2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe

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PRICE : For 2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe $115,000

BMW has recently revealed its 2014 version of the M6 Gran Coupe. Complete with loads of power, innovative design, and outstanding functionality, this four door sedan is sure to be a top pick for car buyers in 2014.

The M6 Gran Coupe is installed with the same twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 engine as BMW’s other big M cars. 560 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque routs power to the rear wheels through BMW’s 7-speed twin-clutch transmission. According to BMW, the Gran Coupe will make it from 0-to-62-mph in roughly 4.1 seconds; the same as the standard M6 coupe. However, while low 0-60 times are great, standard 15.7-inch front brake rotors and 15.6-inch rear rotors bring the M6 down from high speeds smoothly while its tightly improved chassis maximizes handling precision. Electronically controlled Active M Differential, adaptive suspension, and unique aluminum suspension components are also fitted to the M6 Gran Coupe.

This 4-Door Sedan seats 5 passengers comfortably, which immediately increases practicality.  Inside the cabin, the M6 Gran Coupe’s interior consists of merino leather upholstery, lavish carbon-fiber trim, power sports seats with bolsters, and the M-specific steering wheel with shift paddles. The M6 Gran coupe also features BMW with the iDrive system that includes a 10.2-inch display with Park Distance Control, rear-view camera, Speed Limit Info, Lane Change and Departure Warning, Surround View and BMW Night Vision. To see these and other innovative BMW technologies, visit Phoenix BMW.

The Gran Coupe’s exterior receives standard M add-ons such as larger front air inlets, quad-tip dual exhaust and an unpainted carbon fiber roof panel with exposed carbon fiber structure. The roof’s inside is covered with Alacantara (simulated suede).  Other enhancements include door sills with M6 lettering, M lightweight sport seats with M logos, an M6-specific instrument cluster and carbon fiber trim.

If safety is your concern, the 2014 BMW Gran Coupe will not disappoint.  It is equipped with a Dynamic Stability Control and anti-lock braking system offering three driving settings: On, M Dynamic Mode (MDM), and DSC Off. The system also includes Cornering Brake Control, Dynamic Brake Control, Brake Assistant, Brake Fade Compensation, Brake Drying, and Start-Off Assistant technologies.

According to BMW, the 2014 BMW Gran Coupe is expected to start selling in the early summer of 2013. In the meantime, check out Chapman BMW for the latest updates.

EXTERIOR

First off, as a simple aesthetic comment, the M aero exterior bits and pieces have added much appeal to the stock 5 and 6 Series lineups, as has always been the case in this mid-to-large part of the BMW product portfolio. The story remains the same here for the M6 Gran Coupe, but we still do not love the front-end look of the design even in M trim. The kidney grille employed here seems weirdly out of style with the aggressive chin intakes, and the new 6 Series' recessed headlight units have never done the trick for us design-wise.

The rest of the car looks the business to a tee, and the new standard five double-spoke M 433 20-inch wheels are sweet units. The last good-looking functional bits on the M6 Gran Coupe are the lightweight carbon fiber reinforced plastic rear diffuser and aero roof, the first sighting of this latter component since the E92 M3 coupe in 2008. This roof trims some 50 pounds off that part of the car versus the standard car's sunroof-injected metal top – always good for lowering a car's center of gravitas.

INTERIOR

BMW has been accused of offering interiors that, while high in quality, lack style. That's not the case with the M6 Gran Coupe. BMW designers have taken some risks in their choice of interior trims, with unique accents such as white ash wood, 2-tone leather on the dash, carbon-fiber trim, and a leather and Alcantara headliner. This car is stylish inside and out.

The front seats offer numerous adjustments, and more range of motion in those adjustments than just about any other vehicle, so any driver should find the perfect seating position. The front seats have lots of head- and legroom, and the rear seat is surprisingly roomy given the coupelike roofline. BMW calls it 2-plus-1 seating, but it's really meant for two. A pair of 6-footers should fit back there provided nobody up front is too tall. Both head- and legroom will be limited for anyone taller. The rear seats fold down to expand the carrying capacity of a fairly large 16-cubic-foot trunk.

