View Single Post
      09-09-2020, 08:43 AM   #1
stein_325i
Ring Leader of G8X Haters
stein_325i's Avatar
No_Country
25051
Rep
8,761
Posts

Drives: A Car
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: All-Around

iTrader: (0)

X6M finishes 2nd in MotorTrend SUV Test (vs X3M, GLE63S, Levante, Cayenne Turbo)

BIMMERPOST
     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com
Motortrend just did a High-Performance SUV test with four midsize SUV's (Levante, GLE, X6M, Cayenne Coupe) and one compact (X3M).

Overall an impressive showing when compared to the X3M, GLE and Levante. In first was the Cayenne Coupe Turbo.

Thoughts on the X6M

Quote:
Originally Posted by Motortrend
Love them or hate them, you have the BMW X6 to thank for the mass proliferation of fastback "SUV coupes." Now in its third generation, our Purple Porsche Eater represents BMW's strongest effort yet at blending sports car performance with SUV practicality.

Just as the X3 M shares much with the 3 and 4 Series, the X6 M takes its cues from the 5 and 8 Series. The X6 M sports the M5 and M8's potent 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8, which makes 600 hp in its standard form or 617 hp as found in our Ametrin Metallic X6 M Competition tester. Torque sits at a healthy 553 lb-ft of twist. Like the X3 M, power is routed to a torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system via an eight-speed automatic.

Also like the X3 M, the X6 M Comp's powertrain is the star of the show. "This thing is a monster, a mutant freak," Evans said. "It's like the Porsche without the refinement." Added Walton: "What a motor! The torque is amazing, and it sounds terrific. The X6 M's twin-turbo V-8 is shockingly linear in its power delivery."
Throttle response is so crisp and power delivery so sudden that stomping on the X6 M's throttle down a straight is the automotive equivalent of an open-ice body check in the NHL. "It doesn't matter what gear you're in—third, fourth, or fifth—the X6 M just pulls and pulls," Lieberman said. "You find yourself changing gears due to an auditory muscle memory."

The BMW has the brakes to back up its power output, too. "I've never actually landed on an aircraft carrier, but this is what it has to be like when the hook catches the arresting wire," Evans said. "The brakes on this thing are unreal." Tire grip, with its steamroller-wide Michelins and BMW's torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system, was similarly phenomenal.
For its size, the X6 M handles its weight well. You feel the Bimmer's heft, but its chassis feels composed and neutral, and its steering quick and progressive. Like the X3 M, the helm of the X6 M could use a touch more "dynamism" (as German engineers like to say). Steering is quick, somewhat light, and accurate, certainly, but a touch more delicacy from this big brute would be welcome.

The X6 M's suspension could also use more refinement. Although it's nowhere near as poorly calibrated as the X3 M's, the X6 M Comp's suspension tuning is still on the wrong side of busy. In its sportier suspension settings, the X6 M would pogo up and down in places where the Mercedes and Porsche had no issues.

So what holds the X6 M Competition from victory? Both Walton and Evans captured the sentiment of the group. "I came away feeling impressed but not amazed," Walton noted, while Evans said, "I'm blown away by what it's capable of, but I'm not sure I love it." More polish and a touch more refinement, and we'd all be singing a different tune.

Thoughts on the X3M

Quote:
If there were an oddball in this comparison, it'd be the X3 M Competition. A half-ton lighter and one-third less costly than the rest of the field, you'd think the X3 M would be outgunned. But this little guy is packing heat.

The X3 M Comp's new 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged I-6 is a firecracker. With 473 hp and 442 lb-ft of twist, accompanied by an eight-speed auto and torque-vectoring all-wheel drive, the X3 M feels like a flyweight among sumo wrestlers. But this X3 M is more than just a hot-rodded engine in a compact SUV—ours included the M Competition package, which boosts power by 30 hp, to 503 hp, and fits the X3 with a sport exhaust system, among other treats.

Unleashed on Angeles Crest Highway, the X3 M Comp feels like the jacked-up M3 Wagon that BMW stubbornly refuses to build—until just recently. Capturing the stupid-fun essence that this segment is truly about, the BMW shows the good that can happen when you squeeze an underrated engine into a small(ish) package. "It drives much faster than only 503 hp would have you believe," Lieberman said. "It pulls hard, and then over 6,000 rpm it really starts pulling. Beast of a motor." M3 and M4 owners will be quite happy when this engine makes its way into the upcoming G20-edition M3.

BMW got the X3 M Comp's steering mostly right, too. Although it perhaps lacks a bit of feedback compared with our top two finishers (its "bloated, ring-bologna steering wheel," as Walton put it, doesn't help), it's nevertheless both sharp and precise. Couple that with the all-wheel-drive system's most aggressive MDM 4WD Sport torque-vectoring setup, and you have a pocket rocket of an SUV that's fairly easy to drive fast.

Where the X3 M puts its foot wrong is in its ride quality. "There's one big flaw here, and it's the damping," Evans said. "It. Is. So. Stiff. Even in Comfort mode I'm getting gut-punched on every bump," a sentiment all five judges echoed. Walton added: "Boing, boing, boing! The vertical motions never stop. It was like a completely different road; the X3 found every single road imperfection and magnified it. It got old very quickly. I could not live with this daily."

The X3 M's poorly calibrated ride has amplifying effects on the Bimmer's steering, too, forcing the driver to constantly make small corrections. And if you're not in the right drive setting, that can cause the Bimmer's nose to wash out, drastically increasing the pucker factor. FYI, there are three individually configurable settings for the X3's (and X6's) powertrain, steering, suspension, and transmission, plus two for the all-wheel-drive system, so carefully choose your setting to match your road and driving intentions.

With competition this fierce, one flaw—in this case, a fairly major one—held this Bimmer back. We adore the X3 M Competition's powertrain and really enjoy its steering, but if the ride is so stiff that it punishes you for driving it, what's the point?


Here are the final rankings.

5th Place: 2020 Maserati Levante Trofeo
Looks the business, doesn't drive it.
4th Place: 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S
Technically capable, a bit boring.
3rd Place: 2020 BMW X3 M Competition
Stellar engine, awful ride.
2nd Place: 2020 BMW X6 M Competition
Fast, impressive, but lacking the final polish.
1st Place: 2020 Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe
A 911 in SUV clothing. Why buy anything else?


Link to article: https://www.motortrend.com/news/2020...n-test-review/

__________________
Current Garage: 2022 Mercedes-Benz S 580 / 2023 Genesis GV70 2.5T / 2007 Mercedes-Benz E 350 / 1999 Mazda MX-5 Miata
Retired: '95 E36 325i 5MT / '04 E46 330i 6MT / '05 E83 X3 3.0i / '11 E90 335xi / '17 G30 540i / '19 F87 M2C 6MT / '19 MB CLS 53 / '20 MB GLC 300

Last edited by stein_325i; 09-10-2020 at 01:50 PM..
Appreciate 1
paliknight2186.50