BMW Unveils 6-series Gran Coupe

We're at the point now where a 4-door "Coupe" isn't weird.  I suppose.  Passat CC, two generations of the Mercedes CLS, we'll call anything a coupe.  So here's the latest: the four-door version of BMW's 6-series coupe.  My Coupe runneth over.  So what's the deal with the 6-Series Gran Coupe?

Well, it's a four-door version 0f BMW's third-generation 6-series.  Or, it's a 5-series with a lower roof line.  Or, it's a BMW CLS.  Some have been wondering why companies bother making these types of cars, and others have been wondering what took BMW so long to make a CLS clone.  I fall into the latter camp; Merc sells a good number of the swoopy CLS, so it's a no-brainer that BMW would follow suit.

BMW's styling has been a bit... off point lately.  To put it nicely.  So it's refreshing to see than the Gran Coupe, for all it's intrinsic weirdness, is a damn fine-looking automobile.  Sure, it's got all the new BMW weirdness in the details, but the basic proportions are tasty.  The roofline doesn't drop down as viciously towards the back as the CLS, so there could be a reasonable amount of headroom in the back.  BMW calls the 6 Gran Coupe a "4+1" seater, meaning it has four real seats and one fake one.  Judging by the fact that there's a full-length center console where the rear center passenger's legs would go, the center passenger better be comfortable rubbing legs with two other people.  Let's just call it a four-seater.

Like the current 6-series, the interior is really gorgeous.  The press photos show an interesting two-tone scheme, with chocolate-brown on the top, and cream white on the bottom mixing together.  The white-rimmed steering wheel is an interesting touch, and the way the upper color plunges down the dashboard makes this a lot more artful than most BMW interiors.  While the shapes are largely the same, a 3-series interior is a sea of boring grayness by comparison.

As far as dimensions go, the 6-series Gran Coupe rides on a 116.8" wheelbase with an overall length of 197", 4.4" longer than the coupe (and 4" longer than the 5-series) - all of that in the wheelbase.  Width is 74.6" inches (same as the Coupe, 1.3" wider than the 5-series), height is 54.8" (0.9" taller than the coupe, 2.8" lower than the 5-series).  Compared to the Mercedes CLS, the wheelbase is 3.5" longer, overall length is 2.5" longer, and it's 0.9" closer to the ground - so fairly similar dimensions.

When the 6 Gran Coupe launches, it will initially be offered with two gas engines.  The 640i Gran Coupe gets the 3.0L "N55" inline-6, with a single twin-scroll turbo, direct injection, and 315bhp at 6,000rpm with 330lb-ft torque from 1,300-4,500rpm.  The 650i Gran Coupe gets an upgraded version of the N63 V8, which has the turbos inside the V, and the intake manifolds outside.  The new version (Called N63Tü) gets Valvetronic VVT, which makes 445bhp between 5,500-6,000rpm (a 45bhp increase) and 480lb-ft torque between 2,000-4,500rpm (a 30lb-ft increase.)  Both engines are mated to BMW's ZF 8-speed automatic transmission, and the 650i will also be available with all-wheel-drive.  The 640i will do 0-60 in 5.4 seconds, and return 30.1mpg combined on the EU cycle; the 650i does the same in 4.6 seconds, and between 26.7-27.3mpg.  That's some impressive efficiency considering the power and performance.

The chassis has received the full fury of BMW's parts bin to make it both nimble and comfortable.  The 6 Gran Coupe rides on double wishbone suspension up front, multi-link at back, largely constructed of aluminum to keep weight down.  There are continuously variable active dampers at all four corners, and active roll stabilization is optional.  This system hydraulically varies the effect of the roll bars in real time to keep the body flat.  Integral active steering is optional, which adds active rear-steer to the chassis as well.  The standard raft of 3-letter-acronym safety systems comes along (ABS, ASC, etc.), and the Gran Coupe comes standard on 18x8" alloys with 245/40/18 tires, covering floating-caliper brakes at all four corners.

Other goodies will include adaptive LED lighting, a 10.2" high-def nav/stereo display, rear-view camera, parking assist, night vision, lane departure warning, blindspot detection, an optional Bang & Olufsen sound system, and the Drive Dynamics Control switch that BMW has been putting in their new cars - which tailors various systems (throttle response, transmission programming, active handling) to certain modes.  A Luxury Package (sort of a funny concept on this high-end of a car) adds 4-z0ne climate control, ventilated seats with active bolsters, and rear sunshades.

More interesting than the luxury package is the M-Sport package.  As is usual for BMW's, the M Sport includes more aggressive suspension and rolling stock.  19" or optional 20" M double-spoke alloy wheels, an aerodynamics package, black brake calipers, LED foglights, and a louder exhaust for the V8.  Inside, the M Sport package gets leather/alcantara M Sport seats with blue stitching, an M Sport wheel with paddle shifters and blue stitching, and some other M trim.  No pictures yet, but I'm interested to see how mean this - or the sure-to-follow M6 Gran Coupe - looks.

The 6-Series Gran Coupe will be making it's official debut at the Geneva show next year; no word yet on when it'll go on sale or how much it'll cost.  A good guess would be more than a 5-series, but less than a 7 - we'll see.