BMW 6-Series Coupe Review

The new generation of the BMW 6-Series (F12 Coupe and F13 Convertible) is an answer to a need that appeared quite a long time ago. You see, this is the first complete 6-Series: the first one arrived back in the 70s’, so it was far from being perfect, while the second one came in 2003, after a long hiatus, but in the eyes of many, it was affected by the Bangle design.

Thus, the fresh 6-Series has a heavy burden on its shoulders fenders. It not only has to offer what it’s predecessors couldn’t, but it also has to compete in a world where consumers demand speed, efficiency and safety at the same time. And there’s another thing: when BMW released the car late last year, it knew that a new generation of the Porsche 911 would arrive soon, and, even though the two don’t perfectly overlap, it was clear that the fresh 6-Series had to be quite an athlete to be able to face the rear-engined coupe.

To see whether the new 6-Series really has what it takes to make your life complete from the automotive point of view (this is what any real Grand Tourer should do), we’ve decided to test the top non-M version of the car. You see, the new M6 doesn’t arrive until next year and, maybe more importantly, it won’t have an all-wheel-drive version, which means that this version will still have a strong business case for certain buyers even after the arrival of the M version.

So, grab your leather travel bags, place them in the generously-sized luggage compartment and let’s hit the road in a Vermillon Red-dressed 650i xDrive.

If we take an analytical look at the new 6er, we’ll find out that the car is now longer, wider and a little bit lower. The new dimensions give you the impression that it’s planted on the road. Moving further, we can see that BMW has given the car proportions that could even convince a new-born baby that he is looking at a GT.

Zooming in even further, we can see how the 6-Series has evolved in the post-Bangle era and we find an explosion of details that please the eye. Let’s take the headlights, for example. Their (optional) full-LED construction is not only energy-efficient and lights the road as if you’re packing two small stars up front, but also gives you even more posh looks when the sun comes down.

And the combination between smart looks and functions goes further - for example, the body looks as if it belongs to a predator and it hides aluminum panels for the doors and bonnet, in order to keep the weight down. However, in certain configurations, the 6-Series can be heavier than its predecessor.

We also have to talk about the rear end, as this was a major problem for some when it came to the predecessor of the current 6-Series. The good news is that the Bangle butt is gone and the good news is that it has been replaced by a set of styling cues that joggle with elegance and dynamism.

We’ll zoom out again, to tell you that if we had to describe the 6-Series in just one word, this would be “intimidating”. However, the design somehow hides its huge amount of muscle under a shirt & tie rather than letting you see it bare. However, this is not a timeless design - its silhouette is not as elegant as that of a Jaguar XK for example - the new 6-Series is contemporary design at its best.

We climbed aboard out test car with crossed fingers: we really wanted to meet an interior that manages to give you that special feeling any true GT should, but we were afraid we’d meet too many familiar elements from more mortal Bimmers.

Fortunately, we found a cabin biased towards the first and this was mainly thanks to a set of optional goodies including a Nappa leather finish, ceramic coating for the control buttons, American Oak wood trimming and, the one we enjoyed the most, a leather finish with contrasting stitching for the dashboard. In combination with the center console that is now more orientated towards the driver, this gave you the feeling that you’re controlling some sort of air ship, rather that driving a car.

The high line of the dashboard means that this car imposes respect even to its occupants, not just to the other drivers. Don’t forget to choose the optional comfort front seats - these are the only ones that qualify for a GT status. It’s easy to find a good driving position in these, regardless if you’re looking to sit low while driving full-throttle or higher during cruising mode. As for the rear visibility isn’t as bad as you’d expect and all issues related to this can be solved by ordering the rear view camera.

The individual rear seats are pretty comfortable, but you won’t really be able to place two people in the back on journeys longer than shopping ones due to the limited access and leg room, which is pretty frustrating considering the length of the car.

The size of the 6-Series doesn’t recommend it for city use, but this car is a GT so it’s supposed to be able to take you anywhere, anytime with flying colors. Thus, it manages to deal with the urban jungle pretty well.

When you order the car, remember to tick the box for the optional panoramic view camera system . You’ll get a tank of magic dust that keeps you from scratching the car whenever you go through a tight space and another one with magic dust that makes you look like the world record holder for parking a really big coupe.

