2023 BMW X6

BMW X6 2023 Review

There’s no model that has been quite as polarizing from the Bavarian automaker than the BMW X6 – and rather surprisingly, the sales numbers speak for themselves. It’s also a true pioneer in the segment of sports activity coupes – or rather, SUV coupes – and it has remained in production through three generations until today.

For you see, while the BMW X5 was regarded as the first truly sporty luxury SUV, that’s more a subset than an outright segment. Luxury SUVs had been around for decades before, existing in various shapes and forms. The X6 on the other hand was something completely new, even if it was essentially an X5 underneath that sportier bodywork.

If you’re wondering why BMW felt the urge to create such a model, the justification can come in several forms. The most obvious one is that there simply wasn’t anything like it at the time – coupe styling queues over an SUV body was just unheard of at the time. The second is that it offered something radically different from the X5 that people knew and love, and prestige and exclusivity always sells.

Ultimately the specifications of the BMW X6 mirror that of the BMW X5, though lesser variants are usually excluded as options. This includes the range-topping X6M that packs the same performance powertrain and drive systems, though has yet to be offered here. For the time being, there is only one variant of the BMW X6 on sale locally – the X6 xDrive40i M Sport.

BMW X6 2023 Specifications

Familiarity with BMW’s naming and numeral system would help you decode what the sole variant of the BMW X6 comes with. As an xDrive40i M Sport, this means it comes with the xDrive all-wheel drive system, a turbocharged 3.0-litre petrol engine, and the M Sport styling and equipment packages. In the case of the engine, it makes a healthy 340 PS and 450 Nm of torque, just like the BMW 340i.

That performance is split across all four wheels as we explained earlier, but before it gets there it has to pass through an eight-speed conventional automatic gearbox. It’s the ZF 8HP that we know and love, common to practically every longitudinally set-up BMW model in the range, offering speedy shifts on demand and smooth gear selection when you just need to cruise.

Being based on the same CLAR platform that underpins models like the BMW X5, BMW 5 Series, and BMW 7 Series, you can imagine that it shares some dimensions and characteristics. Besides handling nearly identically to a BMW X5, it has the same wheelbase length at 2,975 mm, a longer length at 4,935 mm, and an identical width at 2,004 mm. All kerb weights are over the 2,000 kilogram mark.

BMW X6 2023 Exterior

As we’ve joked about in the past, the BMW X6 is very much like the automotive equivalent of a mullet – business in the front, and party at the back. In that sense it looks fairly similar to a BMW X5 up front, while the sloping roofline and tapered rear bears more of a resemblance to a 4 Series – though the rear lights have more in common with the BMW X2.

Standard equipment as part of the M Sport package includes 21-inch M light Y-Spoke Style 741 alloy wheels, as well as the 3D LED L-shaped taillights, satin aluminium roof rails, and rear air vents as part of the BMW Individual exterior package. The kidney grille is the Iconic Glow design which features internal illumination, and BMW Laserlights are part of the package too. You can get your BMW X6 in six different paint options: Manhattan, Arctic Grey, Riverside Blue, Carbon Black, Mineral White, and Flamenco Red.

BMW X6 2023 Interior

It may be unsurprising to know that the BMW X6 interior is pretty much a carbon copy of that of the BMW X5, not that this is in any way a bad thing. The same semi-free-floating stand for the infotainment system is present, with the air conditioning vents and switchgear located right below it, and the instrument cluster (all digital, mind you) situated beside it. The switchgear and layout for the centre console is also the same, though that’s common across most BMW models.

The seats in question are trimmed in Vernasca leather upholstery as standard, with sports seats up front for both the driver and front passenger, as well as an M leather steering wheel. Rear passengers will be happily kept occupied with a pair of screens mounted to the back of the front seats, as well as rear air conditioning vents with their own individual controls. Our local variant of the X6 also is configured as a five-seater setup, with a functioning middle seat.

BMW X6 2023 Safety Features

Like nearly all the current BMW models availably in Malaysia, the BMW X6 comes loaded with driver assistance systems – specifically the Driving Assistant Professional, that includes cross-traffic warning for the rear and lane change warning. There is also Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go functionality, as well as Steering and Lane Control Assistant – essentially offering you quite nearly autonomous driving. The regular safety systems go without saying, like Dynamic Stability Control and Traction Control.

BMW X6 2023 Strengths & Weakness

Being based on the BMW X5 already gives the BMW X6 a pretty strong list of pros, including the fact that it handles impeccably for a car of its size and weight and it has some pretty solid performance if you’re in a hurry. It may not be as off-road oriented as its conventional sibling, though let’s face it – owners are unlikely to actually take these luxury vehicles off a tarmac surface.

The downside, however, is one unique to the BMW X6 – and perhaps its smaller sister, the BMW X4. That sloping roofline that gives it a unique silhouette also inevitably eats into rear passenger headroom and cargo space, for really no reason other than styling. Ultimately you will have to decide which is more important to you when it comes to your vehicle purchase.

BMW X6 2023 Price

The sole variant of the BMW X6 that is offered locally is the X6 xDrive40i M Sport, and it will set you back RM 683,317.39 with the current SST exemptions in place. The extra extended warranty and service package will tack on an extra RM 20,630 on top of this price.

BMW X6 2023 Features

Standard features that are included with your purchase of the BMW X6 are the aforementioned touchscreen display in all its 12.3-inches of glory, as well as the rear screens that are 10-inches in size each. There is also the heads-up display system, BMW Gesture Control, and BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant functionality. You also get a panoramic glass sunroof that creates a more airy interior.

BMW X6 2023 Fuel Consumption

While there are no specific fuel consumption figures for the BMW X6 xDrive40i M Sport for Malaysia, the generally quoted figure based on European testing is 9.0 litres per 100 kilometres of driving, which translates to roughly 11.1 kilometres per litre of fuel. This isn’t the most frugal of cars, but it does weigh over two tonnes and has an all-wheel drive system to add rolling resistance. Being a turbocharged car, it does also mean that fuel consumption can vary quite wildly if you are constantly accelerating hard.