2024 BMW X6 Review: Prices, Specs, and Photos

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The 2024 BMW X6 grows out of the X5 mid-size luxury SUV with a rounded roof and tapered rear that accentuates its sportiness at the cost of roominess. Other German rivals offer SUV and coupe-like twins, including the Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class and Porsche Cayenne.

Yes, though it prioritizes performance over practicality versus the related BMW X5. Standard with a mild-hybrid starter generator and now equipped with a friendlier user interface, the refreshed X6 should match or exceed its predecessor’s TCC Rating of 7.0 out of 10. We’ll update this review after we drive it this summer. (Read more about how we rate cars.)

The 2024 X6 arrives with the most thorough update since the third-generation model launched in 2020. Cockpit tech upgrades mark the most significant changes, but BMW polishes the ends and enhances the three powertrain options in the three models, xDrive40i, M60i, and X6 M Competition.

The 2024 X6 comes standard with all-wheel drive and an M Sport package that blows out the front end with a large octagonal lower grille grimacing below the classic kidney grille above it. New LED headlights integrate daytime running lights that double as turn indicators winking at the edges. Tall air intakes box the front ends, and the X6 dons more black trim pieces, but the biggest differentiator between the X6 and X5 rides on the roofline and the rear. The X6 rounds into the raked tailgate like a fastback. Slim taillights hug the ends and stop before the BMW roundel in the center of the tailgate, and rear vents bulge out the ends.

The interior marks the biggest changes for the 2024 X6. A horizontal theme stretches across the dash with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 14.9-inch touchscreen curving under a single pane of glass toward the driver. Most of the climate control buttons migrate into the touchscreen, leaving only a tiny band of controls for the hazards, defrosters, and volume knob. Slim center vents underscored by a light bar sit in between the touchscreen and climate bar, before illuminating to the corners. A controller dial and drive mode buttons remain in the console, which now has a push button gear selector instead of a lever.

The selector engages a revised turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6 with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system that controls the start/stop function and cuts engine power while coasting in Eco mode. This new powertrain runs leaner and meaner, making 40 hp and 51 lb-ft of torque more than its predecessor, to 375 hp and as much as 398 lb-ft with the mild-hybrid engaged. BMW quotes a 0-60 mph time of 5.2 seconds.

An 8-speed automatic transmission standard across the X6 lineup shuttles power to all four wheels. It rides on 20-inch wheels with run-flat tires, though 21-inch wheels with performance run-flat tires and 22-inch wheels with performance tires are options.

Compared to the X5, the X6 sits 2.2 inches lower (2.7 inches shorter in height in M60i models) and has a ground clearance of 8.5 versus 8.7 inches. It weighs about the same, starting at 5,000 pounds, give or take, for the base AWD models. Unlike the X5, there is no plug-in hybrid option for the X6 in North America.

The X6 M60i xDrive also employs a mild-hybrid with its twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8. Output hits 523 hp and 553 lb-ft, and it launches to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds. The M60i includes M Sport exhaust, rear differential, and brakes with blue calipers, as well as an adaptive suspension.

That mild-hybrid powertrain migrates for the first time to the X6 M Competition. It makes 617 hp on its way to a 3.7-second 0-60 mph time. Speed is only as effective for performance as braking, so BMW fits the X6 M Competition with six-piston calipers grabbing 15.6-inch rotors up front and single-piston calipers with 15.0-inch rotors at the rear.

Fuel economy increases 2 mpg to EPA ratings of 23 mpg city, 26 highway, 24 combined. The M60i drops to 17/22/19 mpg, and the X6 M Competition gets 13/18/15 mpg.

The interior space mirrors the exterior design in the biggest compromises from the X6 to the X5. At 27.4 cubic feet of volume behind the rear seats, it’s 6.5 cubic feet less than the X5 due to the sloping roofline. Most of that space is vertical but it still limits wedging in bulky items. Rear-seat passengers feel the squeeze more, with 1.7 inches less rear legroom and 1.2 inches less headroom. The 35.7 inches of rear legroom is less than smaller crossover SUVs, and the arcing roofline may prompt 6-foot rear passengers to slouch or grouse or both.

Safety data remains inconclusive for the X6. The IIHS and the NHTSA leave the crash testing to the X5, which earned a Top Safety Pick from the IIHS but the NHTSA gave its front crash protection a four-star rating instead of the typical five-star mark. BMW equips the 2024 X6 with driver-assist technology meant to avoid those results, with standard automatic emergency braking, active lane control, blind-spot monitors, automatic high beams, a driver attention monitor, and an automatic reverse parking that can back the SUV out of a tight spot without the driver in the vehicle. Adaptive cruise control costs extra.

How much does the 2024 BMW X6 cost?

The X6 costs about $3,500 more than the 2023 model, and at least $6,400 more than a similarly equipped X5 even with standard all-wheel drive. At $74,895 including a modest $995 destination fee, the X6 comes with an M Sport package with more black trim outside and bigger air intakes. It comes with a digital key, a one-year satellite radio trial, the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 14.9-inch touchscreen with wireless smartphone connectivity as well as wireless smartphone charging, and an updated infotainment system with greater data processing. Standard comfort features include heated front sport seats covered in synthetic leather and a panoramic sunroof.

The V-8 in the X6 M60i xDrive boosts the price to $94,595 with its M Sport brakes, exhaust, and rear differential, but it also adds convenience features such as cooled front sport seats with power lumbar support, wood trim, Harman Kardon sound, and a head-up display.

The 2024 X6 M tops the line at $128,195.