BMW's iDrive interface is standard. It controls the navigation, communications and entertainment functions through a 10.2-inch screen on the dash and a rotary knob on the center console. iDrive eliminates the need for many buttons, although it has eight programmable buttons that can be used for more than just radio presets; they can also be used to store such commonly used functions as navigation addresses and phone numbers. BMW also provides a 12-gigabyte hard drive that can hold thousands of songs. While iDrive has received a lot of negative press over the years, we are used to it and find it fairly easy to use. Still, new buyers will experience a learning curve, and it complicates some functions no matter how familiar you are with it.

TWIN TURBO V8

There’s a reason a buyer is going for the M model: speed and power. BMW has long offered a speedy sedan -- the M5. The M6 directly competes with it, sharing the same 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 with 502 pound-feet of torque.

The engine makes fine sounds when properly abused, and the car feels more like a hot rod than luxury sedan. My car had a splendid six-speed manual attached. How nice it is to use a clutch! Otherwise a seven-speed double-clutch automated manual is standard.

My test car also had carbon-ceramic brakes, an unnecessary $9,250 upcharge unless you’re taking it to the racetrack (which you wouldn’t). Like every 6 Series I’ve driven, the Gran Coupe is uncomfortable on very narrow roads, owing to its size and the inability to see the side fenders from the driver’s seat. Also, given the sport suspension and big tires, the ride is punishing over rough pavement.

The car’s speed and power may be the least interesting things about it. I couldn’t stop thinking about the exterior, so I stopped in a bank parking lot to take another look.

TRANSMISSION

Saints be praised, the answer is “yes” and “yes.” The double positive is because the M6 Gran Coupe is available with two transmissions, both of which are manual in a meaningful sense of the word.

First of all, you can optionally get a three pedal, six-speed, move-the-lever-through-an-H-pattern gearbox. BMW deserves some kudos for continuing to supply the US with 20th century technology. They won’t sell many of these, and honestly a conventional manual in a car like this doesn’t fit the target market. Europe has rejected manuals, too, so it isn’t like BMW can just ship over here what everyone is buying over there. Nope, BMW just stubbornly caters to a niche within a niche. Well done.

But wait, there’s more. The standard transmission is a seven-speed, double clutch (DCT) affair, which can be paddle-shifted, console-shifted, or automatically shifted. Because a DCT uses clutches and not a torque converter, it gives a car like the M6 Gran Coupe a responsiveness to throttle inputs that is often missing on cars with conventional automatic (planetary torque converter) systems.

We drove the M6 Gran Coupe with both transmissions and can recommend either one. As we’ve noted before, the BMW six-speed shift mechanism isn’t the tightest, most pleasurable oar you’ll ever row, but it works. What surprised us was that on the plain 6 Series we thought the manual was so out of character that it made the car less enjoyable than the autobox. But on the M6 Gran Coupe, we loved the full manual experience and thought it added perceptibly to our sense of involvement. On the track we’re pretty sure we were slower with the manual, but it felt faster. And the M6 has enough power and torque so that the manual doesn’t simply make the car problematically unsmooth.

That said, the DCT works well, with quick, smooth shifting that is pleasurably responsive. As we always say, the smoothness of modern DCTs is their strength and their Achilles heel. You cannot have your cake and eat it too, unfortunately. Of course, for some, the DCT is there because it is acceptably responsive and it can be put in full auto mode for drivers and conditions that demand it.

SPECIFICATION

Our test car was fitted with options worth more than 40,000 Euro (in The Netherlands). The matte paint, ceramic brakes, B&O sound system and the Individual Full Leather Upholstery were the most expensive options. But also the most personal choices.

If we could spec the BMW M6 Gran Coupé it would probably be fitted with those options. The exterior and interior combinations are a stunning match. These options in combination with the Alcantara headliner is one of the most perfect combination you can think of.

SAFETY

All M6 Gran Coupe models come standard with dual front, side, side curtain and knee airbags in addition to active head restraints and traction and stability control systems.

Also included is Active Protection, which tightens the seatbelts and closes the windows and sunroof if it detects an imminent crash. Afterwards, it automatically applies the brakes to reduce the likelihood of a second collision.

For longer journeys, an Attention Assistant feature evaluates the driver's control inputs and issues an encouragement to rest if it detects signs of fatigue.

