Paris motor show: BMW X6 is no shrinking violet

I think it's fair to say that we critics have always been a touch bemused by the success of the BMW X6. After all, why would you want to take a perfectly good X5, give it a less practical body, a harsher ride and make it more expensive? Still, buyers around the world snapped them up and so, to compliment the arrival of the smaller X4, here's the new X6 making its debut at the Paris Motor Show today.

Once again, it shares its chassis, drivetrain and much of its interior with the new X5. That recipe hasn’t changed much from before and neither, indeed, has the styling. The new X6 gets the new BMW ’face’ where the headlight covers cut into the chrome of the radiator grilles, but otherwise it’s much as you hunchbacked-were. BMW claims that it hits the magic 50:50 weight distribution as before, and going on the basis of the X5 it should be a few kilos lighter to boot. BMW has altered some details in the cabin as it wants the X6 to look a little more ’bespoke’ compared to the ’utilitarian’ X5, but if they reckon the X5 is utilitarian then ye gods... The largest (literal) difference inside seems to be the adoption of the massive 10-5-inch colour screen for the iDrive system as standard.

Underneath it's all as you were too. The core engine will be the 218hp 3.0-litre straight-six diesel with xDrive four wheel drive. There will be a sporty M50d version too, with three turbos on the same six-pot diesel with 381hp and enough torque to drive up a vertical slope (nearly). Not sporty enough? That's OK, assuming you have your Texaco shares up to date, you can have the 306hp turbo 3.0-litre petorl six-cylinder X6 35i or the 4.4-litre twin turbo V8 petrol X6 50i with its 450hp. There will be a 560hp X6M at some point in the future too.

As well as the expected M-Sport models (check out the chunky bodykit on the show car) BMW will also offer an xLine trim that includes more luxurious touches such as unique leather trims and a rocking B&O stereo.

The new X6 won't have quite the easy ride its predecessor had though. Mercedes is already hard at work on an M-Class-based rival called the MLC, Audi will launch its sporty Q8 next year and others, such as Porsche, Infiniti and Maserati are all working on cars that could tempt X6 buyers away.