Almost six months after announcing they were coming to Australia BMW has finally revealed just how much the X6 M and X5 M will cost. The high-performance SUVs have been priced to compete against the Porsche Cayenne S and Turbo S as well as the Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG.
The X5 M will start at $172,900 (manufacturer recommended price, not including government and dealer charges) and the X6 M will be priced from $179,900, putting both above the Benz but below the Porsches.
BMW has already announced the X6 M will arrive in December with the X5 M to follow in January .
The announcement of the pricing gave BMW Australia boss Stavros Yallouridis the chance to boast about sales of the X6, which has received mixed reviews since the so-called 'Sports Activity Coupe' arrived.
Despite often being referred to as an answer to a question nobody asked, BMW is happy to announce that 734 people had apparently asked for a sporty but less practical SUV, in what the company called a "niche sales hit".
"The X6 delivered exactly what a select group of Australian luxury buyers were crying out for," Yallouridis said.
"Their first priority was a car with coupe design, agility and performance, street credibility and uniqueness. In addition, they appreciated the versatility offered by a sports activity vehicle."
Yallouridis added that he believes the X6 M will tempt buyers from both Mercedes and Porsche thanks to better results on performance.
"Now with the arrival of the X6 M, we're able to offer an M version which will tempt performance-oriented buyers considering an ML 63 AMG or Cayenne Turbo with benefits such as faster acceleration, less weight and better fuel consumption," he said.
"If on the other hand maximum practicality is a must, the X5 M arriving in January will be the perfect alternative."
Buyers will really need to drive hard to maximise the performance advantage of the X6 M and X5 M over its rivals though. While the BMWs are more powerful and lighter, in terms of performance the cars only hold a 0.1sec advantage racing from 0-100km/h and only have a 0.6L/100km consumption benefit over the Porsches.
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