Built for comfort as well as speed
SO I’m supposed to entice you to keep reading this column until the end. But I’m just going to come right out and say it. The new BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe is very, very good. Surprisingly so. I couldn’t have predicted it. It may even be my ideal car. You see? Finished. You can head to the Sport section now.
Still here? Okay so you want to know why. Well I, like many other people, want a car that is powerful, comfortable and a little bit luxurious. A car in which you can knock off hundreds of miles in a single trip without so much as a twinge of discomfort or stress. A car that you genuinely would rather be driving over the longest distances possible. Yet at the same time you want a car that can be thrilling in the bends. A car you can drive 600 miles to the mountains just to enjoy the roads when you get there. A GT then, in the tradition of a grand tourer?
Well no, not really, because I couldn’t afford to fuel one. And in any case a 2+2 won’t do. I want to go with friends, kids, the family. You see, I’m asking for more. It’s already getting trickier.
But somehow BMW has done it. I drove the 640d version of its new Gran Coupe from Bracknell to Strasbourg in a single, great solo romp – okay it was interrupted by a chateau in Reims – and I loved driving it. I didn’t want to stop. I would’ve driven it back home too if they’d asked me to.
Why? Because it offers the freedom of a GT sports car but with the ability to properly relocate four people at considerable speed and in great comfort. It isn’t a sports car of course. But its performance is close enough. What’s more, it looks the part. It’s genuinely stylish and elegant and a little bit muscular. Its face is the polite side of menacing, with its shark-like nose, trademark kidney grille and xenon headlamps.
Not to mention the frameless doors which would make it perfect for red carpet events or indeed making an entrance anywhere, because driving this car is quite an event in itself. To my mind, it is better looking than the regular 6 Series Coupe that it is based on. The difference in length is only an additional four inches or so. Yet the car looks better for it and drives better too.
Inside, the Gran Coupe is luxurious and comfortable in both SE and M Sport trim. Dakota leather and fine brushed aluminium trim make for a classy environment, while tech includes a reversing assist camera and a head-up display. It’s in the rear where most of that four inches has gone. There is plenty of space for adults, not just little people.
This 640d Gran Coupe has a 3.0-litre, 6-cylinder turbocharged engine which is good for 313bhp. The car can reach 0-62mph in 5.4 seconds and on to 155mph. These figures are impressive – especially for a car so big – but even more so when you consider that its 640i petrol-powered sibling has exactly the same sprint time and similar power (320bhp). This means if you’re interested in the superior fuel economy of the diesel then there is precious little compromise in terms of performance.
More amazing is the sound of the engine. It makes a lovely noise. It doesn’t sound like a diesel when it’s underway, and sounds very similar to a petrol engine. The comfortable ride experienced on the motorway is just as good on the back roads. Changing the setup from Comfort to Sports+ driving mode – which changes the steering, transmission, throttle and suspension – causes the limousine-like comfort to make way for a sports-car like pace and handling.
Okay, so it feels like a big car, but it’s a capable one. In the corners it feels balanced, progress feels fluid and the driving just flows. It’s a great feeling and the 640d Gran Coupe is a lovely motor. It is also economical. The end.
THE FACTS: BMW 640D GRAN COUPE
PRICE: £63,900
0-62MPH: 5.4 secs
TOP SPEED: 155mph
CO2 G/KM: 149g/km
MPG COMBINED: 49.6mpg
THE VERDICT:
DESIGN *****
PERFORMANCE *****
PRACTICALITY *****
VALUE FOR MONEY ***