01 · Überblick
A coupé that isn't one
The X6 is BMW’s most uncomfortable car. World premiere in January 2008 in Detroit, European market launch in May of the same year. BMW called the body style the Sports Activity Coupé, creating a segment that had not existed before and that every premium manufacturer has served ever since.
Technically, the X6 shares its basis with the X5 E70: the same wheelbase of 2,933 millimetres, the same plant, the same engines. What it does differently is the roof — and the price for that is in the data sheet. The X6 was a four-seater from the factory. The three-seat rear bench only arrived as an option in spring 2011, almost three years after market launch.
More interesting than the silhouette is what BMW fitted underneath the sheet metal. The X6 was the first car in the world with Dynamic Performance Control, an active torque distribution between the rear wheels. And the xDrive50i carried the N63 — the world’s first series-production car engine with the turbochargers inside the cylinder V.
There is no reliable figure for production numbers. In 2014, BMW wrote of “almost 250,000” vehicles sold, but grammatically applied the sentence to the second generation, which had not yet been on the market at the time. We therefore do not state the number as fact.
02 · Historie
Six years from South Carolina
The model line in stages.
- 2007 At the IAA in September, BMW presents the Concept X6 and the Concept X6 ActiveHybrid.
- 2008 World premiere of the production car in January at the NAIAS in Detroit. European market launch in May with the xDrive30d, xDrive35i and xDrive35d; the xDrive50i follows later in the year.
- 2009 In April, BMW announces the X6 M; it launches in Europe in October. In December, the ActiveHybrid X6 arrives in the USA.
- 2010 In spring, the entire model line receives the eight-speed automatic. The xDrive40d is newly added, and the xDrive30d rises to 245 PS.
- 2011 From spring, the X6 can be ordered as a five-seater for the first time. In December, production of the ActiveHybrid X6 ends.
- 2012 Facelift on 16 June. New in the range is the X6 M50d with three turbochargers.
- 2014 End of production. The successor, the F16, comes to market in December.
03 · Modellübersicht
The models at a glance
In spring 2010, the entire model line switched to the eight-speed automatic and revised engines. The X6 M retained six gears to the end.
Technische Daten anzeigen — komplette Modellmatrix
| Modell | Motor | Hubraum | Leistung | Bauzeit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| xDrive35i (up to 2010) | N54 | 2.979 cm³ | 306 PS (225 kW) | 05/2008–spring 2010 |
| xDrive35i (from 2010) | N55 | 2.979 cm³ | 306 PS (225 kW) | from spring 2010 |
| xDrive50i | N63 | 4.395 cm³ | 407 PS (300 kW) | 2008–2014 |
| xDrive30d (up to 2010) | M57 | 2.993 cm³ | 235 PS (173 kW) | 05/2008–spring 2010 |
| xDrive30d (from 2010) | N57 | 2.993 cm³ | 245 PS (180 kW) | from spring 2010 |
| xDrive35d | M57 Twin Turbo | 2.993 cm³ | 286 PS (210 kW) | ab 05/2008 |
| xDrive40d | N57 | 2.993 cm³ | 306 PS (225 kW) | from spring 2010 |
| X6 M50d | inline six-cylinder, three turbochargers | 2.993 cm³ | 381 PS (280 kW) | ab 07/2012 |
| X6 M | S63 | 4.395 cm³ | 555 PS (408 kW) | 10/2009–2014 |
| ActiveHybrid X6 | N63 plus two electric motors | 4.395 cm³ | 485 PS (357 kW) combined output | 10/2009–12/2011 |
04 · Karosserievarianten
Karosserievarianten
Sports Activity Coupé, five-door
The only body style. 4,877 mm long, 1,983 mm wide, 1,699 mm high, wheelbase 2,933 mm, boot space 570 to 1,450 litres, fuel tank 85 litres. Rear headroom according to BMW is 944 mm. The X6 M measures 4,876 × 1,983 × 1,684 mm and has a track width of 1,660 mm at the front and 1,672 mm at the rear — more at the front and less at the rear than the standard car's 1,644 and 1,706 mm.
05 · Motoren
The engines in detail
Four powerplants that make the model line significant in technical history.
S63 · 4.395 cm³ · 555 PS — X6 M geprüft
The first turbocharged M engine in history. This marked the end of the naturally aspirated era at M GmbH — everything after was turbocharged. BMW also calls the S63 the world's first engine with a shared exhaust manifold across both cylinder banks in a twin-scroll twin-turbo configuration. Together with the X5 M, the X6 M was also the first M model with xDrive. Both breaks are rarely mentioned because they happened on an SUV.
Technische Daten anzeigen
| Hubraum | 4.395 cm³ |
| Bore × stroke | 89,0 × 88,3 mm |
| Verdichtung | 9,3:1 |
| Leistung | 555 PS (408 kW) at 6,000 rpm |
| Drehmoment | 680 Nm at 1,500–5,650 rpm |
| Getriebe | Sechsgang-M-Sport-Automatik |
| Fahrleistung | 4.7 s to 100, 250 km/h (275 with M Driver's Package) |
| Bremsen | front 395 × 36 mm, rear 385 × 24 mm |
BMW technical data X6 M, as of 10/2011
N63 · 4,395 cc · 407 PS — xDrive50i geprüft
The X6 xDrive50i was the world's first production car with the turbochargers positioned inside the cylinder V — together with the catalytic converter. This layout is now called Hot-V and is standard practice; it made its debut in this car in 2008. This is also the engine that gave the X6 its worst reputation — see buying advice.
