BMW 640d - Dailly Commuter
Discussion
I started a new job just over 2 months ago which requires 2-3 days a week in the office, I've ended up buying two different cars for the purpose of commuting and long story short both have been a disaster. In my naivety I assumed a fairly cheap, 100k French car would do the trick. Clearly not.
So last week I began hunting for something comfortable, capable of good fuel economy, didn't have to be fast but interesting at least. Also, given the issues I've had with traders, relatively and without question, German built!!
Deliberated over a Merc CLS but most of the 2nd gen don't have three back seats, E Class I'm always mindful of being an ex-cab, 5 series didn't tickle my pickle but the 6 series did and the Gran Coupe offered the practicality, so I went on the hunt.
I found this very lovely example 10 minutes from where my office is. It's a 2013 BMW 640d Gran Coupe M-Sport with 83k on the clock. I will be honest, I'm not sure on which options are ticked on it as it's a well spec'd car as standard but it is in Deep Sea Blue with an ivory white interior.
Main criteria for a commuter was decent fuel economy, comfort and a bit interesting. I think this ticks the boxes.
First impressions. It's more comfortable than my 08 650 and I'd say it's equally fast if not faster. I was a bit shocked by how well it moves for a car that's over 15ft long. The interior is lovely, it's just at that tipping point where screens started to dominate so it has a decent looking iDrive screen but analogue dials with digital bits integrated with them.
Also, the more I look at it the better looking it seems. Compared to some modern BMWs it's actually a very subtle looking car but has some real presence. It's deceptively massive as when you're in it, it doesn't feel like a big car.
So, let's hope it's reliable and capable of a few miles. I'll probably be doing 12k a year commuting plus a few local miles but I think this will do the job!!
So last week I began hunting for something comfortable, capable of good fuel economy, didn't have to be fast but interesting at least. Also, given the issues I've had with traders, relatively and without question, German built!!
Deliberated over a Merc CLS but most of the 2nd gen don't have three back seats, E Class I'm always mindful of being an ex-cab, 5 series didn't tickle my pickle but the 6 series did and the Gran Coupe offered the practicality, so I went on the hunt.
I found this very lovely example 10 minutes from where my office is. It's a 2013 BMW 640d Gran Coupe M-Sport with 83k on the clock. I will be honest, I'm not sure on which options are ticked on it as it's a well spec'd car as standard but it is in Deep Sea Blue with an ivory white interior.
Main criteria for a commuter was decent fuel economy, comfort and a bit interesting. I think this ticks the boxes.
First impressions. It's more comfortable than my 08 650 and I'd say it's equally fast if not faster. I was a bit shocked by how well it moves for a car that's over 15ft long. The interior is lovely, it's just at that tipping point where screens started to dominate so it has a decent looking iDrive screen but analogue dials with digital bits integrated with them.
Also, the more I look at it the better looking it seems. Compared to some modern BMWs it's actually a very subtle looking car but has some real presence. It's deceptively massive as when you're in it, it doesn't feel like a big car.
So, let's hope it's reliable and capable of a few miles. I'll probably be doing 12k a year commuting plus a few local miles but I think this will do the job!!
Looks good. I always like the shape, but it is just a bit too large for me. I have a 66 plate 335d, which has never missed a beat. I stick to Shell diesel, but it does like a tankful of BP ultimate diesel now and again. If you want to use runflats, i recommend Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3 HRS.
Ruskie said:
Remap for extra ponies and extra MPG 
This engine certainly appears to be very responsive to a re-map. Just software alone sees about 370bhp and 510lbs-ft. I'll see how the mpg goes for now, I'll bung it in Eco mode on Monday and take it to the office. I'm not hugely worried about performance as it really shifts for what it is.
Pica-Pica said:
Looks good. I always like the shape, but it is just a bit too large for me. I have a 66 plate 335d, which has never missed a beat. I stick to Shell diesel, but it does like a tankful of BP ultimate diesel now and again. If you want to use runflats, i recommend Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3 HRS.
It is a big old thing. Luckily where I park at work, we have our own car park and the spaces are pretty generous. Plus I get in early so there is one very nice, tucked away space. I will likely put V-Power in most of the time or at least every other fill up. Especially it's £1.93 a litre. Thing is when I was starting this new job I was expected in 5 days a week but in reality it's turned out to be 3 days at most so if I can get 50mpg I'm happy. Noted on the run flats mate. I don't believe it has them any more but will check today. The reason why I suspect they're been ditched is that someone has had the sense to buy a spare wheel for it. Admittedly, it's on a matt in the middle of the boot but it does mean I can swap to a spare wheel which it otherwise wouldn't have had!
That's lovely and another 6 series in Deep Sea Blue Metallic. I've just bought an E63 635d in the same colour; it's stunning when it's fully washed/polished and in the sun 
I'd highly recommend servicing the car to within an inch of it's life - full engine flush, oil & filter change, maybe look to add Liqui Moly Ceratec as it does quieten and smoothen out the engine; exactly what it's designed to do. Diff fluid change, ZF8 service ASAP (unless it's already been done) and if it's not on RFTs already; then keep it that way, the ride is so much better without them (just have a decent tyre repair/inflator kit in the car at all times)
Looking forward to seeing how this progresses; bookmarked!
