The BMW 6 coupe is a
grand tourer, or GT, designed for those who like to churn up motorway miles in
sporting luxury. This latest iteration goes up against established favourites
including the Maserati Granturismo, Mercedes-Benz SL and the market-leading Jaguar XK Coupe, but promises better performance, comfort, efficiency and
is cheaper than all three.
This 2012 model features a new 8-speed automatic transmission,
rear wheels that help steer the car, an aggressive M Aerodynamic body styling kit,
and the latest BMW ConnectedDrive technologies, which include night vision, a
head-up display and a sat-nav that connects to the Internet.
We hopped in the £66,745 BMW 640d M Sport to discover just how
good it really is.
The BMW 640d M Sport Coupe is a
good-looking car.
The BMW 6 Series has, historically, looked quite understated
compared to the competition. It's always been a classy, relatively attractive
thing, but it's lacked the sleek lines of the Jaguar XK, the presence of the
Merc SL and the sheer badassery of the Maserati Granturismo. The M Sport
iteration attempts to correct that oversight, however, with the addition of an
aerodynamic body kit from BMW's M motorsport division.
The 640d M is sleeker than its BMW 6 Series predecessors.
This doesn't quite propel it into Granturismo territory. The
kit, which features large front air intakes, sideskirts and a bootlid spoiler,
does provide the car with a certain understated menace. It's also worth noting
the new model is 74mm longer, 39mm wider and 5mm lower than the previous model,
so it's a damn sight sleeker than the car that came before it.
The new 6 Series Coupe is available in three engine guises at
launch. There's the rather mental, 650i, which is powered by a 407hp twin-turbo
V8; the slightly less mental 640i, which produces 320hp; and a the 'actually,
this is quite mental for a diesel' 640d, whose twin-turbo diesel lump produces
313hp.
Before you walk away muttering about how all diesels are crap,
you should consider this: the 640d is fast -- it'll do 0-62mph in 5.4 seconds,
which is quick enough to send spit down the wrong tube in your chest -- trust
us on this. More importantly, it'll either match or beat the top-of-the-range
Mercedes-Benz SL 500, the 5.0-litre V8-powered Jaguar XK and the 4.2-litre
Maserati Granturismo from the traffic lights.
