X6M Vs. X6 5.0i

[x6er]

Hi all,
So I will be bringing my leased 2010 X6 3.5i back and getting a new one. This time a round, I am thinking large...either the 5.0i or the M, but I can't find answers to my questions to help me decide. I thought I get your inputs, especially that some of the info I am after may require some one who drove both vehicles for longer than just a test drive.
for starters, here is what I would want and definetly would not want in my next X6:
Want: power. handling. adaptive drive. practicality. best for a daily driver. ride comfort. adaptive drive. normal exhaust (muffler) sound. comfortable seats (not necessary comfort seats)
does not want: active steering. loud exhaust sound.

I guess I need to know which of the two will have a better (more comfortable) ride and if the difference between the two in non-sport mode is great.
I also need a comment on how loud the exhaust is in both.

I know that the M comes in a certain type of speed sensetive steering, but is it the same as the Active steering?

I also know that the M comes with some sort of adaptive drive, but is it the same or comparable to the adaptive drive system in the 5.0i?
are the M seats a lot different (comfort wise) from the comfort seats?

These may not be all the questions I have, so please share any info you think would help. Thank you.

[sean_b]

I also have a 35 now and want to upgrade to either a 50 with a Dinan upgrade or an M. However not having owned an M I feel like there may be special considerations in owning an M. More maintenance less reliability etc

Have you found any good resources yet?

[Samurai of 2day]

I want to upgrade my X6 35i to an M version as well but since I bought mine and its not a lease, I was thinking about waiting for the full makeover of our car before trading up... even though everytime i see a 50i or ///M on the street I get very tempted to jump in and make the trade ASAP.

As far as the Dinan 50i versus the M, IMHO, for the money you will have to spend on the tunes and mods you would do to the 50, I wold just shell the same amount of money on the ///M model.

If you just go for the M. like you said, the badge is prestigeous, everthing will be covered by the BMW warranty, and some of the options available exclusively to the M model will make your future car more "elite" when compared to a 50i.

On the other hand, with the Dinan tune, I have read on this forum before about some X6 owners running into problems with voiding warranties with their dealers because of mods being done to the drive train and or exaust system so that may cause you the same headache if you decide to go that route. I'm sure you can find similar threads on this matter in the forum. Just do a search.

Me personally, I disconnect the tuner chip i have installed everytime I bring the car in for service to avoid running into problems as far as voiding the warranty... and that can be a bit of an inconvienience at times. So I would go with the M over tuning a 50 if the price tag is just about the same if I were trading now. But I'm still trying to be patient.... its tough thoug, lol

Whatever you decide, enjoy the ride and stay safe!

[sean_b]

Thanks for the reply. The warranty would be a concern.

About the makeover, is that real? Is it for 2012? My local dealer has x6 and x6m with 2012 stickers and they look the same.

Originally Posted by Samurai of 2day

I want to upgrade my X6 35i to an M version as well but since I bought mine and its not a lease, I was thinking about waiting for the full makeover of our car before trading up... even though everytime i see a 50i or ///M on the street I get very tempted to jump in and make the trade ASAP.

As far as the Dinan 50i versus the M, IMHO, for the money you will have to spend on the tunes and mods you would do to the 50, I wold just shell the same amount of money on the ///M model.

If you just go for the M. like you said, the badge is prestigeous, everthing will be covered by the BMW warranty, and some of the options available exclusively to the M model will make your future car more "elite" when compared to a 50i.

On the other hand, with the Dinan tune, I have read on this forum before about some X6 owners running into problems with voiding warranties with their dealers because of mods being done to the drive train and or exaust system so that may cause you the same headache if you decide to go that route. I'm sure you can find similar threads on this matter in the forum. Just do a search.

Me personally, I disconnect the tuner chip i have installed everytime I bring the car in for service to avoid running into problems as far as voiding the warranty... and that can be a bit of an inconvienience at times. So I would go with the M over tuning a 50 if the price tag is just about the same if I were trading now. But I'm still trying to be patient.... its tough thoug, lol

Whatever you decide, enjoy the ride and stay safe!

