As they do with celebutante Kim Kardashian, most people fail to understand the BMW X6. But while Kim is always burnishing her image, the X6 is just now receiving its first major revision, one that includes a mild face lift and some enhancements under the skin. (Each also has a giant—er, skip that one.)
The X6′s front end has been tweaked to keep it more in line with the rest of the BMW lineup. Some new colors have been added to the palette and a new wheel design is available, too. We’ll leave it to you to decide whether this nip/tuck suits BMW’s 5000-plus-pound crossover. Adaptive LED headlights are now available as an upgrade to the standard xenon units.
More exciting, of course, is that BMW now will offer M Performance packages for both the turbocharged 3.0-liter six and the twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8. Additional power comes as a result of cranking up the turbo boost; on the six, output rises from 300 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque to 315 hp and 330 lb-ft. (These are just a shade lower than the 320 hp and 332 lb-ft delivered by the Performance Edition package in the outgoing 335i, which featured the same engine; the difference is attributable to different intake and exhaust plumbing in the two vehicles.) The M Performance upgrade will increase output in the V-8–toting X6 xDrive50i by 40 hp and 30 lb-ft, for totals of 440 and 480. The package also includes aesthetic touches like 20-inch wheels, black chrome exhaust tips, and dark window trim.
We in the States may not have the chance to buy one of the triple-turbo diesel M Performance models announced for Europe today, but the M Performance packages we are getting are at least small consolation. The Performance Edition pack for the 3-series costs just $550; hopefully these M Performance tweaks won’t add much more to an X6. It also seems like it wouldn’t be difficult to offer similar upgrades for other U.S. models using these engines—so pretty much BMW’s entire lineup—although no plans to do so have been announced just yet.
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