The X6 is back in India, and BMW has brought in the alluring M60i spec that uses an electrified V8 to deliver more grunt with incredible versatility.
The coupé SUV may have begun its lineage with the Pontiac Aztek; feel free to dispute that. Then BMW came along and made the first sports activity coupé (SAC). If they want to abbreviate it to that, who am I to argue? Looks the part. The X6, to be honest, has a love-it-or-hate-it styling. Some people adore coupé SUVs and think they’re the best of all worlds. I don’t like how it looks, frankly. But I do love how it drives. And, as I always say, ‘Can’t see the outside of the car when you’re inside driving it!’
The X6 took a bit of a sabbatical from the BMW India portfolio, but now it’s back. Last seen in xDrive40i M Sport guise with a straight-six engine, this time round it gets the rather revered “M60i” badge but with a new electrified V8. Wait. The M60’s supposed to be a V12, isn’t it? Yes, the M760Li xDrive was indeed sold in India with the 6.0-litre V12 (which continues in Rolls-Royce models even for Euro 7), but that page has turned and, globally, BMW now uses the “M60i” to designate the new 48-volt mild-hybrid “S68” V8, a version of which is also seen in the XM, albeit in a plug-in hybrid configuration. Here, however, the S68 is the sole powerhouse and, boy, does it have some grunt.
The peak output remains the same as the “50i” spec V8 seen in former global models; however, the 48-volt architecture and the 9.0-kW integrated starter-generator (ISG) are what’s really new. The little electric motor assists the drive system with 12 hp (meh) and 200 Nm (yes!), so it’s always eager to sprint yet delivers decent fuel efficiency as well. In outright performance terms, it dismisses the 0-100 km/h sprint in 4.3 seconds and gets up to 250 km/h. But there’s a lot more to it than one single drag run.
The X6 has an imposing presence. It’s nearly five metres long and over two metres wide and quite tall. The near three-metre wheelbase is bookended by 21-inch wheels with wide, mixed-size rubber. The coupé-style sloping roof doesn’t effectively diminish its butch stance. This shade of Aventurine Red looks far more subtle than its launch finish in Isle of Man Green, which I would have preferred for its more vibrant effect. Six colours are on offer. Anyway. The smart key means I don’t have to fidget around to unlock the car, get in, and get going. The lights come on, the display comes to life in a similar dramatic fashion as the iX does. The interior is finished in the “Sensafin” Tacora Red and Black dual-tone upholstery, one of the four choices available. It features perforations for the sea ventilation and actually feels like super-premium plush leather to touch. Needless to say, the seats are extremely supportive and the high-quality interior augments its luxurious genes and cross-country mile-munching ability.
The rear seats, too, are spacious and are set well inside the eggshell cabin to allow for decent headroom even for six-foot-tall occupants. It’s best used as a four-seater, but the middle rear seat can accommodate a fifth entity when needed. The rear seat-back is split-folding, and behind it is a 580-litre boot which is wide and flat and can expand to over 1,500 litres. Flexibility is a plus here.
The kit in the X6 is considerable and most of it is standard. The driver assistance systems go beyond the now regular adaptive cruise control, collision warning, and autonomous braking. The “Digital Key Plus” allows using a smartphone or smartwatch as a key, with support for as many as 17 iOS members and four Android ones. The BMW Reversing Assistant now remembers up to 200 metres of path to make getting out of tight spots even easier. The old joke goes, “How do you get an elephant out of a Ferrari? The same way you got it in!” Retracing the path backwards with memorised inputs makes it a cake walk. There’s more. Integral Axle Steering turns the rear wheels in conjunction with the front, making for tighter turns; much needed given its size.
Out in the city, the X6 establishes itself as the dominant species, and other road users comply without argument—that includes the otherwise unruly municipal transport buses. It’s a coupé blob occupying a considerable portion of the—very limited—lane space, and it makes its presence felt. Full marks for that. However, the turning heads of two-wheeler riders as they fly past precariously is something I could do without. The steering wheel feels straight out of an M car, which it is, in part, and the response is clinical. Every input, involuntary or sharp, is immediately translated into a change of direction, however minimal or urgent. For a nearly 2.4-tonne behemoth, its weight evaporates the moment it gets going, much like its two-wheeled Motorrad sibling, the GSA. That gives confidence and ease of being inside what is a huge car that drives like a hot hatchback. Even the nearly 400-millimetre brakes do a fantastic job of stopping quickly and in a drama-free manner.
The visibility is good. Power-adjustable seats can be set up for the perfect vantage point, or low with high thigh support for a sports car feel, just as I like it. The controls are a mix of buttons, toggle switches, and the iDrive knob, apart from the touchscreen, which makes things easy to get used to and spot on the move. Full marks for ergonomics, too. The drive modes once again reaffirm BMW’s grand mastery of changing cars at the push of a button. In “Eco Pro” and “Comfort”, it feels like a 6 GT. In “Sport”, it changes into an M6. There are sub-modes, too: Sport, Sport Plus, and Sport Individual. In any of the three, an impromptu prod of the right pedal has it pouncing like a bucking bronco. What’s the weight again? That shouldn’t be possible!
However, it’s easy to rein it in. It’s not meant to zip around the city. I’d happily pack many bags and drive down to Goa because it is über-capable, like a plus-size GT car. The sharp handling, adaptive M suspension, and predictable behaviour—once you get used to it—all have a big hand in the “so much want” factor. And it’s not a tarmac-loving thing. It is quite capable of dealing with obstacles and rough bits. The ground clearance is well over 200 mm, and it has approach/departure angles of 25.1° and 21.7°, respectively, with a breakover angle of 17.9°. That’s more than sufficient for whatever areas you may end up traversing if you have the means to comfortably afford an X6.
Its coming is somewhat amusingly coincidental. Audi brought in the 507-hp V8-powered SQ8, and merely days after driving it, I read the news of this thing coming in. And a few weeks later, here I am at the wheel. Yes, the X6 packs more displacement and power (+399 cc, +23 hp) but slightly less torque (-20 Nm) and is also heavier (+75 kg), but in terms of delivery, it feels the more aggressive one but has just as much refinement. The price, too, is only Rs 18,000 more than its primary rival, at Rs 1.78 crore (ex-showroom). It’s also Rs 18 lakh less than the 500-hp Porsche Cayenne GTS Coupé. And, it’s Rs 33.6 lakh less than the Range Rover Sport SV which packs the same engine!
It’s big. It’s fast. It’s a wolf in sleek wolf’s clothing, and it has sheep-wool soft comfort. I stand divided on the exterior appearance, but as they say, it’s what is on the inside that counts. And it’s an absolute true-to-M beast!
Story: Jim Gorde
Photography: Chirayu Gijare
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