30 March,2014 10:36 AM IST | | Amit Chhangani
The stupendously fast and spacious BMW M6 Gran Coupe is all set for its India debut in April. Here’s why this car is a rare gem
BMW M6 Gran Coupe
BMW's M division, responsible for dishing out cars with blinding speed and baffling handling characteristics, is all set to introduce another product to the Indian market.
The next big launch from the M division, the M6 Gran Coupe is primed for an India launch in the first week of April. Essentially a go (much) faster version of the extraordinary 6-series Gran Coupe, the M6 Gran Coupe fuses the sensational design and practicality of the Gran Coupe with blistering M performance.
The small steering wheel and the driver- oriented centre console underline the focus on driver. Steering, suspension and transmission can be customised completely with buttons to suit a specific driving style
Look and feel
With the basic 6 series Gran Coupe being already available in India, the M6 Gran Coupe, upon its arrival will have to look different enough to get the news about its superior power and higher price tag heard loud and clear. The M6 version, thus, carries enough distinction over the basic Gran Coupe.
This 4.4 litre bi-turbo power monger dishes out 560bhp of power and 680Nm of torque making the M6 Gran Coupe almost a supercar in terms of performance
While some of the design distinctions over the already sensational looking 6 Gran Coupe are influenced by technical considerations, some other details are meant purely for visual differentiation. To start with, the M6 Gran Coupe features larger air intakes for better cooling of the more powerful engine. Adaptive LED headlights come as a standard feature, and signature BMW kidney grille is specially designed for this specific model, with each part of the grill holding six vertically positioned pairs of chrome strips.
This 4.4 litre bi-turbo power monger dishes out 560bhp of power and 680Nm of torque making the M6 Gran Coupe almost a supercar in terms of performance
In profile, the design of the 20-inch wheels is different from the vanilla 6 series Gran Coupe. If you look from a height, the roof is made of a special carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) material.
In addition, more flared wheel arches, pronounced M gills behind the front fender and aerodynamically optimised exterior mirrors create further distinction for the M car. At the rear, a quad exhaust along with an air-flow optimising diffuser, made of CFRP, makes the M6 Gran Coupe easily distinguishable from the normal car. If any doubt still remains, it will be allayed by the throaty exhaust note.
Performance
The engine powering the supercar matching performance of the M6 Gran Coupe is a 4.4-litre V8 motor with M TwinPower Turbo technology. Output figures stand at an impressive 560 bhp of power and 680 Nm of torque. With that sort of power and torque, the M6 Gran Coupe is capable of doing a 0-100km/h sprint in 4.2 seconds flat. Top speed is limited to 250 km/h, but can be taken all the way up to 305 km/h with the optional M Driver's pack.
An ultra fast and responsive seven-speed M Double Clutch automatic transmission takes care of the transmission duties. The advanced electronics of the transmission ensure that the right gear is always selected for optimum traction. There's also a Launch Control function for maximum acceleration from a standstill. A Low Speed Assistance feature for city use and Auto Start-Stop function complete the transmission package.
Why we love it
The advanced Active M Differential at the rear axle distributes the engine's power between individual wheels to facilitate maximum grip. In addition, the limited-slip differential, along with DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) is capable of splitting drive between rear right and left rear wheels quickly and precisely to endow the M6 Gran Coupe its impeccable handling.
The M6 Gran Coupe, with its four door body and reasonably good space at the backseat, is meant for those who require a devilishly fast machine without compromising much on space and comfort. Headroom for the passengers and ground clearance is a bit of an issue, but cars with this degree of performance hardly ever come without some compromises on practicality. Loaded to the rafters with advanced technology, convenience features and mind numbing performance, the M6 Gran Coupe will decidedly be the definitive four door performance coupe upon its arrival next week.
