The 2020 BMW X6 has been revealed, and it’s still clearly the less practical, more design-driven version of the X5. But the latest X6 works a little harder to distinguish itself from its X5 sibling. It features a tweaked front fascia and a particularly sporty rear.
Starting with the nose, the differentiation is subtle but noteworthy. The kidney grilles are a little lower, wider, and they narrow at the top, similar to the design seen on the X2. And the kidneys light up! That is, if you go for the light-up kidneys option. The lower grilles are bigger, too. The overall effect is more scowling and aggressive than that of the X5.
They wouldn’t look out of place on a BMW 8 Series variant. Moving the license plate down on the rear fascia also helps accentuate the width of the X6. It has a unique split spoiler on the roof, and a highly pronounced full spoiler on the edge of the hatch. The rear bumper does look fairly thick, though, and everything below the hatch shut line is busy.
While the styling is straying farther from the X5, the powertrains are still shared between the two models. The base trims are the rear-drive sDrive40i and all-wheel-drive xDrive40i. They both get a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six making 335 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque, up from 302 horsepower and 295 pound-feet in the previous model.
All X6 models will get an eight-speed automatic transmission and are electronically limited to 130 mph with all-season tires or 155 mph with summer tires. The all-wheel drive xDrive40i and M50i have systems that operate in rear-drive mode until slip is detected. The X6 crossovers also feature double-wishbone front suspension and multilink rear.
Technology-wise, all X6 models get lane-departure warning, and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection. The crossovers can also be optioned with adaptive cruise control with stop and go function and lane-keep assist. The interior can be fitted with dual 12.3-inch screens for instruments and infotainment, both of which are nicely integrated in the dashboard. The interior is also clearly from the X5, so it should be pleasant, even if it doesn’t push styling boundaries.
Pricing starts at $65,295 for the base X6 sDrive40i. That’s just $750 more than the current base X6’s $64,545 price. Going for the all-wheel-drive X6 xDrive40i bumps the cost up to $67,595, and the top-dog M50i starts at $86,645. It will be on sale this year.
