The fact that it looks the same as before wasn't the most shocking thing about the 6 Series Gran Turismo. No, most folks are blown away by the frankly ridiculous $69,700 price of the first model to be available in the States, which is the 640i GT.
That kind of money will get you a lot of sports sedans, including the V8-powered C63 and a lot of American or Japanese models that don't wear a pompous AMG badge. Frankly, it's a ridiculous price for the Gran Turismo to have, and we don't think it's going to sell that well. But you never know how many people tired of their X5 are lurking in the shadows.
Let's get back to the facts, the first of which is that the 6 Series GT looks way better than its predecessor, but nowhere near as sporty as its 5 Series cousin. This seems more like an intentional design decision because the M Sport model in white doesn't have as big a set of air intakes or those LED accents with cool trim. Could this be a BMW equivalent of the Cadillac XTS - a big car for old people?
And it is very big, measuring 5,091mm (16.7 feet) long. Compared to its predecessor, the roof is 21mm (0.8 inches) lower, and the trunk lid sits 64mm (2.5 inches) closer to the ground. Behind it, you'll find a hollow 610-liter/21.5 cubic-foot trunk. However, we couldn't help but notice that the 5 Series wagon has more dividers, nets and anchor points.
That 640i GT we talked about is equipped with the familiar 3.0-liter inline-six engine rated at 340 PS (335 hp) and 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) of torque. When equipped with xDrive (optional), she will keep up with a Golf R in the 0 to 62 sprint.
It should be noted that the 640i GT comes standard with an 8-speed automatic gearbox and air suspension for the rear axle, which can be used to raise or lower the trunk while you load heavy items. But there is a Dynamic Handling Package option with adaptive dampers for a sportier feel.
The Europeans are getting a lot more engines. For example, there's the 630i, which uses a 2.0-liter and packs 258 PS and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque, which we think is adequate for this type of car, especially considering the 6.3 seconds it takes to do the standard sprint.
There also a 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine in the 630d, packing 265 PS and 620 Nm (457 lb-ft) of torque. However, BMW's leaked production schedules said an M650i would become available in September. So stay tuned if you're a V8 fan.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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