2013 BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe
BMW Takes On Mercedes And Audi In The Profit Margin Wars
As the years go by, it's become the Germans who are most closely watching what each other are doing over the backyard fence. So much so, at times, that it can almost seem like they're freely swapping all their trade secrets unapologetically in full view.
Take this nicely executed new luxo-niche player, the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe. It's no scoop, of course, that it was created specifically to not miss out on what both Mercedes-Benz and Audi are discovering for themselves with the CLS and A7. And yes, that "nicely executed" modifier just used to describe the Gran Coupe could indeed ring with more enthusiasm.
The 640i Gran Coupe we sailed around in all over Sicily under a crisp sun is a generally good-looking machine. BMW designers have taken the existing Big Bimmer language and successfully created a new dialect for the company, if you will. But these "four-door coupe" creations are curiosities for which many develop a love (or, occasionally, a distaste) for over the long run. Only the first-generation CLS in 2003-04 absolutely socked it to us at first glance, and since then, everything else in the genre has felt derivative. Well, they essentially are blatant derivatives, right?
It would be great if the automakers' marketing departments would please cease and desist when it comes to trying to push these prettier sedans on us as though they were actually coupes. They just aren't. We all love a good sedan, so why the massive effort to co-opt the inherent sexiness of a coupe right down to how the car is used by the buying public? These are lifestyle sedans and they're all pretty fascinating executions. However, we do tip our hats to Audi for owning the Sportback moniker. That sounds about right.
The 6 Gran Coupe is a true mix between the 5, the 6, and the 7 Series cars. It's better looking in some key ways than either the latest 5 or 6 Series models – front, rear and profile views, for starters. Still, it's the 7 Series that comes off feeling like the most complete package for the segment it is meant to represent. At least, that is, for this current generation of large BMW cars.
The 197.1-inch length of the 6 Series Gran Coupe is much closer to that of the standard 7 Series (199.7 inches) than it is to that of the 5 Series (192.9 inches), yet the wheelbase is equal to that of the 5 Series. Front and rear tracks – 63.0 inches and 65.6 inches, respectively – are the same as seen on the 6 Series coupe. Curb weight is quoted at 4,023 pounds, putting the 6GC right between the 200-pound lighter 640i coupe and 245-pound heavier 740i. As for height, the Gran Coupe sits one inch taller than the 6 Series coupe and three inches shorter than the 5 Series sedan.
After spending a full day in the 640i Gran Coupe with the full-on BMW Individual interior treatment, we can say that everything inside the cabin works well, perhaps to a best-in-class degree. Space for four adults is exceptional and is both extremely well-crafted and comfortable. The four-plus-one seating promise in back isn't exactly a revelation, but it's possible. Without the spare tire and with the fully folding rear seat, luggage space is a respectable 44.7 cubic feet. The luxury and level of indulgence are spot-on for this new player in the segment.
Keeping in mind those various weights and measures just listed, we were really curious to see what the result would be over the slippy road surfaces of Sicily. The overall weight is not a surprise for this 640i, but the 3.0-liter TwinPower Turbo inline-six with 315 horsepower was perfectly fine for our less-than-ambitious requirements of this executive/family/lifestyle car.
It's the 330 pound-feet of torque – available as low as 1,300 RPM – however, that allows this engine to work in this above-average-sized BMW. Acceleration to 62 miles per hour is quoted at 5.4 seconds, but we firmly believe that extreme testing will no doubt result in a 60-mph run in around 5.0 seconds flat. That off-the-line speed is more than sufficient, but the real test is how we felt in the 640i GC while humming between the third, fourth and fifth gears of the standard eight-speed Steptronic automatic, overtaking diesel-smoke-chuffing fuel tankers, and slipping through the hundreds of roundabouts that Italy has so fallen in love with.
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