New MHX6 500 goes all in on BMW X6 vibe

'It doesn't always have to be so extreme', says Manhart - this X6 doesn't even have 500hp...

By Matt Bird / Friday, 19 December 2025 / Loading comments

When a standard BMW M3 is now 530hp strong, adding even more might be a tough one to justify. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should, as mother used to say. And when the V8 M cars, of which the X6M is obviously one, churn out almost 650hp, the argument against upgrading becomes stronger still. But what if your X6 isn’t so powerful? What if you’d like a little more pep in a regular one, with an extra helping of styling attitude for good measure? Manhart, as always when it comes to BMWs, is on hand.

This is an MHX6 500. So yes, that means it’s a BMW SUV coupe with almost 500hp, but it’s built from the entry point to the X6 range - the xDrive 40i. Which is a bit unusual for Manhart, this car serving as proof that the ‘tuning specialists are naturally also very much at home at the other end of the model range.’ It helps, of course, that the 40i is powered by the venerable, venerated 3.0-litre B58 straight-six turbo, which responds as well to tuning as Father Christmas does to mince pies - the more you give, the more it gives.

So with nothing more than the MHtronik powerbox, the base X6 is now producing a stout 480hp and 465lb ft, up from 381hp and 384lb ft as standard. Quite some improvement from just software. Manhart suggests that the new quadrumvirate of pipes brings nothing more than ‘an appropriate acoustic accompaniment to the increased power.’ Typically, the MHX6 500 uses standard 40i brakes, but they can be upgraded for those who require it. Elsewhere, this 500-spec car gets 22-inch Concave One alloys, a Larte Design front splitter, a carbon diffuser and spoiler, plus, of course, the Manhart decals. This X6 sits lower than standard thanks to new coupling rods. There must be X6 M presence here for a lot less outlay…

Speaking of which, the MHtronik powerbox currently retails at €2,370, or a smidge more than £2k. There are thousands more to be spent on carbon bits, plus another thousand on the decals, so it’ll be easy to spend an awful lot more as required. And end up at V8 X6 money, which would probably defeat the object of modifying a 3.0-litre a little. Still, the option is there for those that want it, and another batch of B58s could have their potential realised. This 2023 40i is even the right colour to build an MHX6 500 just like Manhart’s own…