[Jess///M]

Even if you decide to go with the M version, you may still find the desire to personalize your X6 in looks or performance. I am a big fan of warranties, so I went with the Dinan exhaust, suspension, and Stage 1 software. All installations were performed at a BMW dealership with a lot of experience with Dinan and of course, the BMW X6M. I am super pleased with the mods and have complete piece of mind about the BMW and Dinan warranties.

I have not driven the 50i, but I am sure it's a great car. I would recommend getting the M, however. If it's not enough for you, then you can mod it further, presumably beyond what you could do to a 50i. That way, you will never think, "should I have gotten the ///M?" That has been my rationale for all my BMW purchases since buying my '92 325i sedan.

[doug_999]

Originally Posted by x6er

I also need a comment on how loud the exhaust is in both.

I know that the M comes in a certain type of speed sensetive steering, but is it the same as the Active steering?

I am not 100% sure about the X6M, but my M5 had a variable ratio steering. Meaning that as you turned the steering wheel the ratio changed - so a 1/4 turn of the wheel would actually turn the wheels MORE than a standard steering, but say the first 1/8 of a turn would be about the same. It is not Active, the ratio just changes the more you turn it. I liked it, just not as much as Active Steering that I had on my 550 (and now have again on my X6 50i).

The 50i (and the M for that matter) have a loud start (LOVE IT). They also have a nice sound under acceleration. Not too loud if you ask me.

The Dinan upgrade will put your 50i right up there with the M in terms of power except...
1. The M has less lag due to the way the turbos are fed
2. It still won't be an M

For me, the price difference between a very well loaded 50i ($84K) and the M I wanted ($103K) was just too much. Also because of residuals (the X6 50i is one of BMWs top value holders) the X6M would have added almost 50% to my lease cost. Plus I like Vermillion Red way more than Melbourne

That said, if you get either of these two cars, make sure you
1. Get BMW Apps ($250)
2. Get the spare tire option ($150)
3. Get soft close doors ($600) - don't ask, just trust me on this one.

If you are getting the M, save your cash and skip the side-view camera. Completely and utterly worthless. I would probably skip the rear climate package on the M as well.

[sean_b]

These are really good things to think about it. I drove an X6M today when I picked up my current ride and fell in love!!

That is one amazing machine. The ratio steering is buttery smooth at slow speeds and whipping around corners. it absolutely blasts off from a stop. Turbo lag is almost nothing as noted in one of the posts above. I think the exhaust note could use the Dinan touch, it's a little soft for my taste given the beast under the hood thats trying to escape.

Next question is do I wait for the slight facelift in 2012 with possible led lights or try and get a good end of year deal on the current line?

[doug_999]

Originally Posted by tekomni

Next question is do I wait for the slight facelift in 2012 with possible led lights or try and get a good end of year deal on the current line?

The 2012s went into production in April of 2011. They will be produced through July of 2012. So if you wait for the LCI (slight refresh), production would be in August of 2012 and would be a model year 2013.

Last but not least I forgot to add that someone was told by their dealer that getting the 3 person rear seat is a must for resale. While that may or may not be true, the X6 with or without it has one of the highest residuals of any vehicle out there.

[sean_b]

My wife has a 2012 550 and her head lights and halos are white while mine are amber color. Do you know if the current x6m has the newer white lights or my same yellowish ones?

[CIWS]

Originally Posted by Samurai of 2day

As far as the Dinan 50i versus the M, IMHO, for the money you will have to spend on the tunes and mods you would do to the 50, I wold just shell the same amount of money on the ///M model.

The stage 1 Dinan tune on a 50i brings the horsepower to about 500 flywheel (X6M = 555hp) but torque is actually more than the M. Where two days ago I dyno'd at 399 HP / 497 TQ at the wheels. That's almost the M's TQ rating at the flywheel before loss. So although Dinan's tune does not equal the M's horsepower, the torque is noticeably more so you still end up with a quick X6 platform.

