2024 BMW X6 M Competition First Test: The Original Fastback SUV Continues to Evolve
The X6 continually proves why so many have followed in its tracks, but is it better than before?
More than a decade and a half has passed since BMW graced us with the world’s first fastback SUV. Commonly referred to by automakers as “SUV coupes,” these semi-stylish, sometimes-sporty, often-polarizing vehicles blend sports car looks and performance with SUV comfort and practicality. The original, BMW’s X6 SUV coupe, set the standard for what a fastback SUV should be. The new 2024 BMW X6 M Competition continues the tradition, even if it’s in some ways objectively worse than its immediate predecessor.
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Why It’s Important
Essentially a mild refresh of 2020’s third-generation X6 M, the updated-for-2024 BMW X6 M Competition looks toward the future by getting a light dose of electricity, refreshed sheetmetal and interior pieces, and some minor performance modifications.
The biggest change is under the hood. The 2024 BMW X6 M’s 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 gets a new 12-hp and 147-lb-ft motor integrated into the housing of its eight-speed automatic transmission. Because of the different ways electric motors and internal combustion engines deliver their power, total system output remains unchanged at 617 hp and 535 lb-ft of torque. Regardless, BMW promises the new motor lowers the X6 M’s CO2 output while providing the driver with “extremely spirited and assured performance, both when accelerating off the line and during midrange acceleration.” As before, all BMW X6 M Competitions—now the only variant available—sport all-wheel drive with torque vectoring.
Other performance enhancements include additional body structure bracing and revised electronically adjustable suspension tuning. Visually, the changes for 2024 include a minor nose and tail tuck, exterior trim revisions, a curved iDrive display, and a handful of new interior color and trim options.
Pros: What We Like
Although BMW promises more, well, more with the revised X6 M, our test-track results were surprisingly mixed. If drag racing is your bag, you’ll find the new 2024 BMW X6 M Competition’s 0–60-mph run of 3.5 seconds and quarter-mile run of 11.9 seconds at 116.3 mph trail the pre-refresh model in our testing by 0.2 second to 60 mph and 0.3 second and 3.2 mph in the quarter. We suspect the new model’s new motor and additional structure bracing are rearing their heads here; as most of us do as we get up in years, the 2024 X6 M has put on some weight, coming in about 160 pounds more than the last X6 M Competition we tested.
Yet the 2024 X6 M Competition hides its weight well when it comes to our handling tests. The new model managed 1.00 g average on our skidpad and lapped our figure-eight course in 23.8 seconds at 0.83 g average. The best the old model could do was 0.97 g of lateral acceleration on the skidpad and 24.1 seconds at 0.83 g on the figure eight. Both models were even in 60–0-mph brake tests, stopping in just 102 feet.
Despite the mixed results at the track, the new X6 M is just as much a joy to drive as the old one. When cruising about town, its ride is firm yet comfortable, and its steering is well-weighted and talkative with a quick ratio—reducing most turns to just a gentle flick of the wrist left or right. The engine and transmission—true to BMW’s vainglorious copywriting—perform as advertised, too, with the new motor filling the gap before the twin-turbos come on boost.
Fire up the M modes, and the X6 M Competition somehow wakes up more. In the car’s most aggressive settings, the X6 M explodes forward with just a mere flex of your right foot. Steering firms up, and the remarkably natural-feeling brake-by-wire system becomes more immediate yet more progressive at the same time. The X6 M Competition is the type of super SUV you can track, sure, but it’s arguably more fun to unleash on a great back road and watch your Google Maps ETA tick down in rapid succession.
Cons: What We Don’t Like
Although the 2024 BMW X6 M Competition is a tick slower at the track, frankly most owners will struggle to tell the difference between it and the slightly quicker 2020–2023 models. However, they will almost certainly notice the new X6 M’s smaller cabin versus the related X5. Up front, taller occupants will likely find the aggressively sloped coupelike roof rails don’t play nice with the relatively stiff suspension and their skulls, while rear occupants might notice the well-finished headliner is closer to their skulls than they’d expect in an SUV this size. The X6 M gives up some cargo room, too, though the trunk’s depth makes up for what it might lack in height compared to the X5.
It’s also worth noting that despite the addition of an electric motor, the new X6 M Competition is no more efficient than the version it replaces; both achieve the same 13/18/15 mpg city/highway/combined EPA score.
The Bottom Line
Ultimately, even though it might be a touch slower and no more efficient than its predecessor, the revised 2024 BMW X6 M Competition is a great reminder as to why so many automakers have followed it into the fastback SUV space.
I generally like writing—especially when it’s about cars—but I hate writing about myself. So instead of blathering on about where I was born (New York City, in case you were wondering) or what type of cars I like (all of ’em, as long as it has a certain sense of soul or purpose), I’ll answer the one question I probably get most, right after what’s your favorite car (see above): How’d you get that job? Luck. Well, mostly. Hard work, too. Lots of it. I sort of fell into my major of journalism/mass communication at St. Bonaventure University and generally liked it a lot. In order to complete my degree senior year, we had to spend our last two semesters on some sort of project. Seeing as I loved cars and already spent a good portion of my time reading about cars on sites such as Motor Trend, I opted to create a car blog. I started a Tumblr, came up with a car-related name (The Stig’s American Cousin), signed up for media access on a bunch of manufacturer’s websites, and started writing. I did everything from cover new trim levels to reviewing my friends’ cars. I even wrote a really bad April Fool’s Day post about the next Subaru Impreza WRX being Toyota-Corolla-based. It was fun, and because it was fun, it never felt like work. Sometime after my blog had gotten off the ground, I noticed that Motor Trend was hiring for what’s now our Daily News Team. I sent in my résumé and a link to my blog. I got the job, and two weeks after graduation I made the move from New York to California. I’ve been happily plugging away at a keyboard—and driving some seriously awesome hardware—ever since.
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