2020 BMW X6 debuts with familiar styling, bigger grille

What is with BMW and their grills? The 2020 BMW 7 Series and X7 came with a massive kidney grill that got people frowning in doubt. And now, the new 2020 BMW X6 too is here with a peculiar grill. This time though, it’s not the size of the grill that BMW has played with. They have lit it up, quite literally.

The 2020 BMW X6 retains its Coupe-ish sloping roof at the back, which has always crippled it in terms of practicality. But the SUV-Coupe style has gained a lot of traction in recent years with a healthy audience ready to compromise headroom at the rear in exchange of the supposed stand-out style which is diminished anyway since there are so many on the road in certain parts of town. The 2020 X6 is built on the BMW Cluster Architecture (CLAR), the same platform that underpins its practical not-really-better-looking sibling, the BMW X5. The front and rear get a host of changes which gives the X6 a fresh new look. But the highlight here is, for the wrong or right reason, that kidney grill that can be illuminated.

Inside, the X6 offers the version seven of BMW’s Live Cockpit with iDrive which includes a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and another 12.3-inch touchscreen at the center. This adds gesture controls, voice assist, Wi-Fi connectivity, wireless charging and wireless Apple CarPlay facility.

Many safety features like radar-based Cruise Control for city traffic conditions, blind-spot detection, forward collision warning, and park distance control. As optional extras, you can fortify your 2020 X6 with features like lane-keep assist, side-collision avoidance, automatic lane-change assist, etc.

The arrival of a new platform gives the 2020 X6 new engines as well. The base sDrive40i and xDrive40i will be powered by the 3.0-litre inline-six engine with 335 hp and 447 Nm. This registers a decent increase of 33 hp and 47 Nm over the outgoing version.

If it’s the power that you want, the X6 M50i should suffice. Here, BMW’s twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 does duty to churn out 523 hp and 750 Nm. That’s 78 hp and 100 Nm more than what the current model manages. The M50i is also half a second faster from 0 to 100 kph than the outgoing model, taking just over 4.1 seconds to make the run.

Both the engines are hooked up to an eight-speed transmission also featured in many other BMW products. It also gets double-wishbone front and five-link rear suspension to make the bulky SUV more agile than before. If you want better dynamics, opting for the optional Dynamic Handling Package should help. This adds active roll stabilisation and active steering to reduce body roll around corners.

Not that anyone takes it off-road or that it is capable to do rough off-roading, the 2020 BMW X6 also gets an optional off-road package which adds two-axle air suspension, an M Sport electronic rear differential, and four off-road driving modes: snow, sand, gravel, or rocks. But basics such as low-range gearing and proper skid plates are not offered.

Expect the new model to reach UAE, KSA and other GCC shores by the end of the year.

Keep track of future prices in the BMW buyer guide.