At MSRP a X6M is 25-30,000 dollars more than a 50i. Dinan stage 1 tune = 3,000. Add their exhaust and that's another 4,000. That's still leaves a difference of at least 18K.
That said if I had the choice between the X6M or the X6 50i the X6M would be in my garage because there's more to an ///M than just HP and TQ.

[AndreyATC]

You guys need to get your math a bit better
With 103K msrp on the M, you will have 86K 50i with all matching options
Pretty much bringing 50i to M as close as possible.
It is definitely not 25K difference as some noted, it's 17
And if you start adding mods to 50i to bring the performance closer to M, the gap is almost a wash on such expensive car. Might as well get an M
After all, you are not getting much of your mod spending when you sell the car
No warranty worries either

[doug_999]

Originally Posted by AndreyATC

You guys need to get your math a bit better
With 103K msrp on the M, you will have 86K 50i with all matching options
Pretty much bringing 50i to M as close as possible.
It is definitely not 25K difference as some noted, it's 17
And if you start adding mods to 50i to bring the performance closer to M, the gap is almost a wash on such expensive car. Might as well get an M
After all, you are not getting much of your mod spending when you sell the car
No warranty worries either

When I go to bmwusa.com I don't see that. Apples to Apples I get
$83,225 for the X6 50i
$102,425 for the X6M

For a difference of $19,200.
(to be honest, I can't tell if the X6M has the Nappa Leather Dashboard and Center Console - so that could change the dif by $2K)

However, as noted for $3K with Dinan, you can come close to the perf of the M, so worst case you are $14K ahead with the 50i.

Alas, I think you might be fighting something that is not a battle - nobody here has said they would not prefer an M if money was no object.

[AndreyATC]

If i remove full leather option (which includes nappa dash) M would drop close to 4K from the sticker
Regarding the price:
Once you added mods and sell your car, say in 4 yrs, you lose mods on resale
Technically you get roughly 50% for your car (41K)
83 + 7k mods - 41 resale = 49k spent
with M
103 - 50% = 51.5K
Dont take my math as an accurate example, but you should get my point i hope
It seems that in the end, you spending roughly the same amount of money while still falling behind in other performance areas

[doug_999]

Originally Posted by AndreyATC

If i remove full leather option (which includes nappa dash) M would drop close to 4K from the sticker
Regarding the price:
Once you added mods and sell your car, say in 4 yrs, you lose mods on resale
Technically you get roughly 50% for your car (41K)
83 + 7k mods - 41 resale = 49k spent
with M
103 - 50% = 51.5K
Dont take my math as an accurate example, but you should get my point i hope
It seems that in the end, you spending roughly the same amount of money while still falling behind in other performance areas

If you remove the full leather option, you lose the ventilated seats and our comparison is not apples to apples.

BMW says that the M will be worth 53% of MSRP vs. 60% of MSRP for the 50i (which ruled out me leasing the M - actually it was an 8% difference in July).

So lets just say that we all paid about 7% less than sticker, and with sales tax, that makes cost about sticker on each car.
X6M: 102,425 - 102,425*.53 = $48,139
X6 50i: $83,225 + $3,000 - $83,225*.6 = $36,290

So in 3 years, we have about a $12K difference and that is with $3K in Dinan upgrades on the 50i which are valued at $0 in 3 years.

So I personally believe it is a huge difference.

[CIWS]

There's also other tunes out there that are cheaper (1800.00) and have higher performance numbers than the Dinan. So it is possible to tune one close to or beyond the stock ///M's numbers for a couple of thousand more.

Originally Posted by doug_999

So I personally believe it is a huge difference.

A difference worth noting for sure. In my case the M was enough of a difference.

[AndreyATC]

Originally Posted by doug_999

If you remove the full leather option, you lose the ventilated seats and our comparison is not apples to apples.

