BMW's brand new four-door combines coupé styling with the passenger practicality of a saloon. The 6 Series Gran Coupé is set to rival the Mercedes CLS and Audi A7.
What is the 6 Series Gran Coupé?
Essentially, the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupé is an elongated version of the 6 Series coupé with two extra doors. It fills the (admittedly small) niche between the regular 6 Series and the 7 Series luxury saloon.
The Gran Coupé's added 113mm in length compared to the two-door coupé makes it over five metres long. It will be on display at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.
Why should I buy a Gran Coupé?
If the regular 6 Series isn't practical enough and the 7 Series looks too staid, this could be the car for you.
It offers more room for rear passengers – even though the basic boot space remains identical to the standard 6 Series (460 litres, rising to 1,265 litres with the rear seats folded). It also features a fifth jump seat between the rear bucket seats; this ability to carry an extra passenger is something that BMW hopes will help it steal sales from the four-seat-only Mercedes CLS.
The rest of the interior is suitably sumptuous, while standard equipment is certainly comprehensive. The kit list includes stop-start, 18-inch alloy wheels, Bluetooth, USB connectivity, xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, rear park assist, and adaptive cruise control with collision warning and speed limit information.
Which engines will the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupé use?
The new Gran Coupé will be offered with a choice of three engines: two petrol and one diesel. All feature BMW’s EfficientDynamics technology.
The Gran Coupé 640i is powered by BMW’s familiar 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder petrol engine producing 315bhp, while a 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 powers 650i variants. With 443bhp, this will propel the Gran Coupé from 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds.
It’s the 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbodiesel engine in the 640d that promises to impress the most, though, thanks to its strong combination of performance and efficiency. The 308bhp 640d should reach 62mph from rest in 5.4 seconds.
BMW claims the Gran Coupé 640d will return 50.4mpg, combined with CO2 emissions of 149g/km, meaning £130 a year in annual car tax (VED) and a maximum touring range of 800 miles.
When can I buy the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupé?
A basic list price of more than £60,000 means the Gran Coupé is significantly more expensive than the entry-level Audi A7 or Mercedes-Benz CLS, which cost £39,995 and £46,360 respectively.
So if you’re simply after coupé style with added practicality there are certainly more affordable alternatives. However, if your pockets are deep enough, the Gran Coupé will go on sale in June 2012.
See all the cars from the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.
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