BMW X6 M Competition review: X5 M pace, sharper suit, smaller boot
3.7/5MotorsSouq Editorial Team
There is no performance argument between the X6 M Competition and its X5 M sibling — they share the same 625 hp V8 and M xDrive, and both will humiliate far more expensive sports cars on the causeway. The X6 M exists purely for the buyer who wants the coupe roofline and is willing to trade some rear headroom and boot volume, and to pay more, for it. Decide on styling first; every other number in this review is a repeat of the X5 M's.
Pros
- Identical 625 hp twin-turbo V8 and M xDrive to the X5 M Competition
- Lower, more aggressive silhouette that reads as noticeably more special
- M Sport differential and adaptive M suspension make it genuinely engaging
- Servicing and parts network mirror the well-proven X5 M platform
Cons
- Charges a real premium over the X5 M for styling with zero performance gain
- Rear headroom and boot volume both step down from the X5 M
- Same expensive 22-inch tyre wear and heavy summer fuel consumption
- Thicker C-pillars make reversing without the camera harder than in the X5 M
Everything mechanically interesting about the X6 M Competition is a direct copy of the X5 M Competition: the same 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 with 625 hp, the same rear-biased M xDrive, the same active anti-roll bars fighting a two-and-a-third-tonne body into submission through a corner. If you have driven one, you have driven the other.
The only real question
What changes is the body. The X6 M's roofline drops the rear glass and thickens the C-pillars, cutting into both headroom for rear passengers and outright boot volume compared with the X5 M. In exchange you get a lower, more aggressive silhouette that reads as noticeably more special parked outside the Ritz-Carlton in Seef — a trade some Bahraini buyers are happy to pay a real premium for.
Running costs, unchanged
Tyre wear, fuel consumption in Bahrain's summer traffic and servicing costs through BMW's local network are all effectively identical to the X5 M Competition. There is no practicality upside to choosing the X6 M over its sibling, and no performance downside either — this is a pure styling decision dressed up as a different model.