BMW X6 2020 revealed: design, interior tech, engine specs and UK pricing

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BMW has revealed its new third-generation X6, a sleeker coupe version of the company’s X5 SUV.

Due to make its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, the X6 has been given a thorough design overhaul to bring it in line with the German carmaker’s recent models - especially those with the controversial large kidney grilles such as the 7 Series.

Speaking of grilles, the X6 comes with illuminated air vents at the front, which light up as soon as you open one of its four doors, and a tech-filled cabin complete with the latest version of BMW’s iDrive infotainment system.

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We’ll get a better look at the car when it appears in the metal for the first time at the Frankfurt show, which runs from 12 to 22 September. For now, though, here’s everything BMW has confirmed about the next-gen X6:

Price and release

Prices start at £59,340 for the entry-level X6 xDrive 30d Sport and go all the way up to £76,870 for range-topping M50i models, Top Gear reports.

According to CarBuyer, X6 orders are already open in the UK, even though the car has not made its public debut yet.

Design and interior

BMW’s new design language has courted controversy ever since the launch of the latest 7 Series earlier this year. The saloon’s supersize kidney grille was designed to appeal to young buyers in the US and China, but was poorly received by critics in the UK, the firm’s design director Adrian van Hooydonk told Autocar.

While van Hooydonk conceded that “design tastes in China are developing rapidly”, potentially resulting in smaller air intakes in the future, the new X6 features a grille that is of a similar size to the one found on the 7 Series.

Move past the grille, which can “actually light up on this car” (pictured above), and you’ll notice a front bumper design that’s “near-identical” to the BMW X5 and a roofline that slopes downwards at the back in true coupe fashion, says Car magazine.

The rear end has been reworked over the previous-generation X6 and adopts a similar look to the 8 Series Gran Coupe, according to the motoring magazine. At the bottom of the car are a pair of exhausts and three slats that mimic the look of a diffuser.

Much like the car’s exterior design, the X6’s cabin is almost identical to that of the X5. It means that drivers get BMW’s seventh-generation iDrive infotainment system, which is accessed through a 12.3in touchscreen next to the steering wheel, notes CarBuyer.

Leather seats, Wi-Fi, wireless phone charging and gesture controls all feature as standard, as do alloy wheels and adaptive suspension, the reviews site adds.

Engines and performance

At launch, the X6 will be available with four engine options, comprising two petrols and a pair of diesels.

Kicking off the range is the X6 xDrive 30d Sport, which is powered by a 262bhp 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel, Auto Express reports. The petrol equivalent is the X6 xDrive 40i Sport, featuring a 336bhp 3.0-litre turbo six-cylinder motor.

Range-topping models include the M50d and M50i, the magazine says. The M50d is equipped with a 395bhp 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel engine with four turbochargers and is capable of going from 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds. The petrol M50i version, meanwhile, gets a 524bhp 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 motor and can sprint from 0-62mph in just 4.3 seconds.