BMW says that the M will be worth 53% of MSRP vs. 60% of MSRP for the 50i (which ruled out me leasing the M - actually it was an 8% difference in July).

So lets just say that we all paid about 7% less than sticker, and with sales tax, that makes cost about sticker on each car.
X6M: 102,425 - 102,425*.53 = $48,139
X6 50i: $83,225 + $3,000 - $83,225*.6 = $36,290

So in 3 years, we have about a $12K difference and that is with $3K in Dinan upgrades on the 50i which are valued at $0 in 3 years.

So I personally believe it is a huge difference.

Well, here is my take on the cost:
1. i keep the car for 4 yrs, normally till warranty ends
2. mods are a no-no for me in case i want to CPO my car pass 4yrs (keep it for 6yrs/100k)
3. must have top-of-the-line model with all tech
4. must perform the best of the family
5. no leasing

Price:
M in 4yrs = 41% residual
50i in 4yrs = 41% residual

Now lets do the same math:
X6M: 102,425 - 102,425*.41 = $60,430
X6 50i: $83,225 + $3,000 - $83,225*.41 = $52,102

So for extra 8K difference here, you get such better car IMO
It will also perform a lot better than 10K worth of dinan upgrades
But then you going to ask yourself, why i invested so much in upgrades when i could have just gotten the M
At that point the price difference is a wash
Even if it was more than 8K diff, i still think M is a "better" option

Leasing for 3yrs might be different story
But are you allowed to mod when you lease?

source for rates:
http://bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=532840

Originally Posted by CIWS

There's also other tunes out there that are cheaper (1800.00) and have higher performance numbers than the Dinan. So it is possible to tune one close to or beyond the stock ///M's numbers for a couple of thousand more.

I dont have spare 20-30K laying around for that beautiful blown V8TT to replace
When you mod with anything other than OEM or Dinan, you're on your own

But then again, i can drop 2K into tune and have an M with over 620Hp in comfort of my home, with flash loader
And remove it anytime i want
With 50i you would need whole a lot more money to match these numbers, without ability to simply removing mods before dealer visit

On top of that, 50i will be running far more "stressed" than the M, which has tranny and engine built to withstand these numbers

[doug_999]

Originally Posted by AndreyATC

Well, here is my take on the cost:
1. i keep the car for 4 yrs, normally till warranty ends
2. mods are a no-no for me in case i want to CPO my car pass 4yrs (keep it for 6yrs/100k)
3. must have top-of-the-line model with all tech
4. must perform the best of the family
5. no leasing

Price:
M in 4yrs = 41% residual
50i in 4yrs = 41% residual

Now lets do the same math:
X6M: 102,425 - 102,425*.41 = $60,430
X6 50i: $83,225 + $3,000 - $83,225*.35 = $52,102

So for extra 8K difference here, you get such a better car IMO
It will also perform a lot better than 10K worth of dinan upgrades
But then you going to ask yourself, why i invested so much in upgrades when i could have just gotten the M
At that point the price difference is a wash
Even if it was more than 8K diff, i still think M is a "better" option

Leasing for 3yrs might be different story
But are you allowed to mod when you lease?

source for rates:
http://bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=532840

I think that you are the minority here. While I'm sure there are people who keep their BMWs for four+ years, the majority of them (especially X5/X6) are turned before then (as witnessed by the horrific drop off in residual between years 3 and 4). The numbers are actually 38% and you are correct, it is for both.
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=580358

But that stretches the gap to almost $9K instead of $8,300. Once again, a pretty significant number no matter how you slice it (and let's remember we are playing with BMW's crystal ball estimates here, so who knows who is going to be right).

Worse, that CPO warranty on the M is going to be some serious cash and yes, if I was keeping the car past 4 years, I would certainly do it.

One point of contention however is this
"It will also perform a lot better than 10K worth of dinan upgrades"
I suspect that Steve Dinan might disagree with you on that one Give him or someone else $10K and I'm pretty sure I can make the 50i perform better than a stock M.

