FIRST THOUGHTS: It’s a whole lot more attractive than the outgoing model and that’s no bad thing. Luxury doesn’t come cheap, but the ‘Grand Touring’ segment is getting more competitive by the day and the new 6-Series is looking to gatecrash the party.
The 6-Series is by no means a high volume selling model in the BMW brand portfolio. However, it is still an integral and very important part of the model lineup. In many ways, the 6-Series has always said a lot about what the BMW brand stands for – think of the original 635CSi. Classical, stylish, fast and refined. Just what a GT should be.
The existing model lost some of that panache and sense of exclusivity thanks to controversial styling and the inability of BMW to hide its heft. The model we know – and some of you love - felt every bit as big and heavy as it was.
First released in 1981, the 6-Series was always about elegant grand touring. Even though it was a 2-door coupe, it had space aplenty front and rear, a cavernous boot that could swallow four adult’s luggage and performance the equal or better of every other competitor. BMW had set the bar very high from the outset.
On test recently for our first drive, we only sampled the 650i (pricing starts at $232,300), not the little brother 640i (pricing starts at $178,300).
In a way, we’d almost prefer to be able to compare the models back to back, despite the fact that we’ve only been ‘lucky’ enough to pilot the top spec model.
In any case, the 650i is going to be the flagship model so if you had to pick one to test, it would be this model. BMW reckons that initial sales will favour the 650i with the 640i to gain traction a few months after launch.
The revised exterior styling is the most obvious change. Straight out of the box, the new 6-Series is more of what everyone loved about the first iteration. More conservative perhaps than the model it replaces, certainly less polarising. This 2012 model is a study of purposeful restraint from every angle. It is perhaps best summed up as delivering a commanding presence and athletic design.
Add the M Sport package to the mix (+$8700 for the 640i and +$7500 for the 650i) and an attractive design becomes even more serious. The M Sport package doesn’t completely transform the big coupe, rather it enhances the positives already in place. The M Sport package, which consists of an aero kit, exhaust system and 20in wheels, will be available to buyers from launch.
Apparently, according to BMW, the exterior design has been influenced by flowing water. I love industry speak. I’m not sure what flowing water has to do with the equation, but the raw numbers tell a story that we’re more interested in as you’d expect. First up, there’s a lower profile that sees the roofline dropped by 5mm. It’s not a lot, but the difference in side profile is significant.
The coupe is also 39mm wider, and 74mm longer. Add these factors together and you have a more hunkered down, purposeful appearance. Speaking of more purposeful, the 50/50 weight distribution sharpens up the handling, in concert with the slightly longer wheelbase. Driving dynamics aren’t top of the list for grand touring buyers by any means, but this new 6-Series feels a whole lot less cumbersome than the old model across all types of driving.
With 300kW and 600Nm, the twin turbo V8 is obviously the powerhouse of the two models. There’s a muted rumble at idle that barely hints at the performance that is so accessible beneath your right foot.
Step on the gas though and there’s a steady stream of torque and power that goes on well past the point that you need to lift off to stay under the speed limit.
As you’d expect, the V8 bellow is somewhat muted by the turbos. You can really imagine continent crossing in Europe in the 6-Series. It’s designed and built to chew through road trips with ridiculous ease and it does that without ever needing to be worked hard.
The inline twin turbo six is also pretty impressive in terms of the power it generates. 235kW and 450Nm ensure the 640i can move along rapidly when the mood takes you. We’ll report back on a comparison between the two models when we get some road time in the little brother. On the numbers alone though, it should stack up quite well.
Both engines are flexible and relatively fuel efficient given the fact that in 650i guise the big coupe tips the scales at more than 1800kg. The 6-Series is no featherweight that’s for sure.
The 650i’s claimed ADR figure of 8.6L/100km is more than acceptable for such a large, heavy car, with the 640i delivering a claimed ADR number of 7.7L/100km, again well below what we would traditionally expect of a car of this type. The 640i also gets automatic Start/Stop technology. Shouldn’t that be stop/start?
In a first for any BMW, the new 6-Series has been fitted with adaptive LED headlights, while wider taillights transform the rear end design. The boot lid has been redesigned as well and boot storage itself is 10-litres larger than the outgoing model. There’s plenty of room for ample luggage storage back there.
The cockpit area has been inspired by a more driver oriented design and feels like a pretty impressive place to spend some time on a long road trip. It’s as if the cockpit has been designed around the driver rather than around the exterior of the car.
Seating in all four seats is comfortable, visibility excellent from the driver’s seat and there’s that familiar solidity to the controls and switchgear that BMW seems able to replicate on every model.
Thud the large door closed and you’re beautifully insulated from the world outside. At speed, there’s hardly any road noise, tyre roar, or buffeting wind noise.
Adaptive drive – standard on 650i – is a feature that intrigues with its technology and adjustability. We need more time to play around with it on test, but in theory it can transform the car depending on your mood.
Various settings change things like the feel and gauge of the accelerator pedal, the gear shift dynamics, steering sensitivity and suspension settings. Modes include Comfort+, Comfort, Sport and Sport+. There’s also an ‘Eco Pro’ mode that delivers the most efficient engine mapping to really screw down fuel usage.
In a first for this class, integral active steering is optional on the 6-Series. And this could in fact be the trick in hiding some of the 6-Series’ heft. The rear wheels steer in low speed manoeuvres to deliver a tighter turning circle, and they also turn at higher speeds to keep the rear end in check and moving in the same direction as the front.
There’s really very little to dislike about the new 6-Series. It may be too big for some but it certainly doesn’t feel it as much as it used to. Maybe it’s too expensive for some. That would be our only gripe, even more so if you start ticking the options boxes with enthusiasm.
Want the really high end audio? How does 14k for the 640i and 16k for the 650i sound? Personally, I’d leave that box blank.
Take the cost of some of the options out of the equation and the 6-Series has genuine appeal across a wide range of disciplines. It’s brilliant at the job it is designed to do – as you’d expect really. Which lives up to the stand the original 6-Series set all those years ago.
VERDICT: The 2012 650i feels significantly lighter and more nimble than the model it replaces - strange because it isn’t really.
The steering feel and chassis balance makes all the difference along with a slightly longer wheelbase.
That its styling is much more conservative and true to the 6-Series mantra makes it an even more attractive proposition in the grand touring sector of the market.
