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BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe

BMW reveals first pictures of the four-door version of its 6 Series, the Gran Coupe

BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe front three-quarters

By Luke Madden

11th December 2011

Mercedes started it with the CLS, Audi copied it with the A7 and BMW sat idly as the four-door coupe gained popularity and racked up sales. But now the German firm has announced its first entry into the four-door coupe segment – the 6 Series Gran Coupe.

 

It was previewed by the Gran Coupe concept that debuted at the Beijing Motor Show in April 2010, and if you put the two back-to-back you’d be hard pressed to spot the differences. In fact, despite the extra 113mm in the wheelbase, at first glance it even looks the same as the two-door. 

All that extra space means rear passengers will have more leg-room than in the standard car – though admittedly it isn’t too much of a squeeze as it is. Where the two-door car was strictly a 2+2, BMW is selling the Gran Coupe as a 4+1, with the middle rear passenger having to straddle the centre console. Boot space remains at 460 litres but the rear seats can be folded down to increase space to 1,265 litres. 

Power comes from a range of engines similar to the line-up in the coupe and convertible 6 Series models but BMW has replaced the 401bhp 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 in the 650i model with a 444bhp version of the same engine fitted with variable valve control. That accounts for the boost in power and also cuts emissions from 246g/km to 206g/km, while improving economy by 5.6mpg for a figure of 32.1mpg.

With the increase in power comes an increase in performance too. The 650i Gran Coupe accelerates from 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds – that’s 0.3 seconds quicker than the lighter two-door 650i.

The two other engine options – 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol and diesel units – make up the 640i and 640d models and produce the same 316bhp and 309bhp figures found elsewhere in the 6 Series range. 

The best all-rounder is likely to be the 640d Gran Coupe that not only accelerates from 0-62mph in 5.4 seconds but also has a combined fuel economy figure of 50.4mpg and costs just £130 a year to tax thanks to its 148g/km emissions figure. 

Aside from the extra length, the chassis itself remains much the same. That means a lightweight aluminium construction and double wishbone suspension at the front. A range of options like adaptive dampers and rear-wheel steering are also available to help improve handling and comfort. 

BMW is offering the 6 Series Gran Coupe in SE and M Sport trim levels, with SE models getting 18-inch alloys, leather upholstery, sat-nav, front and rear parking sensors and heated front seats. The 650i models get 19-inch alloy wheels, a chrome grille and dark grey gloss interior trim to distinguish them.

Meanwhile M Sport models get an aerodynamic bodykit, 19-inch M sport alloys, black exhaust pipes, sports seats and aluminium trim in the cabin. 

First to arrive in June 2012 will be the 640i and 640d, with prices starting at £61,380 for a 640i SE – that’s a premium of £1,815 over the two-door model. When the 650i model arrives a month later it will cost £75,130 in M Sport trim – an extra £3,650 compared to the standard 6 Series.

 

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14 Comments

I think that this is a brilliant idea. They may be right about it looking like the coupé and convertible, but this will appeal to posh families.

By JPW2010 on 11 December, 2011, 10:57am

Send luggage ahead.

Boot space 460 litres??? The well-to-do must travel light.

By prosperity on 12 December, 2011, 12:57am

Auf Englisch

So much for random use of foreign words to try to sexify your cars: I'm sorry but I'm finding it hard to see a car called a 'Gran Coupe' as cool. It's about on a par with a 'Grandad Tourer' tbh.

By Dangerous_Dave on 12 December, 2011, 3:28am

It will suit James Bond

It a great car. It will be great for 007 to drive in mission with gadgets. He driven Z3 V12 7series & his last BMW was the V8 Z8. But this will be the best ever BMW for him if Q put him behind of This BMW.

By deviras on 12 December, 2011, 6:19am

Same Ol Same Ol

Boring Boring Boring BMW are about as adventurous as magnolia paint.
Anywa,y should we be buying German cars when they tried to bully us at the EU conference along with their french colllaborators on Friday?

By Carmad3 on 13 December, 2011, 6:38am

Gran coupe?!

Clearly bmw have a very specific market in mind for this car. Granny lovers everywhere form a queue. I guess its staid styling suits lovers of all things old and wrinkly. No doubt rooney will be ordering one soon...

By steedie on 13 December, 2011, 7:55am

Horses for courses...

Good idea and clearly planned into the platform when the Coupe and Cab were developd ie optimises design and production costs. This a GT and for 4 people to cross continents would be perfect esp in 640d guise

Build quality, materials and engine efficiency - better than Audi as well and has differentiation unlike Audi when you cant tell an A5 / Sporback / A6 / A7 etc etc apart these days.

By reddo on 13 December, 2011, 8:23am

Brown alcantara. Yum.

To my eye this offers little in the way of 'style' to differentiate it from the current 5-series. BMW have a long history of setting the photocopier to 'enlarge' or 'shrink' in any case when it comes to disseminating their design language throughout the range, but I really don't see the appeal of this derivative.

By snappyuk on 13 December, 2011, 8:23am

Score

Exterior 5, interior 9.
Not as good looking as the CLS, but better than an A7. But I prefer the 5 series, and don't really think this is that much sportier.

By iderek on 13 December, 2011, 8:52am

cb

The jag must be good if BMW have to copy the basic styling

By STILLO52 on 13 December, 2011, 8:54am

Thats beautiful.

Well it is!!

By liveforever on 15 December, 2011, 9:23pm

Why?

You can have a 5 series or a 7 series so why do this? Is the Jaguar XF really doing that much damage to BMW's sales?

By Madsteve7 on 21 December, 2011, 3:40pm

Top 4

1. Mercedes CLS 1st series
2. Audi A7
3. Citroen C6
4. Jaguar XF
....
....
....

Yeah, that's right. I gave the BMW no ranking because of its cluttered design. Can Bangle please come back...

By voyager on 23 December, 2011, 5:29pm

MISSNOMERS

I looked at the pics and liked what I saw, for a 5-door hatch, but surely not a Gran[ny] car. And of course its not a coupe....everyone who can read a dictionary will know a coupe has only 2 doors and maybe a hatch. You'll understand then the utter gross arrogance of MB thinking they could bastardise not their language but the English language, to sell more poxxy cars.
AutoExpress I urge you to take hold and recognise the gravity of what youre perpetuating, in slavishly following no more than PR depts. Does it only take 3 mere private foreign car makers to fundamentally change a piece of English language effecting millions if not billions of people??
Here's a much nicer name..... 6four D[oor] Or as Frank would say maybe leeve the D[oor] off altogever

By barina47 on 6 February, 2012, 8:03am

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Pictures

BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe front three-quarters
BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe rear three-quarters
BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe front seats
BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe rear seats
BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe rear seats
BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe detail

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