BMW South Africa celebrated last week the local premiere of its two latest M models. The new BMW X5 M Competition and the new BMW X6 M Competition join the M SUV family, alongside the X3 M and X4 M. The two flagships are the third generation of the high-performance BMW M models in the luxury SAV and SAC segments.
The new BMW X6 M was launched in South Africa with the Black Sapphire paint as the flagship color. Combined with the black accents of the Competition model, the Black Sapphire Metallic gives the X6 M an extremely sporty, yet understated look.
The shinny black also seems to show off the car’s body lines and curves well, without hiding too much, but also keeping it a bit muted, so it isn’t too in your face. It’s stylish enough to stand out but not so much that it’s obnoxious.
Powering the big brutish BMW is a 4.4 liter twin-turbocharged V8 with 600 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque (617 hp in Competition-spec). That allows it to get from 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds, which is shockingly fast for something so big and heavy. Because it packs such explosive power and is a surprisingly capable machine, an exterior color that’s equally as exciting is probably a good idea.
This is the first time the BMW X6 M is offered in Competition guise. The two previous generations were only offered in one flavor and that seemed to work out fine for the car so far.
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Up front, the BMW X6 M gets a more aggressive front bumper, with larger air intakes, and black accents on the Competition model. It also gets a rear roof spoiler in addition to a small decklid spoiler beneath it. There’s an interesting new rear bumper that houses quad exhaust pipes, the latter of which being a signature M Division design staple.
Overall, the BMW X6 M is very similar to its X5 M sibling, just with a different roofline and an additional rear spoiler.
