The 2015 BMW X6 M might very well be the biggest, fastest luxury car ever to go around an internationally celebrated Formula 1 track — unless you consider it a crossover SUV. In that case, it has a shot of being the fastest crossover SUV ever to lap a modern F1 track.
On the quest to determine which of those was true, automotive journalists gathered in unseasonably chilly Austin, Texas and the Circuit of the Americas to put the latest edition to BMW’s M performance line around the track’s 20 challenging turns at speed.
To help this X6 fit in comfortably with its M enhanced sisters, BMW packed an M TwinPower Turbo eight Cylinder engine and an eight speed M Steptronic transmission with sport shifters. Add M Drive, M Servotronics and M compound brakes, and the X6 M chews up a track with an angry roar. And, with a complete suite of BMW luxury features, the car will get any driver home comfortably — with room for passengers and cargo.
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The 2015 BMW X6 M is immediately a worthy member of the German automaker’s specially tuned M badge family — even if an analyst can struggle to pinpoint exactly who it’s for amongst legions of hutobuyers.
BMW obviously has unshakeable confidence in the X6 M as they invited me to the Circuit of the Americas near Austin to test its capabilities on North America’s only Formula One track. After spending an unusually cold Texas winter afternoon tearing through multiple laps, I can report this bigger, thicker BMW isn’t merely would-be crossover hiding behind a prestigious German tuning badge. It’s a legit track car.
While an impressive performer with a considerable technical resume, I do look at the vehicle and wonder about its intended buyer. Who is it for amongst those with a hundred large in their pocket?
Essentially a performance car with extra cargo and passenger space — a sports sedan on rump-widening steroids — the X6 M’s tuned credentials make it very capable, but unlikely track day car. I would think any BMW enthusiast looking for the best possible track ride would opt for an M3 or M4. They’re the gold standard for vehicles the amateur racer. And, they can drive them home in comfort when they’re done tearing up the tires.
While it can carry five adults comfortably and has enough junk in the trunk to carry any junk you want to put in your trunk, I have to believe anyone looking for luxury family transportation is shopping for Range Rovers or Escalades.
So, the X6 M must be aimed at the Porsche Panamera crowd — for drivers who think they’re too sophisticated or too old for a traditional sports sedan. In response to that attitude, they opt for a bigger, “grown up” car or crossover that can still seriously move. Deep down, they want that signature BMW M rush in something bigger than even the elite M5. They turn to the X6 M.
Buyer analytics aside, regardless of who may or may not be looking for such an unusual class of vehicle, this new BMW excels in every way — owning both the road and en elite racetrack like COTA. For those with the bank who aren’t looking to go with the luxury SUV route, the X6 M is reporting for duty later this year.
