News Source: autoblog.com

Please forgive my bluntness, and allow me to cut to the heart of the X6-dissenter argument right at the top. Yes, BMW will sell you a 2015 BMW X5 M that is the motive twin (I assume) of the X6 M you're here to read about, that is also cheaper, roomier, and more conventional in appearance.

For many of you – especially the old guard that hears the descriptor "Sports Activity Coupe" and proceeds to unlock the gun cabinet – that's all you need to hear. Because, although the fickle community that consumes and comments on internet car culture seems to be fine with typical-looking SUVs and wagons packing performance-enhancing goodies, the idea of slanting the back of one turns them right off.

And yet, BMW continues to sell the things; more than 250,000 units have be delivered in the X6 series' history. As if that weren't proof of concept enough, blood-rival Mercedes-Benz has unleashed the GLE, a coupe-like crossover of its own, complete with AMG pedigree.
All of this brought me to Austin, TX, home of Hill Country, The Circuit of the Americas and the 2015 X6 M launch. On both road and track I found a car that was more powerful and blithely capable than ever, while also being exactly as weird to drive as it is a concept to comprehend.

Given that the X5 M exists, and offers styling that is more like normal for the SUV genre, both the lovers and the haters of the X6 M are likely to be focused on the way it looks. Here, the 2015 model isn't very much changed from the original, meaning you aren't liable to change sides on the styling debate for this refresh.

The '15 model has a slightly fewer black accents on the exterior, along with revised front and rear fasciae and vented (and chromed) front fender gills. The car is almost two inches longer than the existing model, but is near enough the same size in every other direction that you'd have to study the specification sheet to know different.

Inside the X6 M that I tested was a beautiful, fully optioned cabin that boasted gripping sport seats and BMW's wide, easy-to-read infotainment screen. The leather-wrapped everything and carbon-fiber trim were both well executed, and my hands rejoiced at the feeling of the thick-rimmed, serious-looking steering wheel. Veterans of the current M5 or M6 will see a lot that looks familiar here, but to my eyes that's high praise. The most impactful changes aren't visual but visceral. The X6 M's turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 now puts out 567 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque – up from 555 hp and 500 lb-ft in last year's model. BMW has also replaced the six-speed automatic gearbox for an eight-speed Steptronic auto, helping the all-wheel drivetrain (now with more of an inclination towards the rear) to get the car to 60 miles per hour in four seconds flat.

Let's hammer that point home: a 4.0-second 0-60 sprint in a crossover that weighs just a Big Mac less than 5,200 pounds. There are so many things that I love and hate about that sentence.

Out on the road – from hard starts just for shits and giggles, and while passing steer-haulers and stake trucks with just a whisper of throttle – the effect of all that power is immense. Driving for a couple of hours, the silky smooth power delivery via that eight speed transmission and the great gobs of torque it was serving up made the hefty Bimmer feel surprisingly light on its feet.

What's more, the exhaust ranged from a tuneful blat when I spurred the throttle, to a deferential hum at a steady cruise. In traffic, I had no problem enjoying the excellent Bang & Olufsen sound system's rendition of Willie Nelson's Teatro, thanks to the nice, quiet soundstage of the cabin.

Even roar from the those super-wide tires (285-section rubber in front, 325 at the rear) was more muted than in X6 models past, thanks in part to the non-runflat Michelin tires.

With low noise, vibration and harshness and such a persuasive powertrain, you'd think the X6 M would be a dreamboat for cruising and the occasional blast of ridiculous speed, and you'd be right, if only the switch to electrically assisted steering didn't make piloting the thing so disconcerting.

As I said, I drove for several hours on Texas roads, ranging from ultra-smooth sections of the 85-mph-limited Highway 130, to winding, hill-cresting back roads. On all of them I tried to modulate between the variable steering settings on offer, from Comfort to Sport+, and met with odd behavior in every combination. At the heaviest-feeling setting, the steering wheel was seemingly 'corrected' with tiny surges all the time I had any lock dialed in. At the lightest, Comfort, setting, dead-ahead travel felt quite vague.