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BMW X6

SUV Performance!
BMW X6 M Competition

April 14, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment


BMW’s formidable line of SUVs is comprised of seven models sequentially named from X1 to X7. This German marque leaves no holes in its lineup, ensuring that there is a luxury utility vehicle for every shopper.

But BMW doesn’t stop there. Indeed, recognizing that many of its customers transitioned from coupes and sedans to SUVs and have also long placed a premium on speed, four models ranging from the X3 to X6 have “M” performance variants.

The largest of the four is known as the BMW X6 M and was a recent visitor to the Auto Trends test fleet. Specifically, an M6 Competition model with jaw-dropping output offered a week’s worth of on-road thrills.


2020 BMW X6 Review


The 2020 model year launches the X6’s fourth-generation (the third for the M line). This model continues to share the underpinnings of the X5 and offers a coupe-like design with a formidable expression. BMW offers this model in X6 sDrive40i ($64,300), X6 xDrive40i ($66,600), and X6 M50i ($85,650) configurations. Further, you’ll find a pair of “M” models known simply as the X6 M ($108,600) and the X6 M Competition ($117,600).

For the focus of this review, we’ll concentrate on the X6 M/Competition and its unique styling and performance characteristics. Likewise, any mention of the standard models is for comparison purposes only.



Exterior

There is nothing subtle about the BMW X6 M. From its gangly shape to outrageous lines, this X6 is a beastly model.
The M lines simply magnify the look with its oversized twin-kidney grille leading the way. A broad lower intake and huge side cutouts along with LED signature lights add to the drama. Overall, it’s intimidating and overpowering – if you see one fast approaching in your rearview mirror, more than likely you’ll scoot over to allow it to pass.

Sculpted wheel arches, a high profile, and a sloping roof leading to a notched liftgate are among the other design features of note. From the rear, narrow wraparound lights and a diffuser highlight the look, but with far less drama and intimidation than the front.

Interior

You can fit five inside the X6 M, but it’s most comfortable for four. Access and egress to the rear seat is a bit challenging as you’ll have to bend your head to avoid making contact with the roof. Once inside, the rear seat is spacious, comfortable, and roomy.

The best seats, of course, are up front. Dual thrones with heating, cooling, and massaging features not only offer maximum support, but they’re thickly bolstered for spirited driving. Just make sure when you enter you clear the seat edges to avoid landing on one of the hard sides.

BMW interiors are among the best in the industry and the X6 lives up to that expectation. The interiors, particularly on the top trims, feature high-end leathers, aluminum edges, quilted inserts, and Alcantara headliners. Not a plastic surface anywhere. Ambient and nighttime lighting add to the mystique.




Tech

The tech goodies are apparent in the X6 M. BMW supplies this model with a 16-speaker Harman Kardon audio system with HD Radio, satellite radio, a CD player, connected services, and Apple CarPlay smartphone compatibility. Sorry, no Android Auto.

Other features include wireless charging, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and the usual USB inputs.

Safety

BMW supplies the X6 M with multiple driver-assist features, including active driving assistant. This suite includes frontal collision warning with city collision mitigation and lane departure warning.

Automatic high beams, active blind-spot detection, surround-view cameras, and active park distance control are also included.



Performance

By now, you’ve likely figured out that the X6 M is mostly about performance. Under the hood is BMW’s most powerful V8 engine, a twin-turbo beauty displacing 4.4-liters. This engine is found in a variety of applications and typically punctuates all things M.

In its normal mode, it makes 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque. That alone is laudable, enabling this strapping SUV to move from 0-60 mph in about 4 seconds. If you want to move just under that threshold, then choose either M model with special engine tuning. Here, you’ll find a whopping 600 or 617 horsepower at the ready. BMW routes power to all four wheels utilizing an 8-speed automatic transmission.

Doubtlessly, the X6 M is loud. And fast. Engage the ignition and the engine rumbles to life and sends out a boom throw the exhaust system. That system is adjustable, allowing for a louder cacophony as desired. Your neighbors, though, may appreciate a more silent approach, something you can supply by deactivating the soundtrack until you’re on the open road.



The X6 is heavy, with the fully loaded Competition weighing just over two-and-one-half tons. That’s a lot of weight to move, but the bigly V8 does so with ease. Step-off acceleration is amazing – the twin turbos conspire to develop power flawlessly and consistently. If you want to make the run up to 100 mph, this engine never flags in zeal.
Weighed steering, direct handling, and a wonderful connection to the road are among this SUV’s hallmarks. It doesn’t have quite the on-road chops of an M4, but it is close.

