There’s no shortage of power on the BMW 650i xDrive Gran Coupe. With a 4.4-liter V8 twinturbo engine making 450 HP and 650 Nm (479 lb-ft) of torque, the 2 ton car will put sport cars to shame. But how about even more power?
Sure, you could go full M and get the M6 Gran Coupe from BMW but that car has quite a big price tag on it. Starting out at $115,300 MSRP, it’s not for everyone. However, there are cheaper alternatives out there that might not be as good on the track but are quite capable of making your heart race.
One such alternative is BMW’s own 650i xDrive. Capable of reaching the 100 km/h (62 mph) benchmark speed from a standstill in 4.5 seconds, you can hardly call it slow. Sure, it has 110 HP and 30 Nm less but thanks to xDrive, it’s a rocket in a straight line.
It’s even faster when tuners get involved. Alpina, for example, will sell you a B6 xDrive Gran Coupe that’s a sub 4-second car but it’s even more expensive, starting at €126,500.
Now, there’s another choice available for you: the Hartge plug and play kit. Their device takes your 650i up to no less than 520 HP and 740 Nm (546 lb-ft) of torque, numbers close to what the M6 claims (560 HP and 680 Nm).
The best part about it is that it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Let’s do some simple math: a BMW 650i xDrive Gran Coupe starts at $92,600. Add the M Sport body kit (to look as close to the M6 as possible) and you reach $98,850 including the destination and handling tax. Throw in the Hartge engine conversion kit that costs €5,802 ($7,941) and you’re set.
The grand total? $106,791, about 10 grand less than the M5 Gran Coupe and 30 less than the Alpina alternative. Check out the video below to see some comparisons between the stock car and the Hartge alternative.
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