Driving a Cayenne Turbo S (pre-facelift) and a BMW M3 Cab DKG on a daily basis, I was expecting something different from the BMW X6 M but I'm not sure I'm completely sold on this car.
The X6 M is HUGE, it looks smaller from a wider distance but as soon as you stand next to it, it looks even bigger than the Cayenne in my opinion. This is actually a positive thing because it really looks "massive", "built for eternity", something someone would expect from a SUV.
Entering the X6 M, everything look BMW-like, absolutely nothing special but the quality look & feels seems good, something you would expect on such an expensive car. The interior doesn't look as special as the Panamera interior for example but since this is a SUV, I don't really care too much.
The steering wheel is smaller than the one of the Cayenne Turbo S, it also feels better in my hand because it it thicker, very similar to the steering wheel in the M3 Cab DKG.
After starting the engine, I expected something more M3-like but the sound is even worse than on the Cayenne Turbo S. There is a light growl when you accelerate from standstill but nothing V8-like and it disappears and gets a much higher pitch once you pass 3000 rpm. To make it short: very disappointing exhaust/engine sound, the X6 M sounds like a X6 Diesel or even worse, like a 4-cylinder hatchback. There is definetely nothing "M" about the exhaust/engine sound on the X6 M.
Another thing I didn't like is the auto tranny "shifting" knob, it is kind of confusing and not practical at all. BMW should have sticked with an ordinary system but apparently they wanted to make it look special, I can't imagine another reason. Bottom line is: I don't like it too much but I got used to it after a short while.
The head-up (should be called "head-down", since the information appears on the lower part of the windshield) display isn't my thing either. I used it for five minutes and turned it off. It distracts from driving, I can't imagine how this system can improve driving safety, sorry. I'm a multi-tasker and I can do many things at one time but this head-up display is too distracting. If BMW succeeds in building an augmented reality system, this may be a breakthrough. Right now, the head-up display is just a technical gizmo which in my opinion can distract from the surroundings.
I fell immediately in love with the navigation/entertainment system, it really works well and much more intuitive than the "old" system in the M3 Cab DKG. I won't even start to compare it with the old Cayenne PCM, the X6 M system plays in a different league. The new PCM with touch screen is a different story but surprisingly, I find the X6 M system much more enjoyable than the touch operated PCM on the Panamera. I love my iPhone, so I'm used to touch operation but somehow the BMW system works very well without touch operation too.
Driving the X6 M is a very comfortable experience, the ride is smooth and if you don't activate the M-drive functions, the suspension is soft, quiet and the acceleration is smoot, incl. shifting. Unfortunately BMW made a slight mistake when they programmed the ESP on the X6 M. If you don't activate the M-Dynamic Mode, the ESP kicks in pretty fast. Example: the street is completely wet. I fully accelerate but the ESP (DSC?) lamp flashes and it takes around 10 seconds til 60 kph. Ouch. Then I turned on M-Dynamic Mode incl. a sporty throttle setup. What a difference. Even on the wet street, the X6 M accelerated from standstill like a rocket without ANY lag (hello Porsche development, you should learn from BMW M department how to program a throttle response on the Cayenne Turbo), very similar to the Panamera Turbo I testdrove. On dry pavement, as soon as you full press the throttle, the X6 M jumps forward like a jet without any lag and fully accelerates. We made a comparison with the Cayenne Turbo S, the X6 M was two car lengths ahead when we hit around 60 kph ! This doesn't mean that the BMW X6 M is so much faster than the Cayenne Turbo S, it just means the acceleration from standstill is much more spontaenous, very instant and without a lag like on the Cayenne Turbo S.
The X6 M engine revs high pretty fast, nothing spectacular here, it feels very linear and much less Turbo-like than on the Cayenne Turbo S. I actually like this setup because it is sportier and reminds me more of the BMW M3 Cab DKG. Unfortunately there is a tiny lag from time to time, especially in the lower rev range when the boost needs to kick in first but it feels sportier and better than on the Cayenne Turbo S.
The steering feel of the X6 M is completely different compared to the Cayenne Turbo S, it is very M3 Cab DKG like and this was a very pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, like on the Panamera, the steering "firmness" and turning angle seems to change depending on speed. So while it feels great most of the time, it gets lighter on faster straights and falls back to firmness when you steer-in, it feels pretty artificial but I got used to it. For a SUV, the steering is very sporty and direct, not perfect in sharp curves or fast straights but definetely better and sportier than on the Cayenne Turbo S, no doubt about it.