Despite its high profile, the X6 M stays the course, handling twisty roads with ease and pulling out of corners on point, thanks largely to its rear bias. Certainly, this SUV is a gamer and individuals with deep pockets are eager to buy in.

For everyone else, the standard twin-turbo V6 with 335 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque should do. We’ve driven other BMW models with this engine and have found it more than up to the task.

Competitive Set

There are few direct competitors to the BMW X6 M. One of the most obvious is the Mercedes-AMG GLE 43/63. The Lamborghini Urus is another one. If you’re looking at the standard X6, the Lexus GX, Audi Q7, and Infiniti QX60 are worth considering.



Our Recommendation


Should you choose the X6 M or the X6 Competition? The difference between the two is $9,000, a price that includes some trim and interior upgrades, badging, and added performance.

There are two packages to consider — a Drivers Assistance Professional Package ($1,700 and includes adaptive cruise control which surprisingly isn’t included elsewhere) and an Executive Package ($3,600) with heated seats, heated and cooled front cup holders, ventilated front seats, soft-close front doors, rear manual side window shades, and adaptive headlights with laser light.

Other features offered separately include Night Vision With Pedestrian Detection ($2,300), a Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Audio System ($3,400), Rear-Seat Entertainment Professional ($2,200), and an M Performance Package ($2,500). Fully built out and this model will set you back by more than $134,000.

When all is said and done, you’ll likely pay at least $120,000 for one of most powerful SUVs available.



2020 BMW X6 Specifications


BMW 2020 X6
Segment Midsize SUV
Price Range $64,300 to $117,600
Destination Charge $995
Engine No. 1 3.0-liter, Inline6
Horsepower 335 @ 5,500 – 6,500 RPMs
Torque (lb.-ft.) 330 @ 1,500 – 5,200 RPMs
Transmission 8-speed automatic
Engine No. 2 4.4-liter, turbocharged V8
Horsepower 523/600/617 @ 5,500 – 6,000 RPMs
Torque (lb.-ft.) 553 @ 1,800 – 4,600 RPMs
Transmission 8-speed automatic
Seating 5
Curb Weight (pounds) 4,687 to 5,115
Wheelbase (inches) 117.1
Length (inches) 194.8
Width (inches) 78.9
Height (inches) 66.3 to 66.8
Headroom (f,r…inches) 39.3, 37.5
Legroom (f,r…inches) 40.4, 35.7
Shoulder room (f,r…inches) 60.0, 57.7
Hip room (f,r…inches) NR
Storage (cubic feet) 27.4, 59.6
Gross vehicle weight (pounds) 6,063 to 6,658
Towing (pounds) 7,200
Payload (pounds) 893 to 937
Fuel Premium
Fuel Tank (gallons) 21.9
EPA Fuel MPG (city/highway/combined) 20,21/26/22,23 (I6); 16/22/18 (V8)
Manufacturing Plant Greer, South Carolina

Data compiled by Tom Keegan. All rights reserved.


See Also — Go Big or Go Home: 2019 BMW X7 SUV

Photos copyright Auto Trends Magazine. All right reserved.

Filed Under: New Car Reviews Tagged With: 8-SPEED TRANSMISSION, all-wheel drive, BMW, BMW X6, M, SUV, TWIN TURBO, V8 engine

Jeepers: Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe

December 11, 2014 by admin 2 Comments

New Mercedes model pushes the styling envelope.

2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 AMG Coupe
2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 AMG Coupe.

There are times when an automaker shows a new model and the Internet is lit up with positive or negative comments. There are other times when all you hear is crickets. The Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe lies somewhere between both extremes, a 2016 model due out next year.

Despite the “coupe” name, the GLE is a crossover utility vehicle or what represents Mercedes’ most ambitious attempt to build a vehicle that moves away from the expected styling convention.

Indeed, the Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe is different as it takes a radical styling approach currently exhibited by the BMW X6, its chief competitor. It is a style that you probably will love or hate — I have not yet decided what to make of the GLE Coupe.

What I don’t like is the use of coupe for anything beside a two-door car model. Sure, the roofline is coupe-like, but we’re talking about a utility vehicle, not a car. I just wonder if this name playing is a marketing ploy, one that ultimately confuses the consumer.

