It's the latter that's been fitted to our test subject, a Mineral White Metallic X6 xDrive50i with Cognac Dakota leather interior. Thanks to an extensive list of options, including most of the line's available handling and driving assistance packages, the $72,900 base price of our European-specification tester ballooned to over $90,000.
Located very conveniently next door to the sprawling BMW US Manufacturing facility is the BMW Performance Center, a customer-oriented training facility with a paved 1.7-mile racing circuit, wet skidpad and off-road course. Rather that hit the public highways, we choose to run its full gamut for our first orientation.
Those familiar with BMW's X5 will find the X6's cabin a near clone. That's a compliment, as the layout is both attractive and ergonomically efficient, featuring easy-to-use round knobs for the audio and climate controls. The upgraded Dakota leather is buttery soft – some of the nicest hides we have ever felt – and the seats are extraordinarily comfortable.
The X6 has always been challenged in terms of utility (BMW didn't even offer a proper five-passenger version until three years after its launch), and the new model is no different. In fact, the 2015's rear cargo area is just 20.5 cubic feet (expandable to 53.9 cubic feet with the 40/20/40 split rear seats folded flat). That's well short of its predecessor's 25.6/59.7 cubic-feet ratings, let alone the space afforded by the 2015 X5 (23/66). At least the power-assisted tailgate has been programmed to open and close at the touch of a button, and V8 models get a hands-free system, with sensors beneath the rear bumper to detect foot movements, as standard equipment.
The Performance Center's roadcourse is tight and narrow, which means it isn't the ideal match for a big, muscular crossover with a gorilla's stance (the X6 is a half-inch longer and two inches wider than the X5, but also two inches shorter). Nevertheless, we ran the circuit nearly a half-dozen times toggling through each of the BMW's Driving Dynamic modes: Eco Pro, Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus using the rocker switch to the left of the shifter. Each mode modifies the throttle response, transmission logic, climate control operation, steering weight and adaptive suspension.
The new X6, like all modern BMW models, is competent on a road course. The Eco Pro and Comfort modes (both self-explanatory) are best left for highways, so we pre-select Sport for our first laps. Driving at eight-tenths, body roll is minimal and the wide tires (Continental ContiSportContact sized 275/40-20 and 315/35-20) hold on tenaciously. All of the credit goes to the well-engineered double-wishbone front suspension and the independent integral rear suspension, with automatic self-leveling air bags. Our test car boasted active roll stabilization systems, which keeps body roll to a minimum.
Push to nine-tenths or greater, and the X6 starts to plow, yielding heavy, then severe, understeer. Those front tires are wide, but much of the 5,170-pound curb weight (weight distribution is 51.5/48.5 percent) is shifted to the outside front tire under heavy cornering loads or during trail braking. Heavy cornering in the hefty BMW becomes a futile battle, one that physics always wins. Optimally, the corner is entered at a much slower pace and heavy throttle is applied before the apex. Under these conditions, BMW's Dynamic Performance Control, an electronic system integrated into the rear differential, works with the xDrive all-wheel drive to expertly split the power between the rear wheels for torque vectoring control. The X6 shoots of the corner, with its rear tires skillfully putting down the horsepower.
The twin-turbo V8, which is remarkably smooth and puts out a wondrously deep growl under acceleration without any piped-in engine noises, effortlessly brings the X6 to speed between the short straights. Thankfully, the single-piston disc brakes bleed off the speed with ease, although we'd prefer a bit firmer pedal feel. Unfortunately, the X6's electric power steering with its Servotronic speed-sensitive power assistance, falls on the numb side of the scale. It is accurate and nicely weight (as expected, effort is heavier in Sport and Sport Plus), but it still feels disconnected and isolated.
Off-road, the X6 is an overachiever – meaning no owner will subject it to the type of mild torture we put it through. Whether traversing a 19-inch deep water trap, climbing and descending steep grades (a new camera on the crossover's nose takes the white knuckles out of extreme angles) or bounding over boulders, standard xDrive, Hill Descent Control and 8.3-inches of ground clearance make easy work of unpaved surfaces.
Driving the all-new X6 xDrive50i on public roads reveals very few flaws or irritating character traits. The driving position is comfortable, the chassis is vault-solid and wind noise is minimal (BMW's engineers are deservedly proud of its low 0.32 Cd). Predictably, of course, the ultra-wide tire contact patches do generate road noise which increases or decreases noticeably based on the smoothness of the surface. That said, the X6 is best enjoyed at a leisurely pace in urban and country settings, with occupants coddled inside a very luxurious cabin and the driver content in knowing that sports car potential is but a press of the accelerator away.