RE: BMW M6 Gran Coupe - official

[Guvernator]

Agree this nameing thing is getting a bit silly now to be honest. Why didn't they just call it the M7, would have at least made a bit of sense then.

[RenesisEvo]

kambites said:

... and the bonnet looks a bit bulbous.

That'll be a result of the latest pedestrian safety regulations, clearance needed between bonnet and block. Frankly they should be focusing on stopping people being hit in the first place...

The Gran Coupe looks great IMO, the presence of a Panamera without the challenging looks (I don't find them challenging but that's irrelevant). I agree it will be very hard to choose the M5 if you have the money, but then they might drive differently - now that would be a great twin-test, and could be the deciding factor - conjecture dictates the M6 being softer and less-focused. Equally it would be interesting to mirror this month's Evo magazine Maserati GranTurismo vs M6 feature with the next-gen Quattroporte vs M6 Gran Coupe (with a Panamera, CLS and Rapide to complete the set).

Final thought - is it just me or is the proliferation of the moniker 'Gran' getting a bit much?

[kambites]

RenesisEvo said:

kambites said:

... and the bonnet looks a bit bulbous.

That'll be a result of the latest pedestrian safety regulations

Almost certainly, but it still looks odd. I guess the insistence with sticking with inline sixes doesn't help either, since it's a very long, tall configuration.

[DodoRacing]

I like it very much. Great product for its market segment. In the presence of the new M4, The 2 door M6 is unnecessarily oversized coupe but the 4 door version justifies the size.

[robinandcamera]

Not read the article yet, just saw the first photo! Its a bloody limo basically!

Is this really an M car or just a large car with a high output engine?

[DodoRacing]

Guvernator said:

Agree this nameing thing is getting a bit silly now to be honest. Why didn't they just call it the M7, would have at least made a bit of sense then.

I think it is because it is a four door coupe (6 series) not saloon (7 series).

[kambites]

robinandcamera said:

Is this really an M car or just a large car with a high output engine?

Increasingly, that's what a modern M-car is, IMO.

[kambites]

DodoRacing said:

I think it is because it is a four door coupe (6 series) not saloon (7 series).

In what way is it a coupe? It's got four doors, it's a bloody saloon!

[405dogvan]

kambites said:

In what way is it a coupe? It's got four doors, it's a bloody saloon!

That

Surely a 'coupe' is a 2/3-door car with low/stylish design (the alternative being a '2 door saloon' or '3 door hatchback')

What next, I wonder? Could I have a 3-door 1 Series with extra doors - rather than a 5-door which I think connotates the wrong image?

[y2blade]

I like that a lot

[Big Fat Fatty]

It's hideous however many doors it has.

Surely the M5 is a 4 door M6. This car (and many other new BMWs) doesn't make any sense, it's as though they're just filling gaps in the market that aren't really there or are already filled.

Edited by Big Fat Fatty on Thursday 13th December 11:52

[MarJay]

A niche too far methinks. Or a cynical attempt to compete with the Panamera?

[type-r]

Looks the business to me.

A saloon that is styled like a coupe. Not easy to do but BMW have pulled it off beautifully.

[woots787]

kambites said:

In what way is it a coupe? It's got four doors, it's a bloody saloon!

I'm 5' 10", generally I find that the definition of a coupe is that if I sit in the back my head brushes the ceiling. In a saloon I've got loads of room.

John

[JapFreak786]

Must admit I like this quite alot, all the M5/M6 talks aside when they come down to sensible money I can see myself getting one! Current E60 M5 owner, wouldn't get an E63 M6 to replace it though!

[LewisR]

kambites said:

GroundEffect said:

Looks great...but it's over 2 tonnes.

Seriously?

It's a huge luxury saloon car not a sports car. Is there really any reason for it to be lighter?

I think you might struggle to understand the answer if you had to ask that question.

[FWDRacer]

Chrisw666 said:

A 4 door version, of a 2 door coupe, itself based on a 4 door saloon.

Brand dilution beautifully expressed.

RIP - ///

marketing goons - so much to answer to/for

[kambites]

LewisR said:

kambites said:

GroundEffect said:

Looks great...but it's over 2 tonnes.

Seriously?

It's a huge luxury saloon car not a sports car. Is there really any reason for it to be lighter?

I think you might struggle to understand the answer if you had to ask that question.

Well OK, obviously there are reasons for it to be lighter. I suppose the question I was asking was whether any of them would be worth the extra cost and/or loss of luxury that they'd entail?

No-one complains that the RR Phantom is "too heavy" and it's a damned slight heavier than this.

[_Neal_]

kambites said:

It's a huge luxury saloon car not a sports car. Is there really any reason for it to be lighter?

Exactly - I'd even go as far as to say there isn't any modern-ish M-car that's been even remotely about lightness.

All the way back to the E34 M5 they've been fully-loaded versions of the regular model, with various tweaks to make them handle better, be nicer to drive and (obviously) with more power from a bespoke engine. The E39 M5 (for example) weighs about 1850kg, but I've not heard anyone moan about that being too heavy.

Personally I like the looks of the M6 Gran Coupe.

[theJT]

I'm just not sure what the point of this constant micro-differentiation is. Want a large, fast 4 door saloon? M5. Want a large, fast 2 door coupe? M6. I just don't see why this needs to exist, or possibly why the M5 needs to exist if this does too... I don't see why you'd buy one instead of the other for anything other than price. Does the 6 look a bit better? Yes, a BIT. Is the 5 a bit more practical? Yes.. A BIT. Not enough for me to really chose between them either way.