BMW X6 review

For those with one eye on running costs, it'll come as no great surprise that the xDrive30d diesel has the best official fuel economy, and the M50i petrol has the worst. Claims of up to 42.8mpg for the X6 xDrive30d compare against mpg 34.0mpg for the equivalent Audi Q8, while CO2 emissions of 172g/km and 218g/km respectively will make little difference to any lucky company-car user, as both cars still fall well within the top Benefit-in-Kind tax band. 

While the xDrive40i and xDrive30d engines can be chosen with Sport or M Sport trim levels, the M50i effectively forms a higher ‘M’ trim level of its own. Even entry-level Sport models are stacked with kit, though, including 19in alloy wheels, adaptive LED headlights, heated front seats and much more.

As such, Sport ought to satisfy most buyers’ requirements, but M Sport trim is only a small jump up in price and comes with 21in alloy wheels, black exterior trim highlights, a more aggressive body kit, an M Sport braking system, a sports steering wheel and a plethora is M specific cosmetic derails inside and out; no wonder M Sport accounts for the vast majority of sales. There's a long list of optional comfort, convenience and technology packs, too, but – as is the case with the X6's rivals – these can add a big chunk to the bottom line.

In terms of reliability, we don’t yet have any data for this third-generation X6, so we can’t say for sure how dependable it will be. What we do know is that BMW as a whole finished in an impressive 9th place out of 31 manufacturers in our 2020 What Car? Reliability Survey, beating the likes of Audi, Land Rover, Mercedes and Porsche. Every X6 comes with a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty.

The X6 is so closely related to the X5 that it won’t be crash-tested separately by safety experts at Euro NCAP. That’s no bad thing, though, as the X5 itself received a very impressive five-star safety rating, with very solid scores in every category. Front collision warning and automatic emergency braking (AEB) are fitted as standard.

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