2015 BMW X6 Test Drive and Review By Top Gear

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So how does the big lad drive?

The big lad drives quite unlike a two-tonne SUV and quite like a seriously grippy sports saloon. No matter how rowdily you chuck the X6 about, there’s virtually no body roll, and quite extraordinary reserves of grip and composure.

On greasy roads, driving like utter buffons, we discovered you can force the X6 into a mite of initial understeer followed by, if you disable the (excellent) traction control and mash the throttle on the exit of a sharp corner, a decent lump of oversteer. Mostly, though, the X6 just clings on with ferocious tenacity. On a bumpy, cambered mountain pass, all that grip, power and handy suspension travel could leave some pretty serious sports cars red-cheeked.

The X6 perhaps feels a little less mechanical, less hands-on, than Porsche’s Macan or Cayenne (the GTS at least), but it’s every bit as devastatingly effective.

Diesel or petrol, then?

Interestingly the diesel feels marginally the more focused drive than the petrol. The M50d has had a gentle working over by BMW’s M division, its air suspension beefed up at the rear to keep things locked down when you decide to discover what happens when you apply full brake force midway round a fast hairpin. Not that the petrol feels wayward in any regard, but if you’re planning on taking your X6 for a lap of the Nurburgring, the diesel’s the one to have.

Assessing engines alone, both are crackers, but the 50d’s claimed 43mpg against the 50i’s 29mpg is enough to swing the deal. It’s a stellar diesel, quick to rev and capable of serving up a genuine gut-punch of power. Even so, we might advise holding out for the arrival of the 254bhp/413lb ft X6 30d next year, expected to comprise the vast majority of UK sales and likely offering the smartest blend of economy – BMW quotes a potential 47mpg – and shove.