The Cayenne Turbo S facelift has an improved steering feel and it is slightly more direct but I'd say that the X6 M put the mark a little bit higher, I would call the X6 M the sportiest SUV on the market right now.
Turning on the sport mode of the EDC/suspension setup of the X6 M, makes the suspension stiffer but it still provides a lot of comfort. Especially in sharp curves, this mode makes almost a M3 out of the X6 M. Of course I felt the weight of the X6 M, it is present all the time, especially through curves but surprisingly, the X6 M feels much lighter than the Cayenne Turbo S, despite a similar weight.
Fuel consumption is out of this world, during my testdrive (and I didn't drive over 180 kph because of the snowy road conditions over here in Bavaria), the X6 M ate 21.7 liters / 100 km. Not much different to my Cayenne Turbo S under similar conditions/speeds I'm afraid but I also have to emphasize that I was driving in M-Dynamic Mode most of the time.
The M-Dynamic Mode is actually the standard PSM (ESP) setup on the Cayenne Turbo S I'd say. It is a pitty that BMW couldn't find a way to implement a THIRD ESP setting, only two are available. Turning DSC off completely isn't a good idea at all. I did it on a large parking lot and ended up with almost seeing my own tail. Speaking of drifting: with M-Dynamic Mode turned on, the rear wheels spin a little bit and there is also the chance to do a "micro-drift" for a short moment. After that, the DSC kicks in brutally.
I find it much more enjoyable to drive even in snow and in rain with M-Dynamic Mode activated but for the wife with kids in the car, I'd recommend turning it off. Which brings me to a tiny problem: the "M" activation button is on the steering wheel and it can be accidentally switched on (it happened to my wife when she testdrove the X6 M). I would rather put the button somewhere else.
The brake system is also very impressive, it is much better and delivers more confidence than the M3 Cab DKG brake system which starts to show serious fading after some short "hot" driving. I also like the firm brake feel a lot, the brake feel of the Cayenne Turbo S is slightly softer, even if the Turbo S brake is out of this world too, absolutely first-class.
I was also positively surprised with the interior room of the X6 M, the rear compartment looks even bigger than on the Cayenne. The luggage room isn't too big, it shares a similar problem with the Panamera, it is too "flat", there isn't much "height" left. Example: I can fit my daugthers bicycle inside the Cayenne Turbo S trunk, I tried the same in the X6 M...absolutely impossible.
Another last thing I didn't like about the X6 M: the exhaust pipes. They look typical "M"-style but this is no M3 or M6, this is a HUGE X6. BMW should have made the exhaust pipes slightly "thicker", they look a bit as if they don't belong to this car.
Personal conclusion: the X6 M is definetely the sportiest SUV on this planet, it is fun to drive and it provides the same "safety" feel the Cayenne provides. I'm not fully sold on the X6 M because of two things: the exhaust/engine sound is absolutely horrible, I mean H.O.R.R.I.B.L.E. I never would have imagined that BMW M company could do such a bad job but apparently they don't have much experience with turbo charged engines. Another thing is that the X6 M still feels heavy, only under certain driving situations but it can't deny its weight.
Btw: when I fueled up the X6 M at the fuel pump, the owner (I know him for some while) of the gas station asked me if I got a new car. When he told me that he hasn't seen many X6 around, one of his customers, around 55 years old and driving a 3series BMW, said in a very sarcastic tone: "because whoever drives such a "thing" needs a truck driver license". I understood immediately what he was referring to and when I told him that this truck easily outruns his 3series BMW in tight turns, he looked at me and said "this is ridiculous" and shortly after "crap".
I wanted a lower profile SUV but now I'm not too sure the X6 M is the lower profile I wanted. Apparently people are still reacting in a very strange way but I also have to confess that the X6 M looks HUGE. The sporty rear actually accentuates its length, I didn't realize it before.
Whoever ordered the X6 M will be a very happy owner but don't expect a sporty exhaust/engine sound, there is NONE, not even a bit. If you can live with it and with the fact that the X6 seems to attract a lot of attention too, this car should be perfect for you.
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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor 997 Turbo, Cayenne Turbo S, BMW M3 Cab DKG, Mini Cooper S JCW
Re: X6 M - short driving report (Rennteam)
