2024 BMW X6 M60i Review – Buying This Over the X6M?

BMW gave the X6 its lifecycle impulse last year and cranked up the aggression on an already menacing-looking vehicle. The 2024 BMW X6 (G06) facelift can now only be ordered with the M pack, driving the point home that BMW wants this to be perceived as a considerably sportier alternative to the more practical X5, and it certainly feels like it from behind the wheel. The X6 facelift features a 48-volt electrical system that not only powers the mild hybrid system but also the optional active antiroll bars that seem to get this 2.3-ton (4,600-pound) to defy the laws of physics through the corners. It’s no sports sedan, but it grips alarmingly well, and with the limited-slip differential in the back, it catapults itself out of corners at what can only be described as an alarming pace.

Why anybody would need the BMW X6M Competition with 100 more horsepower is beyond me, although I have not driven one of those, so maybe once I get my hands on one, I’ll understand where the almost $35,000 price difference comes from. My 2024 BMW X6 M60i tester, which features a detuned version of the same S68 engine you find in the X6M, felt like it already had more power than the vehicle really needed.

However, this is an X6, a vehicle that is meant to look a bit excessive, a bold chariot for its extroverted owner to show off in, so the power level of the X6 M60i felt just right given that mindset. I took it on a road trip for a couple hundred miles, and while I expected it to pin me to my seat with just a flex of my right foot’s big toe given its engine specs, I did not expect it to sip as little fuel as it did when you were not on it.

Facelift Changes

With new headlights, taillights, bumpers, and wheel designs, the G06 LCI certainly looks refreshed. It’s a bit more angular-looking now, and its daytime running light signature aligns with the rest of the BMW lineup. I parked my LCI tester next to a pre-facelift X6, and while at first, the changes may not seem too significant, they completely change how you perceive the vehicle when you compare it directly—it looks a lot more modern and contemporary now.

Inside, the only big change is the addition of the twin-screen array, with a 12.3-inch display in front of the driver and a larger 14.9-inch screen for the infotainment. The LCI model was supposed to get iDrive 8.5, but for some reason, my tester had the slightly older version 8. Since the car has all the necessary hardware to run the upgraded operating system, a trip to the dealer can probably solve this.

With the introduction of the curved screens and the newer iDrive, BMW has also removed the physical climate controls. You now have to access the climate menu to adjust anything other than the temperatures of the two zones, which is a step backward in terms of safety and usability. Things are improved with iDrive 8.5, which adds more climate functions to the main screen, so you don’t always have to go into the big climate menu.

Mild-Hybrid Improves the S68 V8

There’s no getting around how great the S68 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 is. It propels even a big vehicle like the X6 with ease, turning it into what feels like a sorted sports sedan on stilts that weighs far less than it actually does. With 530 PS (523 bhp) available between 5,500 and 6,000 rpm and 750 Nm (553 pound-feet) of torque that is delivered flat from 1,800 all the way to 4,600 rpm, whichever gear you’re in and no matter the speed, the vehicle pulls very strongly.

Even taking manual control over the eight-speed automatic gearbox and putting it in eighth at around 100 km/h (62 mph), the vehicle picks up speed very well, and you are reminded just how smooth this engine is.

With launch control engaged, the 2024 BMW X6 M60i feels even quicker in its sprint from a standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) than the 4.3 seconds claimed by BMW. It’s really strong, enough to make your passengers feel uneasy if they did not brace for it beforehand. The vehicle darts off the line so aggressively that it could even give you whiplash, just like in some very powerful EVs. The immediacy of the power is also remarkable.

What’s not so hot is the noise it makes, at least here in Europe, where the vehicle is fitted with a particulate filter. This helps the big V8 clean up its act, and you can hardly smell a thing when you’re behind the vehicle, but it muffles the roar of the eight-cylinder mill considerably. In the US, the particulate filter is not fitted to this vehicle, and the exhaust has a considerably more savage bark.

No Lean Through Corners

My tester didn’t come with the 22-inch wheels and summer tires that it was configured with, and instead had 21s and winter tires. I think this is what gave the front end a strangely floaty feel when trying to push into a corner, making the vehicle want to plow straight on rather than rotate around its axis and keep its trajectory through the corner.

I’ve not experienced this in any other X5 or X6 of this generation, and I attributed it to the tires. The extra weight of the facelifted model may also play a part in this behavior—the G06 LCI M60i is about 80 kilograms (180 pounds) heavier than the old G06 M50i.

Other than this, there is little to criticize about the handling. With the active antiroll bars virtually eliminating roll through corners, a very precise steering rack, four-wheel steering, and plenty of mechanical grip, my tester felt like it could defy physics. It’s a known trait that BMWs, especially the big and heavy ones, do a fantastic job of disguising their heft, and the X6 G06 LCI is no exception. It gives you plenty of confidence to drive it quickly, even on a narrow, twisty road, as you always feel that you are in control.

I’m curious to try one out with the optional air suspension, which is softer and more comfort-oriented, and that might lend the X6 quite a different character. Some who have driven it say it’s the best choice for this vehicle, but given how comfy my tester was with steel springs, I’ll reserve judgment until after I’ve had a go in one with air suspension.

Is It a Better Deal Than an X6M?

Even though the X6 M60i starts at just over €108,000 (VAT included) here in Romania, my tester had options that took its price beyond the starting price of the X6M—just shy of €148,000. Some of the most expensive options were the M Sport Suspension Professional pack (€3,690), the Innovation Pack (€5,504), the Comfort Package Plus (€4,356), the Exclusive Pack (€2,563), and the Bowers and Wilkins Diamond sound system (€4,920). There were more options, but listing them all would take up half of the article, and you can check out the options list in its entirety in the gallery.

BMW X6 M60i or X6M?

Almost €150,000 is a lot of money for an X6 that’s just an M Sport model. That price point is exactly where the X6M starts, though, and it has a lot fewer comfort and style options than the X6 M60i. The full-blown M model has about 100 horsepower more, it looks a bit more aggressive, and it’s a bit more fun to drive, but you get almost the same experience (and more options) for the same price in an M60i.

I haven’t driven the latest 2024 BMW X6M or X5M, so I might be wrong about this, but to me, it makes more sense to spec an X6 M60i like my tester and get a more luxurious experience rather than going for the stiffer and less comfortable M variant—comfort is ultimately what you want out of a big SUV, not a harsh ride since it’s never going to be a sports car anyway. And if you really want more power out of the vehicle, an engine remap that shouldn’t affect reliability if you are sensible is the way to go, and it will bring the 2024 BMW X6 M60i into the same performance league as the X6M.