Technische Daten anzeigen
| Hubraum | 4.395 cm³ |
| Bore × stroke | 89,0 × 88,3 mm |
| Leistung | 407 PS (300 kW) at 5,500–6,400 rpm |
| Drehmoment | 600 Nm at 1,750–4,500 rpm |
| Fahrleistung | 5.4 s to 100, 250 km/h |
| Besonderheit | first series-production car engine with turbochargers in the V |
BMW media information 03/2008, data sheet 04/2012
Triple-turbocharged diesel · 2,993 cc · 381 PS — X6 M50d geprüft
In the range from July 2012 and described by BMW as a world premiere: an inline six-cylinder diesel with three turbochargers, one of them a high-pressure turbo with variable turbine geometry. 740 Nm from three litres of displacement. The car was explicitly not intended for the US market. The often-cited engine code N57S does not appear in any BMW source.
Technische Daten anzeigen
| Hubraum | 2.993 cm³ |
| Leistung | 381 PS (280 kW) at 4,000–4,400 rpm |
| Drehmoment | 740 Nm at 2,000–3,000 rpm |
| Aufladung | three turbochargers |
| Fahrleistung | 5.3 s to 100, 250 km/h limited |
| Verbrauch | 7,7 l/100 km, 204 g/km |
BMW USA, M Performance Automobiles, 26 Jan 2012
ActiveHybrid X6 · 485 PS combined output geprüft
BMW's first full hybrid and, according to the company, the most powerful hybrid vehicle in the world at the time. The V8 works together with two electric motors, delivering 780 Nm combined torque. The car can drive purely electrically up to 60 km/h — but only for 2.5 kilometres. The price for this: 100 litres less boot space and around 260 kilograms more weight compared with the xDrive50i.
Technische Daten anzeigen
| Systemleistung | 485 PS (357 kW) |
| Systemdrehmoment | 780 Nm |
| E-Maschinen | 91 PS / 260 Nm and 86 PS / 280 Nm |
| Batterie | NiMH, 2.4 kWh gross, 1.4 kWh usable |
| Electric range | 2.5 km up to 60 km/h |
| Leergewicht | 2,450 kg DIN |
| Bauzeit | 10/2009–12/2011 |
BMW data sheet ActiveHybrid X6, 08/2009
06 · Schwachstellen
Known weak points
- The N63 V8 in the xDrive50i. In December 2014, BMW North America introduced a voluntary Customer Care Package covering timing chain elongation, injectors, mass air flow sensors, crankcase ventilation, the battery, the vacuum pump and the low-pressure fuel sensor, while also shortening the oil change interval. The issue of valve stem seals and the resulting oil consumption led to class-action lawsuits in the USA; there was no mandated recall. The scope and frequency cannot be quantified. Anyone buying an xDrive50i should clarify the oil consumption question before purchase and review the maintenance history.
07 · Technik
Technik
Dynamic Performance Control
A four-seater from the factory
Built in the USA
How to identify the facelift
Dating via technical specifications
08 · M-Modell
BMW X6 M — the start of the turbo era at M
Announced on 5 April 2009, world premiere at the New York Auto Show, UK market launch on 24 October 2009. The X6 M represents a double break in the history of M GmbH: the first turbocharged M engine and, together with the X5 M, the first M model with all-wheel drive. Both happened on an SUV, which is why both are rarely mentioned.
The S63 produces 555 PS at 6,000 rpm and delivers 680 Nm across a band from 1,500 to 5,650 rpm. This is complemented by Adaptive Drive with 10 millimetres of lowering, M Dynamic Mode and Dynamic Performance Control as standard. 2,305 kilograms kerb weight according to DIN, 4.7 seconds to 100, 13.9 litres combined.
A production figure for the first-generation X6 M is not documented in BMW sources. We therefore do not state one.
09 · Motorsport
Motorsport
There isn’t one. Neither for the X6 nor the X6 M does BMW document a factory or customer racing programme. What appears under this heading are tuner builds and private trackday cars.
10 · Kaufberatung
What to look out for when buying
With the X6, the engine determines everything else. The six-cylinder diesels are considered solid; with the V8, you should know exactly what you’re buying.
Further points circulate regarding the transfer case, rear air suspension and panoramic roof, but these are only found in forums and blogs. Without a second independent source, they are not listed here. A systematic rust problem is not documented for the E71.
11 · Die Konkurrenz
Die Konkurrenz
Mercedes-Benz ML Coupé / GLE Coupé
The direct answer — and it only came in 2015, seven years after the X6. It's hard to demonstrate more clearly who opened the segment.
Porsche Cayenne
The sportily tuned rival without a coupé line. Anyone who didn't like the X6's shape usually ended up here.
Range Rover Sport
On the market from 2005, and thus earlier, but with a classic SUV silhouette and considerably more off-road ambition.
12 · Galerie
Galerie
Production car before and after the facelift, plus the X6 M.
13 · Quellen
Belege & Literatur
The technical data comes from BMW data sheets and media information. The English Wikipedia is demonstrably wrong on several torque figures for the X6 and was not used as a source for figures.
- BMW PressClub — media information on the BMW X6, 03/2008
- BMW PressClub — data sheet X6 xDrive35i and xDrive50i, 04/2012
- BMW PressClub — technical data BMW X6 M, as of 10/2011
- BMW PressClub — data sheet ActiveHybrid X6, 08/2009
- BMW USA — M Performance Automobiles, 26 Jan 2012 (X6 M50d)
- Wikipedia — BMW E71 (production period, plants, facelift)
- Wikipedia — BMW N63 (Hot-V layout, Customer Care Package)