BMW M6 Gran Coupe review, test drive

BMW M6 Gran Coupé will compete with the Audi RS7 when it comes to India. So, what's this new super sedan armed with a 567bhp V8 motor capable of?

Published on Mar 17, 2014 03:45:00 PM

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A stonking 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 with 567bhp and 69.3kgm of torque powers the BMW M6 Gran Coupe.

Like the M5 we drove the day before, our test car was limited by its winter tyres to 240kph, but on normal tyres, you get an electronically limited 250kph top speed and an optional 305kph if you pay a fee.

Again, the spoil sport is the sheer weight of the car. You need to really lean on the suspension to get the best out of the car and there's the problem. Because the seating position is lower than in the M5, the Gran Coupé feels even broader and that makes you think twice about chucking it around on narrow roads. To really enjoy it then, you need autobahn-like playgrounds.

The active M Differential also struggles to put power down cleanly and using more than half throttle out of corners results in the traction control system going into a frenzy. Of course, the traction control can be disabled to let the rear loose, but given the roads we were driving on, we simply weren’t brave enough.

Still, there's plenty of grip, the steering is direct and depending on what revs you're at, you've got that basso-rumble-to-high-pitched-shriek exhaust note accompanying you.

There are other good things to the Gran Coupé – we like the driver-centric dash and the standalone iDrive screen, the build quality is fantastic as usual and the interiors feel as inviting and expensive as you would expect from a super-niche car like this.

You should know that, thanks to the swoopy roofline, tall people will have headroom issues at the rear, and thanks to the console between the front seats, the rear is a place for two people only.

The other big problem is that the M6 Gran Coupé won't be cheap. When it comes to India, it will be a whole lot more expensive than the M5. As is, it looks a whole lot better than the M5 and that very fact brings with it a certain kind of exclusivity. If that's what you want, the M6 Gran Coupé could be for you.