DRIVETRAIN

For a car that weighs almost two tonnes, the M6 Gran Coupe handles brilliantly. Variable dampers come as standard and provide a comfortable ride, even in the firmest Sport+ mode. The M6 also comes with an Active 'M' differential that shuffles torque across the rear axle to the wheel with the most grip, which ensures that the M6 Gran Coupe has loads of grip even on wet roads. The 4.4-litre V8 engine produces 552bhp and is turbocharged for a massive 680Nm of torque. As a result, it feels savagely quick. The responsive seven-speed gearbox manages the power well, but if anything the M6 is too capable. It tackles roads so well that the performance is barely accessible at legal speeds and, although its quiet and comfortable ride make it an excellent grand tourer, the muted soundtrack means it's nowhere near as exciting to drive as the cheaper Mercedes CLS 63 AMG.

ACCELERATION

So we'll hand it to BMW in that its designers are certainly trying hard with all of the good bits and pieces available to them for creating this very expensive, 4,430-pound sport sedan. (Sorry, coupe. Our bad.) But the M6 Gran Coupe is really meant to be an exquisite autobahn bomber dictated by the marketing department more than by anyone else. And, frankly, this launch event reflected that feeling to perfection. We were given half of one day in Munich to adequately test the car and learn about it, the other half of the day being given to the midlife Z4 roadster... a car which is already on sale and barely worthy of a thorough individual road test review, at least not in comparison to the perceived importance of the M6 Gran Coupe that has been impressed upon us by BMW.

We don't want to let that oddness color our first impression, because the M6 Gran Coupe is a great enough piece of work on its own and will bring joy and light to its exclusive club of owners. The drivetrain is pulled straight from the M5 and M6 (or X5 M and X6 M), so there was expectedly little surprise this way. We've loved the motor in those other M vehicles and we love it here. It's always impressive how light these two-ton-plus luxo-liners can feel on the longer stretches of high-speed autobahn when all 553 horses and 502 pound-feet of twin-scroll turbocharged torque go to quick work via the seven-speed M-specific automated dual-clutch gearbox. As always, too, acceleration to 60 miles per hour is underestimated at 4.1 seconds. And when you let the M6 Gran Coupe out to the 190-mph zone (with the M Driver's Package included, of course), it's once again a surreal experience as the little kilometers just fall like dominoes.

BRAKE

The standard high-performance braking system of the new BMW M6 Gran Coupe guarantees outstanding stopping power matching the overall performance of the car. The well-known BMW M compound rotors have been further improved for the new M5 and M6 family. These rotors thermally separate the central hub (constructed of aluminum) and the vented / cross drilled cast iron rotor discs. As a result, the rotors are free to expand and contract without warping. The diameter of the brake rotors is 15.7 inches (400 mm) at the front and 15.6 inches (396 mm) at the rear. The six-piston fixed calipers are radially bolted to the pivot bearing and are painted blue metallic complete with the M logo. Together, the M brake system has been tested to provide exceptional performance and modulation, fade resistance, and pedal feel. 

The new BMW M5 and M6 family will be the first cars in the history of BMW M to be offered with optional M Carbon-Ceramic brakes, which become available with Spring 2013 production. These new brakes are without parallel and take the cars’ stopping power to a new level – especially on the race track. The brake rotors measure 16.1 inches (410 mm) in diameter at the front and 15.6 inches (396 mm) at the rear. Made from a carbon-fiber ceramic composite, the rotors boast even greater resistance to heat combined with significantly reduced rotating masses. The M Carbon-Ceramic brakes are 42.8 lb (19.4 kg) lighter than the standard brakes, yet the innovative material also displays exceptional resistance to wear, and the operating life of the rotors is several times that of conventional equivalents. The optional M Carbon-Ceramic system also sees six-piston fixed radial calipers at the front teamed with single-piston floating calipers at the rear. The M Carbon-Ceramic system can be easily identified through the wheels by the special gold-colored calipers. 

The M6 Gran Coupe features a unique wheel and tire combination with 20-inch M6 Gran Coupe-specific double-spoke forged light alloy wheels fitted with giant ultra-high performance summer tires, front and rear. 

