SIX-PACKED(some text hidden)

By Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Review word count: 63

This revised version of the third generation BMW X6 offers some useful improvements, notably 48V mild hybrid engine tech and a much enhanced cabin featuring the brand's latest Curved Screen displays. Otherwise, the X6 proposition is much as before. Love it or hate it, you have to respect a vehicle that's sold in such numbers and which has evolved into something rather special.

Background word count: 165

Has there been a more divisive car than BMW's X6 launched in the last two decades? Possibly not. The original 'E71'-series first generation version debuted back in 2008 and the formula was pretty simple. It was basically an X5 with a coupe-style sloping back. Lots of people got very aerated about this, claiming that here was a car with the handling shortcomings of an SUV coupled with the limited practicality of a coupe; the worst of both worlds. But then the X6 sold and sold in serious numbers. In fact, BMW shifted more than a quarter of a million of the things before launching a smoother-looking 'F16'-series second generation model in 2014, which nearly doubled that sales tally before this MK3 'G06'-series version was introduced in mid-2019. It gained more competition in this form, thanks to the arrival of the Audi Q8, the Porsche Cayenne Coupe and a second generation version of the Mercedes GLE Coupe. Hence the need for this update in early 2023.

Driving Experience word count: 418

Quite a lot's gone on under the bonnet as part of this facelift. The 3.0-litre six cylinder diesel variant most will choose (still badged xDrive30d) gains a revised 48V mild hybrid system, adding 12bhp and 200Nm of torque via a gearbox-mounted electric motor. That xDrive30d diesel puts out 298hp and makes 62mph in 6.1s. The petrol alternative X6 xDrive40i model gets a new generation six-cylinder in-line engine which for our market can't be had in the X5. That 3.0-litre unit's 380hp output is up by 47hp compared with its direct predecessor, while peak torque rises by 70Nm to 520Nm - and can be boosted to 540Nm with the mild hybrid system. It enables the X6 xDrive40i to sprint from 0 to 62mph in 5.4 seconds. This petrol engine also benefits from innovations in the combustion process, camshaft control, injection, ignition system and exhaust gas routing, plus the latest VALVETRONIC fully variable valve control. Since BMW isn't offering X6 customers the Plug-in Hybrid powertrain you can get in the X5, the only other mainstream X6 variant is the petrol V8 M version, now badged 'M60i' (which also gets the 48V mild hybrid system); that M60i offers 530hp and makes 62mph in just 4.3s, courtesy of a prodigious 750Nm of torque. At the very top of the range is the X6 M Competition, which has 625hp and makes 62mph in just 3.9s. All X6s get an updated eight-speed Steptronic Sport auto transmission with a host of innovations over and above the electric motor integrated into its housing. The unit's internal efficiency, vibration damping and shift timing have all been optimised, while shift characteristics are now adapted to the Driving Experience Control switch setting. The gearbox also includes a Launch Control function, plus using the gearshift paddles, drivers can activate a Sprint function for a quick burst of speed. Otherwise, across the range things are much as before. A two-axle air suspension system is standard, as is a 'Dynamic Damper Control' set-up to tailor ride quality, this accessible through the usual Driving Experience Control driving modes system. If you want to go further, the 'Adaptive M suspension Professional' package delivers two key enhancements. First, there's 'Active roll stabilisation - which compensates for cornering roll. And second there's 'Integral Active Steering' - which turns the rear wheels in either the same direction as the front wheels or the opposite direction, depending on the vehicle speed. This optimises cornering agility, ensures effortless lane changes and helps the vehicle to dart through city traffic.