2025 BMW X6 M Competition vs. Porsche Cayenne GTS: Battle for Super-SUV Supremacy

• The BMW X6 M Competition and Porsche Cayenne GTS are two fast SUVs with powerful V8 engines.
• One impresses more on the track, while the other is better on the road.
• Which SUV comes out on top? Read on to find out.

In the other corner is the Porsche Cayenne GTS. It starts at a slightly more reasonable $125,000 and, at least by Porsche standards, is configured with some restraint. Of course, everything is an individual option with highlights including the rear-axle steering system, Carmine Red paint job, 22-inch wheels, Sport Chrono package and Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control. All told, it stacks up to a cool $145,185.

Tale of the tape

Sure, we could have gone like for like when it comes to power figures and thrown in a Cayenne Turbo, but those are now so expensive that wouldn't be fair on the poor BMW. The GTS may be the underdog on paper, but we think it has more than enough juice to bring the fight.

However, the BMW has the upper hand at our test track. Its twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 makes more power, with 617 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. It sends the power to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission and rolls on Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tires.

The X6 M blasted to 60 mph in an impressive 3.5 seconds and pushed onward to hit the quarter mile in 11.8 seconds at a trap speed of 116.3 mph. Around the skidpad our testing team pulled 0.99 g and the BMW braked from 60 to 0 mph in 109 feet. On their own, these are impressive figures, but compared to the Cayenne, they look even more sterling.

The Cayenne GTS’ twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 puts out 493 hp and 486 lb-ft. Like the BMW it deploys power with an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. However, it deviates with a set of even stickier Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires and rear-axle steering.

The Porsche gets stomped in a straight line, hitting 60 mph in 4.1 seconds — 0.6 seconds off the BMW. In the quarter mile, the Cayenne ran 12.4 seconds at 109.6 mph. That’s again 0.6 seconds slower and 6.7 mph down in the trap. Braking went a bit better for the Cayenne, stopping from 60 mph in 110 feet, just 1 foot longer than the X6. It was only on the skidpad where the GTS had the outright better figure, pulling 1.03 g — that's supercar stuff.

In the real world

Off the track, the Cayenne GTS shows off a different personality. The Porsche summons power in a less ferocious way, but it sounds much better while doing so. Its raspy V8 is smooth as can be with quick and delicate shifts from the eight-speed gearbox to accompany the acceleration. Its silly exhaust rumbles and grunts like a German NASCAR, giving it a playful side that is sometimes missing from Porsches.

Nearly everything is configurable, but we found that leaving the ride soft, the engine angry and the pipes loud left us with the biggest smile. In Comfort mode, the suspension does a fantastic job of soaking up Southern California's rutted roads while keeping the body well controlled. Sure, it leans more when you get it loaded up in a corner, but you want a little body roll — it's just another way the Cayenne speaks to you. Plus, thanks to the rear steer system, it whips around corners like something much smaller, around about 911-sized if you catch our drift.

The Cayenne in one word? Balanced. Everything falls neatly and tidily into place regardless of what you're doing with it or how you're driving it. Quickly, slowly, through parking lots or up mountain roads, the Porsche feels composed, competent and thoroughly done over with engineering polish. Those finishing touches — those little hints of refinement to the suspension, the steering, the brakes, the rear steer and so on — are what really put daylight between the Cayenne and the X6.

In the X6, BMW's S68 engine is absolutely unhinged — it revs so freely all the way through to redline and there is absolutely no let up in grunt. The Porsche is smooth, but it doesn't pull anywhere near as ferociously, and the 124-hp gap between them feels more like a 300-hp chasm. There is absolutely no way this X6 is making "just" 617 hp; BMW is famous for underrating its cars' power figures.

The BMW is clearly built to go as fast as possible all of the time, and that's exemplified perfectly by the ride. It's firm — like slammed-on-the-deck tuner car firm. And that would be fine if you lived on a racetrack, but we know you don't. Sure, the lack of body roll keeps it nice and tidy around our handling circuit, but once you attempt to live with it you might look at your bank account and think you've made a horrible mistake. It's just so firm it's difficult to justify, let alone enjoy on the road.

And that’s the problem with the BMW X6 M Competition — we don't want to live with it. The X6 M still has strong points on the road. It still goes like hell when you need it to and stops just as aggressively. But the steering isn't nearly as accurate as the Porsche's and the brake pedal leaves you guessing in a way no performance car should.

In the end, the X6 M very nearly falls apart on the road because it's going to shake you and itself to bits. It lacks the usability, consistency and tractability (not to mention the sense of humor) that makes the Cayenne so much better to both experience and live with.

Interior and usability

With this kind of money on the table, you should expect some serious gravitas with an interior, and only one of these really delivers. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the Cayenne GTS’ insides, but when we’re pushing 150 grand, we need to do a little better than what’s here. Everything is screwed together nicely with no overly cheap pieces, but nothing in this cabin has an ounce of razzle or dazzle. The gloss black inserts complement the generic black leather with Alcantara panels everywhere else. We’ll sprinkle in a few bonus points for the contrast red stitching, but that’s about it.

The Cayenne's interior is so formal it borders on drab. The BMW's interior is palatial by comparison. There's a great mix of materials be it metal, carbon fiber, or different textiles like quilted leather and Alcantara. The brown leather makes the cabin feel brighter, the seats are just as supportive and adjustable as the Porsche's, and the driving position feels bang on.

Inside the X6 M Competition, things look and feel more like what they cost. The contrasting dark brown and black leather is absolutely gorgeous and, unlike Porsche, BMW actually gives you ventilated seats for this giant heap of money. BMW’s double-screen layout looks sharp, and the Bowers & Wilkins audio system puts out huge sound, making the overall experience even nicer inside. There are arguably too many controls in modern BMWs — especially M cars — but once you get the swing of things, the functionality all works well.

Winner, winner

The 2025 Porsche Cayenne GTS is the winner of this comparison test. It has less horsepower than the BMW X6 M Competition and its performance stats fall short of BMW’s super SUV, but that only matters so little.

It’s true that the X6’s abilities — both in a straight line and around a track — are profound beyond reason. It can hang with supercars and leave many sports cars behind while doing so, which should be celebrated. But for all that it can do at our test track, the BMW sacrifices too much in everyday livability (ride quality) and the basic joys of driving.

The Cayenne GTS is all about driving joy, it also just happens to be a well-rounded usable SUV. Porsche won’t be making red-hot V8s forever, but that just makes this red-hot Cayenne GTS that much more special.

Photos by Darren Martin