I'd highly recommend servicing the car to within an inch of it's life - full engine flush, oil & filter change, maybe look to add Liqui Moly Ceratec as it does quieten and smoothen out the engine; exactly what it's designed to do. Diff fluid change, ZF8 service ASAP (unless it's already been done) and if it's not on RFTs already; then keep it that way, the ride is so much better without them (just have a decent tyre repair/inflator kit in the car at all times)
Looking forward to seeing how this progresses; bookmarked!
Nice purchase, I'm really regretting getting mine in black as all I see are the little scratches and imperfections! I think the 640d shifts the weight better than the 640i like mine, but I do nowhere near enough mileage to justify a diesel! I'm slowly working through all the kinks of older car ownership, diff mounts, engine mounts, water pump etc but its such a nice car to drive. Enjoy!
danb79 said:
That's lovely and another 6 series in Deep Sea Blue Metallic. I've just bought an E63 635d in the same colour; it's stunning when it's fully washed/polished and in the sun
I'd highly recommend servicing the car to within an inch of it's life - full engine flush, oil & filter change, maybe look to add Liqui Moly Ceratec as it does quieten and smoothen out the engine; exactly what it's designed to do. Diff fluid change, ZF8 service ASAP (unless it's already been done) and if it's not on RFTs already; then keep it that way, the ride is so much better without them (just have a decent tyre repair/inflator kit in the car at all times)
Looking forward to seeing how this progresses; bookmarked!
It is a lovely colour and really suits the car. Your E63 looks excellent too. I'm yet to wash it myself but there are a few little blemishes that will certainly polish out easily enough. Nothing wild and I suspect any marks will come off with a hand polish. I'd highly recommend servicing the car to within an inch of it's life - full engine flush, oil & filter change, maybe look to add Liqui Moly Ceratec as it does quieten and smoothen out the engine; exactly what it's designed to do. Diff fluid change, ZF8 service ASAP (unless it's already been done) and if it's not on RFTs already; then keep it that way, the ride is so much better without them (just have a decent tyre repair/inflator kit in the car at all times)
Looking forward to seeing how this progresses; bookmarked!
I have a Stratus Grey E64 but have a massive soft spot for the coupes though.
Will definitely be on the servicing. It was serviced a couple of months ago so about 1,500 miles ago. I'll be aiming to service every 8-9k miles. I need to double check the history to see if the gearbox was serviced.
dtulip8 said:
Nice purchase, I'm really regretting getting mine in black as all I see are the little scratches and imperfections! I think the 640d shifts the weight better than the 640i like mine, but I do nowhere near enough mileage to justify a diesel! I'm slowly working through all the kinks of older car ownership, diff mounts, engine mounts, water pump etc but its such a nice car to drive. Enjoy!
They do look slick in black though, I'm not sure the blue will be much better for showing dust and marks but both colours look good when they're clean. Definitely don't want a diesel if you're not doing regular long drives. The bulk of my driving is on the M5 so makes sense, the diesel does feel remarkably light in terms of getting up and moving but I suspect that's the torque. 7 5 7 said:
These have aged so well! Really nice OP
They have, the previous generation looks fairly dated now albeit quite unique with it's Bangle design but this one still looks to be completely modern. Even the interior feels modern, the only give away is that there are still manual controls!! Alex_225 said:
danb79 said:
That's lovely and another 6 series in Deep Sea Blue Metallic. I've just bought an E63 635d in the same colour; it's stunning when it's fully washed/polished and in the sun
I'd highly recommend servicing the car to within an inch of it's life - full engine flush, oil & filter change, maybe look to add Liqui Moly Ceratec as it does quieten and smoothen out the engine; exactly what it's designed to do. Diff fluid change, ZF8 service ASAP (unless it's already been done) and if it's not on RFTs already; then keep it that way, the ride is so much better without them (just have a decent tyre repair/inflator kit in the car at all times)
Looking forward to seeing how this progresses; bookmarked!
It is a lovely colour and really suits the car. Your E63 looks excellent too. I'm yet to wash it myself but there are a few little blemishes that will certainly polish out easily enough. Nothing wild and I suspect any marks will come off with a hand polish. I'd highly recommend servicing the car to within an inch of it's life - full engine flush, oil & filter change, maybe look to add Liqui Moly Ceratec as it does quieten and smoothen out the engine; exactly what it's designed to do. Diff fluid change, ZF8 service ASAP (unless it's already been done) and if it's not on RFTs already; then keep it that way, the ride is so much better without them (just have a decent tyre repair/inflator kit in the car at all times)
Looking forward to seeing how this progresses; bookmarked!
I have a Stratus Grey E64 but have a massive soft spot for the coupes though.
Will definitely be on the servicing. It was serviced a couple of months ago so about 1,500 miles ago. I'll be aiming to service every 8-9k miles. I need to double check the history to see if the gearbox was serviced.
I've already given my E63 a full decontamination and then polish with the DA; hard cut and then cut & finish. Took me a whole day and it absolutely knackered me out haha
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