2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe

What the GLE Coupe does do is make an attempt to put some excitement in a segment typically devoid of it. Ask any automotive enthusiast and he or she will tell you that there are very few non-car models other than pickup trucks and select 4x4s that grab the heart in the same way as a Chevy Camaro, Porsche 911 or a heritage model like the Pontiac Bonneville does.

People buy crossovers because they want the interior room and the high profile. Or so it seems.

Mercedes-Benz calls the GLE Coupe “a sportier choice” and with that statement I won’t argue. It has a much more muscular appearance with strong shoulders, oversized wheels and a sloping roofline. M-B would not build such a vehicle unless it thought that there was a market for one. BMW has demonstrated that there is one — the X6 is now entering its second generation.

Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe

Let’s Go With AMG

For the US market, Mercedes-Benz plans a GLE 450 AMG 4MATIC Coupe featuring a biturbo V6 engine making 362 horsepower with an output of 384 foot-pounds of twist. Besides the usual lavish equipment level, M-B says that the enhanced version will come with a DYNAMIC SELECT dynamic handling control system, a Sports Direct-Steer system and the usual driver assistance system found elsewhere in the model line. Notably, the AMG model will come with a 9G-TRONIC or nine-speed automatic transmission and 4MATIC permanent all-wheel drive.

“The GLE 450 AMG Coupe is our first sports model, and further highly emotional and performance-oriented models will follow in the near future. The new product line from Mercedes-AMG has allowed us to make true sports car technology and the fascination of motorsports more accessible,” says Tobias Moers, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH. “Every vehicle from Affalterbach honors the brand promise of Driving Performance.”

Changing Naming Convention

Beyond the model at hand, Mercedes is also changing its utility vehicle naming convention. The automaker says that it is paying tribute to its legendary G-Class model by assigning GL to all models except for the G itself.

There is some rhyme and reason to what Mercedes is doing. For instance, the GLA represents its A-Class segment utility vehicle. The GLC, formerly the GLK-Class, is its C-Class segment model. The GLE, formerly the M-Class, is its E-Class model. The Current GL will be renamed the GLS to align it with the S-Class segment. Any lower case letter found in the name will be associated with a particular engine. Nomenclature anyone?

Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe

Mercedes Handling Characteristics

Mercedes says the GLE Coupe’s variable dynamic control system assigns fundamentally different characteristics to the five transmission modes of INDIVIDUAL, COMFORT, SLIPPERY, SPORT and SPORT+. On the center console is a rotary controller from which the driver will choose the particular mode.

If you want a soft drive, then you’ll choose COMFORT. For enhanced handling and performance, go with either of the sport modes. When the SPORT+ mode is activated, the gear changes are “acoustically accentuated” particularly when you downshift via the double-clutch function. Mercedes says that also causes the cockpit functions to respond faster. Move your eyes to the large center display and you’ll see lateral and longitudinal acceleration as well as the steering angle included in a motorsports graphic.

New Air Suspension and Roll Stabilization

The new model will also come with the latest version of Mercedes’ AIRMATIC air suspension. For the first time it will include the continuously variable damping system ADS Plus, what the company says “guarantees extremely stable driving.” Choose the SPORT+ mode if you want to enjoy the greatest lateral dynamics.

The GLE Coupe also comes with an ACTIVE CURVE SYSTEM, what is activated when either sport mode is chosen. It provides active roll stabilization, by raising the front and rear anti-roll bars to sedan level comfort and has also been designed to mitigate certain road impacts, including pot holes. Along with the steering system, Mercedes claims outstanding handling across all operating conditions.

Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe

Growing Marketshare

Will the GLE Coupe succeed? Is the sky blue?

Mercedes-Benz continues to sell more cars around the world and there is no reason why it will have any problem with the GLE Coupe. The new model may not appeal to everyone, but it shows that the good folks in Stuttgart aren’t about to let BMW, Audi or anyone else succeed in a segment apart from their own attempt to field a competitive model.

The new naming convention may take some getting used to but there is a methodology at work too. And it is a method designed for success, something Mercedes continues to enjoy.

Photos courtesy of Mercedes-Benz USA.


German Luxury Model Reviews

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Compact Luxury Value: 2015 Audi A3 Sedan 2.0T

Emotive: Porsche 911 Carrera 4S

Filed Under: Automotive News Tagged With: ACTIVE CURVE SYSTEM, AIRMATIC, BITURBO, BMW X6, CROSSOVER UTILITY VEHICLE, GLE COUPE, HANDLING CONTROL SYSTEM, Mercedes-Benz, NAMING CONVENTION, NOMENCLATURE, V-6

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