• Lots of room front and rear for passengers
• Boot will easily swallow holiday luggage or weekly shop
• Lots of storage space in the cabin

A strange one, as a quick glance at this car might suggest that BMW X6 practicality is a little below par. That said, there’s plenty of room for occupants, front and rear, despite the sleek, low and sloping rear roofline.

But it’s behind the seats, which split 40/20/40 now that the real surprise comes; the BMW X6 has a boot that starts at 580 litres (which is generous for an SUV) and can expand up to a total of 1,525 litres of space when all of the rear seats are folded flat. You’ll have to reach up to get objects into the boot, on account of the X6’s stature and stance, but that applies to all SUVs.

In the cabin there’s plenty of storage space, including generous door bins and a large lidded cubby in the centre console, under the elbows of the driver and front seat passenger. There’s even a selection of storage areas ahead of the gearlever, with their own sliding cover, perfect for cups or other odds and ends.

BMW X6 safety

• No Euro NCAP safety rating for the X6
• Lots of safety kit as standard 
• Should prove to be solid and dependable

The first thing to state is that the previous X5 has never been tested by Euro NCAP, so there’s no star rating to report here. But as it’s very similar to the previous BMW X5, then what applies to that in the safety section of that car’s review.

As standard, every X6 comes with eight airbags, adaptive cruise control that’ll slow you down should it detect the vehicle in front is moving at a lower speed than your X6, automatic headlights and wipers. At low speeds front and rear parking sensors should ensure you don’t bump into anything you shouldn’t and the tyre pressure warning system will alert you to any sudden loss of inflation for each tyre.

On the motorway you’ll benefit from the standard-fit Driving Assistant which features Lane Departure Warning. The assistant also boasts of a pedestrian and collision warning system with automatic braking, to either reduce or completely negate the chances of bumping into people, vehicles or other stationary objects.

For anyone even more concerned with safety there’s a raft of optional equipment available on the new BMW X6, which includes adaptive headlights which bend their beams around vehicles and corners plus a head up display which ensures you never have to take your eyes off the road. Talking of which, there’s also a 360-degree ‘round vision’ camera, as well as night vision with pedestrian detection.