[BMW5and7]

I had the chance to drive the 2022 X6 (August Build) as a loaner yesterday while my X7 was in for service.

As an owner of an X7, A couple things I noticed while having the X6 for 1-2 days and wanted to report back:

1. The new Sensafin seats in fact feels great and look very nice in person. The seats are comfortable and leather felt less stretchy which is not a bad thing. The one down side is there is no real leather smell whatsoever which I didn't like. Also, the feeling of leather on the upholstery, armrest and steering wheel felt too cheap. In summary, the Sensafin leather on the seats were the only part that I really liked (good job by BMW)

2. Wind noise and build quality: I am not sure if it's the X6 vs X7 build quality, or if BMW build quality has become really poor in 2022-2023!. There was just too much wind noise and it was noticeable when compared to the X7. I also own a newer X7 and an older 2019 X7 too, and I can tell you the 2019 one feels much more solid, less wind noise and less cabin noises.... Not sure what has changed for BMW in the last few months/year, but something is wrong! Taking this X6 has confirmed this theory to me!. Even my 2019 530e feels way more solid than the newer 5-series builds that I usually get when it is in for service. You probably won't notice it, unless you are used to drive an older 2019-2020 BMW and then switch to a newer build BMW.
* there is another thread by many LCI owners who are reporting increased noise at stoplights and increased wind noise. it is fairly documented. I observed the same while driving many other 2022+ vehicles too, not just the X7 LCI.... if BMW has changed their insulation or supplier, or made changes, we should know and BMW should realize that several BMW owners are picky enough to notice such cheap moves.... Not sure if they changed something related to insulation or parts, or build quality, but something has changed!. I am too hesitant to move from 2019 X7, and I think it is even built better than my wife's 2022 X7, or the other newer loaners I tested.

3. Ride quality: The X7 did actually really well in absorbing road imperfections, I liked the air suspensions on the X6. The 6-cylinder engine did verl well for a vehicle of this size but not even close to the V8 on my engine (but again, the 6-cylinder engine is very suitable for the X6).

4. DHP and IAS: The X6 did not have the DHP/IAS which I have on both my X7 vehicles. I quickly realized how important DHP and IAS are!. While the suspension did a good job overall, the vehicle was rolling left and right even though it is much smaller than my X7. Moreover, the floating feeling was really bad on highway. There was a huge ride comfort difference and made me appreciate the DHP 10X more. Not just on highways, but even for in-town driving and when taking corners or circles, huge difference!. My X7 also felt much smaller on turns because of the IAS.

5. Ride height: I thought the X6 would feel a bit lower on the road, but it was not. It feels as bulky as the X7, or perhaps, the X7 in general did not have much more bulkiness feeling that it should have for that size compared to the X6. I felt that both vehicles had the same size or height and didn't feel neither less or more secured in the X6. This is a good point for X6 but not the X7 as I expected the X7 to have a more bulky large SUV feeling but it felt similar to the X6.

In general, I loved the X6 and I feel that if it had the DHP and IAS, and if the build quality issues can be addressed, I don't mind the X6 if I don't need the extra space in the X7. I am not a fan of the X5 because of how it looks front/rear, but the X6 is a very nice looking vehicle.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by BMW5and7

I had the chance to drive the 2022 X6 (August Build) as a loaner yesterday while my X7 was in for service.

As an owner of an X7, A couple things I noticed while having the X6 for 1-2 days and wanted to report back:

1. The new Sensafin seats in fact feels great and look very nice in person. The seats are comfortable and leather felt less stretchy which is not a bad thing. The one down side is there is no real leather smell whatsoever which I didn't like. Also, the feeling of leather on the upholstery, armrest and steering wheel felt too cheap. In summary, the Sensafin leather on the seats were the only part that I really liked (good job by BMW)

2. Wind noise and build quality: I am not sure if it's the X6 vs X7 build quality, or if BMW build quality has become really poor in 2022-2023!. There was just too much wind noise and it was noticeable when compared to the X7. I also own a newer X7 and an older 2019 X7 too, and I can tell you the 2019 one feels much more solid, less wind noise and less cabin noises.... Not sure what has changed for BMW in the last few months/year, but something is wrong! Taking this X6 has confirmed this theory to me!. Even my 2019 530e feels way more solid than the newer 5-series builds that I usually get when it is in for service. You probably won't notice it, unless you are used to drive an older 2019-2020 BMW and then switch to a newer build BMW.
* there is another thread by many LCI owners who are reporting increased noise at stoplights and increased wind noise. it is fairly documented. I observed the same while driving many other 2022+ vehicles too, not just the X7 LCI.... if BMW has changed their insulation or supplier, or made changes, we should know and BMW should realize that several BMW owners are picky enough to notice such cheap moves.... Not sure if they changed something related to insulation or parts, or build quality, but something has changed!. I am too hesitant to move from 2019 X7, and I think it is even built better than my wife's 2022 X7, or the other newer loaners I tested.

3. Ride quality: The X7 did actually really well in absorbing road imperfections, I liked the air suspensions on the X6. The 6-cylinder engine did verl well for a vehicle of this size but not even close to the V8 on my engine (but again, the 6-cylinder engine is very suitable for the X6).

4. DHP and IAS: The X6 did not have the DHP/IAS which I have on both my X7 vehicles. I quickly realized how important DHP and IAS are!. While the suspension did a good job overall, the vehicle was rolling left and right even though it is much smaller than my X7. Moreover, the floating feeling was really bad on highway. There was a huge ride comfort difference and made me appreciate the DHP 10X more. Not just on highways, but even for in-town driving and when taking corners or circles, huge difference!. My X7 also felt much smaller on turns because of the IAS.

5. Ride height: I thought the X6 would feel a bit lower on the road, but it was not. It feels as bulky as the X7, or perhaps, the X7 in general did not have much more bulkiness feeling that it should have for that size compared to the X6. I felt that both vehicles had the same size or height and didn't feel neither less or more secured in the X6. This is a good point for X6 but not the X7 as I expected the X7 to have a more bulky large SUV feeling but it felt similar to the X6.

In general, I loved the X6 and I feel that if it had the DHP and IAS, and if the build quality issues can be addressed, I don't mind the X6 if I don't need the extra space in the X7. I am not a fan of the X5 because of how it looks front/rear, but the X6 is a very nice looking vehicle.

Interesting you say that about the X5. I feel like it's just a smaller X7.

[aas5]

Good observations. I had similar observations when I had a loaner X5 without DHP, which made me realize it was a must. Quick question - does X6 now actually have air suspension? I thought it was only available on X7 but haven't really been following the news much. Also, with respect to the wind noise, X7 has double pane windows which significantly reduced the outside noise. I saw a huge improvement after my 2017 X6M.

[BMW5and7]

Originally Posted by aas5

Good observations. I had similar observations when I had a loaner X5 without DHP, which made me realize it was a must. Quick question - does X6 now actually have air suspension? I thought it was only available on X7 but haven't really been following the news much. Also, with respect to the wind noise, X7 has double pane windows which significantly reduced the outside noise. I saw a huge improvement after my 2017 X6M.

Well, I could have been wrong. I thought it had air suspension, but regardless, they were good on the road.

[djbonsu]

Originally Posted by aas5

Good observations. I had similar observations when I had a loaner X5 without DHP, which made me realize it was a must. Quick question - does X6 now actually have air suspension? I thought it was only available on X7 but haven't really been following the news much. Also, with respect to the wind noise, X7 has double pane windows which significantly reduced the outside noise. I saw a huge improvement after my 2017 X6M.

The X6 can be optioned with air suspension like the X5. Air suspension is standard in X7