I do agree with the why would you not just get the M in the first place...unless of course you wanted Vermillion Red

[AndreyATC]

Originally Posted by doug_999

One point of contention however is this
"It will also perform a lot better than 10K worth of dinan upgrades"
I suspect that Steve Dinan might disagree with you on that one Give him or someone else $10K and I'm pretty sure I can make the 50i perform better than a stock M.

Haha
I think Steve will even do it for free, just to prove the point

However, i doubt it will be a public price

Let's say he did offered tune, suspension, brakes, exhaust, upgraded cooling, steering for 10K (is it really possible?)
M still have huge advantage = active rear differential
And this thing is a thrill

[CIWS]

Originally Posted by AndreyATC

I dont have spare 20-30K laying around for that beautiful blown V8TT to replace When you mod with anything other than OEM or Dinan, you're on your own.

True enough, but as witnessed in this forum that is a choice some are making for their vehicle.

Originally Posted by AndreyATC

But then again, i can drop 2K into tune and have an M with over 620Hp in comfort of my home, with flash loader
And remove it anytime i want
With 50i you would need whole a lot more money to match these numbers, without ability to simply removing mods before dealer visit

Once again quite true. But we were discussing the cost difference with a tune modified 50i and a stock ///M not a tuned M.

Originally Posted by AndreyATC

On top of that, 50i will be running far more "stressed" than the M, which has tranny and engine built to withstand these numbers

But running stressed doesn't mean it can't handle it for any length of time of ownership. Dinan's tune is bit more reserved than some of the others in order to provide performance with reliability. Until we really get several years down the road to actually test it over time we really won't know one way or the other.

[CIWS]

Originally Posted by AndreyATC

Let's say he did offered tune, suspension, brakes, exhaust, upgraded cooling, steering for 10K (is it really possible?)
M still have huge advantage = active rear differential
And this thing is a thrill

Yep, like we've mentioned earlier, if we had our choice it would be an ///M version because there are other differences than simply HP/TQ. But the purchase was a 50i and the choice to tune it to noticeably improve it's output for just a few thousand more.

[x6er]

Thanks to all for their contributions...I don't want to stop any body from presenting their opinions, but I would greatly appreciate it if in addittion to the price/cost talk, you guys can answer some of the questions in the original post.
So far, the chat is very informative...keep it going and thanks again.

[GameTheory]

Originally Posted by AndreyATC

Well, here is my take on the cost:
1. i keep the car for 4 yrs, normally till warranty ends
2. mods are a no-no for me in case i want to CPO my car pass 4yrs (keep it for 6yrs/100k)
3. must have top-of-the-line model with all tech
4. must perform the best of the family
5. no leasing

Price:
M in 4yrs = 41% residual
50i in 4yrs = 41% residual

Now lets do the same math:
X6M: 102,425 - 102,425*.41 = $60,430
X6 50i: $83,225 + $3,000 - $83,225*.41 = $52,102

So for extra 8K difference here, you get such better car IMO
It will also perform a lot better than 10K worth of dinan upgrades
But then you going to ask yourself, why i invested so much in upgrades when i could have just gotten the M
At that point the price difference is a wash
Even if it was more than 8K diff, i still think M is a "better" option

Leasing for 3yrs might be different story
But are you allowed to mod when you lease?

source for rates:
http://bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=532840




I dont have spare 20-30K laying around for that beautiful blown V8TT to replace
When you mod with anything other than OEM or Dinan, you're on your own

But then again, i can drop 2K into tune and have an M with over 620Hp in comfort of my home, with flash loader
And remove it anytime i want
With 50i you would need whole a lot more money to match these numbers, without ability to simply removing mods before dealer visit

On top of that, 50i will be running far more "stressed" than the M, which has tranny and engine built to withstand these numbers

You just convinced me. Assuming I still like the car after the facelift, my next X6 will be the M...