With this problem solved, you can set off. The ZF eight-speed gearbox offers extra-smooth shifts in the comfort and normal modes and the adaptive suspension, together with the decent ground clearance allow you float above any kind of surface, so this car doesn’t care if you drive it in New York, London, Paris or Kabul.

Usually when you’re in a hurry, you don’t necessarily turn to the sport mode, as this is way to tight for a city, with kickdowns being enough. However, using the 650i in the comfort and normal modes exposes the powertrain’s Achilles’ Heel: the turbo lag is more present than you’d expect in the ground level area of the rev band. Take things higher or use the sport mode and you’ll overcome this problem.

The luggage space is more than enough, so you can’t use the car as an excuse for not taking your lady friend on shopping trips. This vehicle has a special way of provoking other drivers, but it also manages to protect you from their envy, so you don’t have to worry about this too much on your way.

When you take a look at the vehicle’s spec sheet, you expect the Efficient Dynamics goodies to work their magic on the engine and the result of all than in the city is a fuel efficiency that starts at around 18 liters per 100 km (13 mpg). The rest, which can double that number, depends on your right foot.

Since this is a very capable car, but one that doesn’t really communicate everything to the driver, you won’t be able to enjoy its potential in the city without losing your license. However, driving this car on urban roads will bring out the masochist in just about every person in the world. Take it out on the open road and you’ll switch to a sadist in a crack of the wheel.

You don’t have to be a car person to have a lot of expectations when taking the 650i xDrive for a drive on the open road, so BMW engineers knew that it has to deliver. And it does, it really does. With the Sport mode switched on, the moment when the accelerator pedal touches the end of its travel feels like connecting the city’s main power line to the local water supply system.

Under full throttle, the gearshifts feel like whips on your back and you’ll thank ZF for gifting the transmission with no less than 8 ratios. The speedometer climbs like it’s about to lose a bet with gravity and the landscape becomes more and more blurry.

BMW claims a 0 to 62 mph time of 4.8 seconds and we’ve managed to achieve this from the first runs. In fact, this exposes the nature of the car: even when driven hard, its performance is accessible.

However, this is a sword with two edges. You see, the car never really manages to please the pilot inside of you, it doesn’t communicate with you on a too profound level, nor in a straight line, neither through the bends. Want an example? Those were some of the least intense 4.8 seconds to 62 we’ve ever experienced. Wait, wait, don’t rush into conclusions, just read on...

On the bends, the xDrive is just phenomenal. Think of it as a politician that wants to get the oil in foreign countries while preaching peace, all in a good way. To illustrate this we took the car on a muddy surface with small rocks and acted as if we were doing a burnout on a rear-wheel-drive vehicle. Stepping on both the brake and the throttle at the same time caused the car to stand still, with the front wheels frozen and the rear one spinning.

On the road, with the DTC and DSC on, the 650i xDrive feels extremely fast and safe at the same time. Switch to the Sport Plus mode, which delays the intervention of the electronic nannies, the vehicles brings a bit of oversteer, but only after it passes miles and miles of grip. At this point, you’ve already reached a point where, if you don’t know what you’re doing, the laws of physics will send you flying in the landscape. The same goes for when driving the car with no electronics on. However, the entire vehicle is set up in such a way that it doesn’t allow you to really feel the speed and the lateral sensations

However, this is the only flaw in this gem: drive this car at any pace other than 10 out of 10 and you’ll be flooded with pleasure, be it from speed rush or effortless mile eating. And here’s where we get to its main asset - we musn’t forget that this is a Grand Tourer, not a supercar and the 650i xDrive is absolutely brilliant at covering frightening distance with an even more frightening lack of effort.

If you want to travel fast and still be relaxed, the first half of the accelerator pedal’s travel is more than enough. The same exhaust that is violent, but not quite enough when you’ve got the devil in your imaginary helmet, becomes a bottle of massage oil when all you want to do is reach your destination as if you were flying at business class.

You’ll be faster than many sports cars without even trying - who knows, maybe you could use this as an excuse for when you get pulled over. If this doesn’t work, invite the officer for a ride -he might forgive you!

Rather than going on for many paragraphs about how good this car is on the open road, it’s much more simple for us to tell you what it can’t do: it can’t deliver an A+ grade felling for enthusiast drivers. Going past that, we have to tell you that the 650i xDrive is a brilliant GT. It’s very fast and extremely capable on the bends, so it never has to put its plush coat over a puddle for you to cross it - it just moves the world the other way with its torque for a second so that you miss it.