First thoughts….

>Let ‘s talk about what really matters here — size. With a weight of 4,993 lb, the BMW X6 is a beefy bitch. The X6 M? It ‘s even heavier, weighing in at a staggering 5,324 lb. But that ‘s OK, because thanks to the new M TwinPower Turbo V8 under the hood producing 555 HP and 501 lb-ft of torque by way of BMW ‘s new Twin Scroll Twin Turbo technology, there ‘s plenty of power to take this porker around the track, around the street and around wherever the hell you want to take it. Today I wanted to take it around Road Atlanta. The big V8 gave me seemingly endless power as I dipped into the accelerator on the long back straight. But it ‘s the corners that are even more fun.

>The X6 M has the same rear-weight bias and is fitted with the same Dynamic Performance Control system as the plain-Jane X6 that Wes enjoyed flicking around tight corners last April with its ass waving in the wind. That means the same exciting driving — only this time with more power.

>Let ‘s get back to my initial question of why BMW ‘s M division built the X6 M by repeating what a German engineer said to the group of assembled journalists today when asked to describe the X6 M in one sentence. His response was “the X6 M is the ideal car to pick up your spirits in this day and age of a world in crisis. ” All I know is this $90,000-plus toy certainly brought a smile to my face and picked up my spirits. So in that, it ‘s done its high-priced job.

For more head over to Jalopnik:

+ BMW X6 M First Drive / Jalopnik