• No X6 will be cheap to run
• Pick a diesel to trim running costs
• No hybrid available… yet

Let’s not beat about the bush. The BMW X6 isn’t exactly a budget special and the cost of purchasing and running one will not be cheap. This is one of the flagship SUVs in BMW’s range and it’s priced accordingly.

However, it is likely to hold its value well and we don’t expect depreciation to savage too much of your outlay any more than for a similar premium SUV. It helps that BMW predicts annual sales of just 1,400 in the UK, meaning it will remain a rare sight on our roads. Of course, most buyers will pay for their X6 on monthly finance and here depreciation is less of a problem, as it’s factored into the PCP or contract hire leasing price.

Pick one of the diesel BMW X6 models if you want to keep your fuel bills in check. The entry-level xDrive 30d will average between 42.8-46.3mpg in official average economy tests, whereas plumping for the xDrive 40i will cut that to 32.8-35.3mpg. Picking either of the M models will trade off fuel efficiency for sporting spirit, and the thirstiest M50i has a combined fuel economy figure of 26.4-27.2mpg. You’ll be stopping to refuel much more frequently in one of the petrol X6s.

Green credentials

The big, lumbering BMW X6 is hardly an environmental choice, especially since you’re stuck with petrol and diesel powerplants and there is no hybrid version available. It is technically feasible to launch a 45e plug-in hybrid version, as is available on the X5 sister car, but because of the small volumes involved BMW claims no such version is forthcoming. If the market demands it, that could change.

CO2 emissions are closely linked to fuel economy, and here it’s a similar story: the cleanest BMW X6 is the xDrive 30d with 159-161g/km, rising to 181-185g/km of CO2 for the xDrive 40i. Anyone paying company car tax will be familiar with how carbon dioxide emissions will increase their monthly bill, and annual VED road tax will also rise as you step up the model ladder.

Buy the M50d and CO2 emissions jump to 181g/km while the ultra-fast M50i emits an exorbitant 237g/km, with sky-high tax bills to match.

Reliability

• No major problems have surfaced yet
• Buy an X6 with confidence
• Decent three-year warranty is standard

The BMW X6 is based on familiar engineering hardware already pressed into service on the X5 SUV and there are no major reliability concerns yet flagged up. We will update this section if we hear of any problems, but at this stage we recommend you can buy an X6 with confidence.

All new BMWs sold in the UK come with a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty should you need to claim for any mechanical problems in your first years of ownership.