I recently visited Austin, Texas to experience BMW M's latest creation, the X6M [
official info thread].
I have always been skeptical of high performance SUVs and crossovers. After all, a high ground clearance, heavy weight and a tall driving position are typically at odds with the sporty driving experience. While fast lap times and cornering grip can be achieved through a more powerful engine, beefed up suspension and bigger brakes, they cannot fully counteract the effects of a high CG and a heavy mass. Heading into the event, my expectation was for a crossover vehicle which I would most certainly be impressed by, but would it be a car that I can truly enjoy around a circuit?
I was, however,
extremely excited about the prospect of driving at the
Circuit of the Americas. A 20 turn, 3.4 mile circuit in the rolling hills just outside downtown Austin, COTA stands proud as the current host of both MotoGP and Formula 1. Landing at AUS airport, my first thought was how such a relatively small airport could accommodate the travelling circuses of these top tier motorsport franchises. But never mind the size of the airport. In addition to being host to one of North America's greatest circuits, Austin is also the live music capital of the world. How cool is that?
From the moment I arrived at COTA I was awed not only by the scale and polish of the facility but also by the driver and team names decorating closed garage doors. McLaren Mercedes, Jenson Button, Lotus F1 -- this was where heroes fought their battles and legends were made. To get to drive at COTA was a real treat and I was terrifically excited to get behind the wheel!
A brief press conference kicked off the event, where BMW representatives spoke at length about the X6M's development process. For me, the most welcome takeaway was the switch back to conventional rubber for the X6M, as opposed to the run flat tires used in the previous generation. The Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires are indeed a great tire choice and measure 285/35ZR21 up front and 325/30ZR21 in the rear for an aggressive stagger.
Strapping into the X6M's sport seat, it took me some time to find an acceptable driving position. While there was plenty of range for adjustment, once I set the seat and steering wheel to track mode I found that a slight compromise had to be accepted with the centre armrest. It was rather tall and too easy to hit with my right elbow, restricting range of motion for more aggressive steering inputs. I really wish it could be adjusted or removed. The rest of the interior was every bit as polished and well-fitted as you would expect from a current BMW.
I set off from the paddock with the recommended M2 adjustment preset, which placed steering assistance on 'comfort', throttle on 'sport plus', dampers on 'sport plus' and stability systems on 'M Dynamic Mode'. On these settings, the X6M's level of attack was instantly familiar. Steering weight was light and transparent, suspension was firm but not jarring and its burbly, 560 horsepower V8 was primed and eager for attack. COTA's long uphill straight unravelled ahead of me and it was time to experience the Circuit of the Americas!
Between its elevation changes and complex corners, finding the ideal racing line at COTA was not immediately obvious. However, thanks to the lead of seasoned BMW Performance Driving School instructor Matt Mullins in his own X6M ahead, I quickly found my groove in this new playground. Immediately after the long straight was an uphill braking zone followed by a near 180 degree left-hand hairpin for turn 1, a devious combination of elevation and direction change nicknamed 'heaven and hell'. Lap after lap, the X6M inspired a high level of braking confidence. For a car riding so high, brake dive was splendidly well controlled and pedal feel remained firm in my restricted 6 or 7 lap sessions. While it did not match up to the flawless performance and ultra-precise feel of the ceramic stoppers in the M3 and M4s I experienced
at Road America last year, the X6M's brakes were well up to the task of dissipating its two and a half tonnes worth of momentum over each and every braking zone.
In the series of downhill S-curves that followed, the X6M was tested for its steering and chassis response. As in all recent BMW M cars, steering effort was best left in 'comfort' mode. This setting provided a feel that was appropriately low effort and in this car, offered the side benefit of de-emphasizing the X6's mass. However, to maximize turn in response, especially in COTA's tricky downhill corner entry conditions, you must learn to be aggressive with steering input. As soon as I started to enter corners with faster input and with more steering lock, the X6M began to shrink around me. Soon, I was stringing together corners without feeling hindered by its tall driving position and substantial mass and started to fully lose myself in the experience. I was starting to really have fun!
Aiding the X6M's power delivery was BMW's xDrive system, which for the most part worked as a rear-biased unit. As the lapping sessions went on, I entered corners increasingly quickly and the front tires sometimes washed away in uninspiring understeer. My first reaction was to lift off to bleed away momentum, but I soon realized that a stubborn throttle application combined with maintaining or increasing steering input would eventually coax the electromechanical systems into assistance. In these steady state understeer situations, power was quickly directed both rearward and outward, restoring balance to the X6's cornering attitude. The effect was most useful in longer corners and was a welcome aid in the absence of true rear-wheel-drive. Furthermore, with the stability system set to 'M Dynamic Mode', I encountered a level of slip angle tolerance not previously found in a sporting BMW. It appeared that BMW M has become more lenient with their M Dynamic Mode, to the point of letting me get pretty crossed up on a few of COTA's tight corner exits. Genuine power oversteer in an X6M without totally disabling my safety net! How's that for progress?
As for COTA, its track driving experience was everything I had imagined it would be. Fast and free flowing, yet deviously complex and punishing of missteps, it has all the hallmarks of a great racing circuit. With each lap I extended my brake reference points, found more efficient lines and discovered better drive out of corner exits. As I got faster, I also made new mistakes and uncovered new challenges to master. I wished repeatedly that I could spend a week -- no, a month -- learning absolutely everything about this amazing circuit. After an afternoon lapping COTA with the X6M, I was thoroughly hooked to not only the race track, but to the X6M as well.
A further benefit of the X6M's taller ride height and suspension travel was its happiness to jump over COTA's iconic red and white rumble curbing. This composure over the rumble strips gave me freedom to take a tighter, more direct line than I would have otherwise, allowing more creative and exaggerated use of the track. It was deviously fun to charge into COTA's medium speed sweepers with throttle wide open, ease off slightly to aid turn in, enter lots of steering lock, hit the rumble strips hard with the inside wheels while simultaneously mashing the throttle for a terrifyingly quick corner exit. With its long travel suspension and tall ground clearance, the wizardry of its torque vectoring xDrive system and its turbocharged engine, the X6M felt every bit like a rally car on stilts!
If indeed there was an award for the most rally-car-like SUV or crossover, the X6M would take the honours as top dog. While still not as ultimately engaging as a true rally special, or better yet BMW's own purist rear-drive M3s or M4s, I have to give BMW M much deserved credit for creating a genuinely engaging driver's vehicle. We have to recognize that the exercise here was not to make the
best driver's car possible, but to take a rather heavy and comfort-biased sport utility crossover and turn it into a genuinely soulful and entertaining proposition. To that end, BMW M has surprised me with an X6M that is not only fast, powerful and impressive on the circuit, but one that is also truly engaging and rewarding. Driving it hard at COTA was a stirring experience and not one I would soon forget.