CHASSIS

Each component in the suspension and chassis of the new M6 Gran Coupe has been developed based on the extensive race expertise of BMW M engineers. The aluminum-intensive integral rear axle subframe in the M6 Gran Coupe is rigidly bolted to the body to maximize body rigidity and handling precision. Reinforced chassis mountings at the front and rear axles ensure that dynamic forces are passed through to the body structure. Specially tuned axle kinematics and newly developed forged aluminum suspension components boasting high strength and low weight meet the requirements of everyday driving and the specialized demands of track use. The result is that the BMW M6 Gran Coupe continues the BMW M tradition of engineering a chassis that is “faster than the engine”. As with every BMW M car, the engineers carried out the fine-tuning during extensive testing on the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit.

M Dynamic Damper Control (DDC) electronically controlled shock absorbers are standard on the new BMW M6 Gran Coupe. DDC uses electro-hydraulic damping force adjustment to provide a set-up suited to the driving situation and the wishes of the driver. The shock absorber settings can be adjusted at the touch of a button. In default Comfort mode, the dampers respond adaptively to the condition of the road surface and the driver’s style. Sport mode activates a noticeably stiffer damper set-up, while Sport Plus allows further stiffening of the suspension to achieve maximum longitudinal and lateral acceleration in ultra-dynamic driving situations. 

At the touch of a button, the driver can also select from three settings for the M-specific Servotronic speed-sensitive hydraulic power steering. The default Comfort mode keeps steering forces reasonable when parking or maneuvering, but still provides the M brand’s hallmark direction-changing precision at higher speeds. Sport ensures the driver enjoys more intense feedback across all speed ranges. Sports Plus is the lowest level of steering boost that can be selected.

The new BMW M6 Gran Coupe also uses BMW’s most advanced Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) that includes Cornering Brake Control (CBC), Dynamic Brake Control (DBC), Brake Assistant, Brake Fade Compensation function, a Brake Drying function and Start-off Assistant. The DSC system has three levels of operation. The default is “On” which provides the greatest level of stability and traction control. M Dynamic Mode (MDM) can be activated to override the default setting by pressing the DSC button on the center console. This mode allows for very spirited driving – as on a race track – while still providing a safety net, by raising the intervention thresholds of DSC. “DSC Off” mode can also be activated with a long-push of the DSC button for complete deactivation of the system. 

ENGINE

Under the hood, BMW installed a 4,395 cc (4.4-liter) V-8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology that delivers a total of 560 horsepower between 6,000 and 7,000 rpm and a peak torque of 502 pound-feet between 1,500 and 5,750 rpm. This powerhouse of an engine sprints the car from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds. The M6 Gran Coupe boasts a top speed of 155 mph (electronically limited). With the addition of the optional M Driver Package, the M6 Gran Coupe’s top speed jumps up to 189 mph.

The engine is mates to a seven-speed M Double Clutch Transmission with a Drivelogic electronic management system that ensures the right gear is selected for optimum traction.

This engine-transmission combination nets the M6 Gran Coupe a combined fuel consumption rating of 9.9 liters per 100 km on the EU test cycle. That equates out to a 28.5 mpg in the U.S. Keep in mind, however, that the EPA’s testing process is more strenuous, so the fuel economy will likely fall to the 16 mpg range, like the M6 Coupe. In terms of emissions, the M6 Gran Coupe puts out a respectable-for-a-performance-sedan 232 g/km of CO2.

PERFORMANCE

Under the hood, this car has V8 engine power with M twin-power turbo technology is included. It is 560 hp which can reach a sprint test from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds. Another feature they are such as high precision direct petrol injection, VALVETRONIC variable valve timing and double-vanos continuously variable camshaft control. Moreover, 2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe has 4,395 cc unit that will keep 502 pound feet of torque between 1,500 and 5,750 rpm. It would be developed maximum output between 6,000 to 7,000 rpm.

About fuel consumption, it is EU test on 2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe stands at 9.9 liters / 100 km and will produce 232 g of CO2 emission per km. Furthermore, there is power transfer seven-speed M Double Clutch Transmission with Drivelogic. It is electronic transmission system for optimizing traction. There is also Launch Control function for driver to maximize acceleration and also Low Speed Assistance for an extra comfort and Auto Start/Stop function to enhance efficiency.

VIDEO (DRIVING & FEATURES)

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By : Automotive News & Super Modified Sports Cars