Driven: BMW 640i Coupe

On the road in BMW's big GT, now fitted with a big-hearted straight six

The thing about the new 6-series is that it appears to know its target market intimately. And those customers, by and large, do not buy their BMWs to be an Ultimate Driving Machine. They are also overwhelmingly American.

This almost certainly explains why the convertible 6-series was launched before the coupe, and why the folks who presented the coupe to us at the press launch were so proud to report that one can fit three (count 'em) golf bags into the boot.

It also explains why, despite the fact that 90 per cent of UK customers will opt for the thumping 308bhp, 469lb ft diesel, we have yet to drive that too. Not that the 3.0-litre straight six we tried is a poor substitute, mind. Its twin-scroll turbocharger helps provide it with consistently impressive and linear thrust, and giving a convincing impression of having rather more cylinders than is actually the case.

The 316bhp and 332lb ft of torque (from 1300rpm to 4500rpm, no less) is also enough to propel the big six-er to 62mph from rest in 5.4secs and onto 155mph. This is a genuinely impressive feat when you consider that at 1660kg it's 130kg chunkier than its nearest ancestor, the old 630i. The only remotely negative point we can come up with for this engine is that the turbos muffle the straight-six wail. But we're used to that on modern BMWs, so we could live with it.

The 8-speed auto gearbox, complete with paddles, also works in seamless harmony with the engine, giving you the right gear at the right time and kicking down with verve (although we could live without the artificial-feeling jerkiness in 'manual' changes - swapping ratios is a super-smooth affair in full auto mode, so why give the manual mode a faux-racy feel?).

The gearbox's response is also further tailored by the switch that allows you to cycle between sport+, sport, comfort+, comfort and 'eco pro' (read cruising), and which adjusts throttle response, steering reaction, suspension settings (and of course the gearbox) according to your mood.

The chassis is perhaps not quite so willing to adjust to your mood. There is no doubting the essential solidity and basic, for want of a better word, rightness about the car, but this is still a large, heavy GT and it feels it, despite being a commendable 63 per cent stiffer than the old 6-series coupe.

The levels of grip are prodigious, but there just isn't a great deal of adjustability, of interactivity, and that leaves you feeling as though it's just a little bit cold. Capable, sure, but not the sort of car you would go out of your way to point at a twisty road. The optional active steering doesn't help either; it's generally faithful and direct, but occasionally there's an odd inconsistency to the weighting as the system adjusts itself to the car's speed and how much turning you want to do.

Perhaps it's just us, but we felt the interior was a tad cold, too - especially for a £60k car. It's unquestionably well built, and all the toys you expect of a big GT are there (the colour HUD and optional B & O sound system are particularly impressive), but it doesn't stir the soul (well, not this PHer's soul, at least - and I'm a big BMW fan).

And that's kind of a metaphor for the whole car, really. It's good, it really is, but for People Like Us (i.e. committed petrolheads), it probably isn't quite exciting enough. No doubt the forthcoming M6 version will sort that out, mind...

Full spec sheet for the BMW 640i Coupe

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MogulBoy

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