2014 BMW M6 Review

Perhaps the BMW M6 really needs the $7,300 Competition Package. This brings an extra 15 HP, while also extending the torque band at the top. It also includes tweaks for the suspension, active M diff, steering and DSC. Sounds like a good deal, but we didn’t get to play with it.

The M6 Competition Package doesn’t include the carbon ceramic brakes, which are still a $9,250 or EUR8,800 separate option. Speaking of this, the standard brakes offer satisfying stopping power, so we’d be tempted to say you don’t need BMW’s newly-developed carbon ceramics.

However, the carbon ceramics are not there just to boost deceleration performance. At 410 mm up front and 396 mm at the back, the ceramics are only a tad larger than the standard units, but they do bring a massive 43 lbs (19.4 KG) weight reduction. You’ll easily spot them thanks to the gold calipers.

All this performance talk may just as well be all in our heads, because, like we said, the BMW M6 has aged into a Grand Tourer. This was BMW’s plan all along and using the car in this manner exposes its best side.

As for the bad boy character of the thing, this has been buried deep inside the F13 BMW M6. It only surfaces when you leave the public roads behind and start sliding it. However, at $111,200 (plus a $925 destination tax and a $1,300 gas guzzler tax) or EUR124,000 (19% VAT included), it’s pretty hard to believe that somebody would buy an M6 just to thrash the thing around.

That's the main reason for which we’ll give the M6 a six when it comes to value for money - we have a winner for the title of “worst side of the car”.

In this respect, the BMW M6 reminds us of the Chevrolet Camaro’s hot versions. You get a set of angry looks, but quite a lot of the direct, sporty feel has been left aside to make room for comfort.

Considering all this, it’s pretty hard to build a case for the BMW M6. If you want a 6 Series, you don’t really need this. The performance is not all that obvious inside the car, so you’ll be better off with a 650i.

By the way, as this car has so important Grand Touring ambitions, it would be more complete with xDrive. BMW’s all-wheel drive isn’t the kind that kills the fun like AMG’s 4Matic, so you’ll be doing great with it. Well, this is how we reach the BMW 650i xDrive we drove in the past.

And since they’ve softened up the M6 to make it appealing for a wider range of customers, this brings M Performance division thoughts. We see true potential for a BMW 6 Series Coupe with the tri-turbo diesel from the M550d.