 from the side or rear due to its unique shape. Some buyers love the idea of a high-riding vehicle with coupe-like proportions, hence this vehicle segment’s expansion, but we think vehicles in this class tend to look worse than their conventional counterparts for no measurable gain. Here’s how they compare in terms of exterior proportions:

Though we prefer the X5’s styling, the recent LCI has resulted in the prettiest looking X6 yet. BMW revised the headlight signature with an aggressive arrow shape, while the slim taillights contain an L-shaped signature. Wheel sizes start at 20 inches, but 21-inch and 22-inch wheels are also available. The X6’s color palette is broader than most German SUVs, with some formerly M-exclusive colors that are available at no cost, including our tester’s Isle of Man Green metallic. BMW offers nine standard colors, three premium options for $1,950, and one matte hue called Frozen Pure Grey metallic for $3,600. You can also opt for a BMW Individual color at a higher cost.

Interior

Improvements and Mistakes

Inside, the X6 benefits from the same upgrades seen on many recent BMW models. There’s a new curved display featuring a 14.9-inch gauge cluster display and a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen housed under a single piece of glass. It looks nice, but the lack of physical buttons for climate control is a complaint we’ve levied since BMW Operating 8 was introduced. What used to require a simple button press to change the fan speed now requires tapping into a separate menu, another screen tap, then a third input to get back to whatever screen you had previously.

Though there are fewer physical controls than before, you still get an iDrive control knob with surrounding shortcut buttons, which can be finished in glass as part of an $1,850 Executive Package that also includes soft close doors, rear side sunshades, a panoramic Sky Lounge LED moonroof, and gesture controls that let you control the audio by waving your hand. BMW has also moved closer to Mercedes levels of ambient lighting while remaining a bit more restrained. An ambient light bar combines with lights in the speaker grilles and moonroof to create a pleasing atmosphere at night.

Sensafin synthetic leather comes standard in five colors – Silverstone, Coffe, Tacora Red, Black, and Cognac – while extended Merino leather is available for $1,950 in Ivory White, Coffee, Black, and Tartufo. Our tester came with real cow hide, which feels upscale and can be equipped with ventilation and massage, the latter of which was missing from our X6. Those seats can be combined with seven trim choices, including Fineline Open Pore Wood, Fineline Stripe Borwn High Glos Wood, Anthracite-Brown Poplar Matte Finish Wood, Fineline Black Wood, Carbon Fiber ($300), Individual Piano Black ($580), and Silver Ash Root Open Pore Wood. We aren’t fans of the carbon fiber look, so we’d stick to one of the no-cost trims.

Practicality

Slight Compromise

By opting for the X6 over the X5, you are making a compromise in practicality as a result of the sloped roofline. The trunk contains 27.4 cubic feet of space, which is considerably less than the 33.9 cubes found in the X5. Folding the rear seats opens 59.6 cubes, again less than the X5’s 72.3 cubes. BMW neglected to include any buttons or levers to drop the rear seats from the trunk, a huge oversight in an SUV at this price point. The X6 also pays a toll in passenger space. Rear occupants in the X6 get less of everything by some margin, although front legroom is half an inch or so more.

Performance

M Lite

Not including the X6 M, which is reviewed separately, the X6 is currently available 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, increases of 40 hp and 67 lb-ft, respectively, from the pre-LCI model. xDrive all-wheel drive is standard on the X6, sending power out via an excellent eight-speed automatic transmission. The six-cylinder X6 can hit 60 mph in a respectable 5.2 seconds and achieve fuel economy figures far above that of its competitors. Here’s how the base engine compares to core rivals:

Power-hungry buyers will want to opt for the M60i, which comes with a slightly less potent version of the 4.4-liter twin-turbo S63 V8 used in the X6 M. The V8 delivers 523 hp and 553 lb-ft, the same as before, helping the X6 hit 60 mph in 4.2 seconds. You will pay more for gas with the M60i, with this model rated at 17/22/19, but it’s still better than less powerful rivals.

Both of the X6’s engines now feature 48-volt mild-hybrid technology that smooths out the stop-start system, but we noticed the A/C struggled to stay cold on hot days during prolonged stops.

Driving Impression

The Right Level Of M

The M60i powertrain found under the hood of the X6 might be the best proof that BMW’s M Division is starting to become unnecessary. This is essentially the same engine found in the X6 M, but it produces less power, and it is tuned to be less aggressive. If anything, this makes the M60i the superior daily driver. You still get a nice rumble from the V8 when you start it and a healthy growl under hard acceleration, but you don’t have to deal with the firm suspension found on the M model. Our tester came with the $2,200 Dynamic Handling Package, which adds adaptive M Suspension Pro with active roll stabilization. It uses the 48-volt system to keep the X6 flat through corners, though it’s less noticeable than other systems we’ve tested.

Unlike the X6 M, which requires an advanced degree to set up for sporty driving, the M60i has simple buttons on the console labeled Comfort, Sport, and Eco Sport for quicker access to each drive mode. Eco Pro shows how many additional miles you eke out by driving mindfully, Comfort is the base setting, and Sport puts the X6 into a more aggressive attitude with an additional Sport Plus mode available via the iDrive system. All three modes deliver a benefit, and none of them ever make the X6 feel too sloppy or too punishing for everyday driving. Who needs the ability to adjust the shift ferocity and choose from a million suspension, steering, and brake settings? Three simple modes are all you need, as proven here in the X6 M60i.

Pricing & Verdict

…Get The Sibling

Unless you absolutely adore the styling of the 2025 X6, you can find everything great about this car, with more interior space, for less in the X5. Pricing for the X6 xDrive40i starts at $74,500 and the V8-powered M60i costs nearly$20k more. Even still, the M60i represents something of a bargain compared to the X6 M which clocks $129,700 before options. Even with a slew of options, our X6 M60i tester checked in at $119,995, including a $995 destination charge – that’s $10k shy of the full-fat M Competition model. In our opinion, the M60i delivers more than enough power, and you still get to enjoy having eight cylinders. You can also save nearly $20,000 by opting for the inline-six, which is a fantastic engine in its own right. But is the price for the X6 worth it?

The M60i is the powertrain we’d choose, but we’d save thousands by getting it on the X5. BMW charges $6,500 less for the X5 xDrive40i in comparison to the X6, and $4,300 less for the X5 M60i. The X5 is essentially the same car, but more practical – and better looking. Even the recently facelifted Audi Q8 and SQ8 look better than the X6, but we understand that beauty is subjective. There’s also the Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe, which mimics the X6’s egg shape very closely but can’t match the M60i’s performance from its mid-level, inline-six AMG variant. It’s not the prettiest of the three, but the X6 does stand out as the most powerful and the best all-rounder.

Our skepticism about coupe SUVs aside, the 2025 BMW X6 is a stellar vehicle that’s hard to fault. If you want a sporty SUV, it’s one of the best; we’d just personally spend our money on an X5.