BMW M6 Gran Coupe tested in SIC
In what’s sadly becoming an annual affair, the ongoing haze crisis is said to be the worst that the country has experienced in the past 16 years. The worst is hopefully behind us, but as the jungles burned in Indonesia, tyres were similarly being smoked in Sepang as a fleet of cars from BMW’s M division, specially shipped in from Europe, were blitzing the Sepang International Circuit for seven continuous days in the recently-concluded BMW M Track Experience 2013.
Held for the first time in Sepang last year, the M Track Experience returns to the SIC this year with guests from various countries flown in by BMW to try out the company’s range of M vehicles in a series of different exercises around the track. The seventh and final day of the event was reserved for journalists, and I found myself in the company of fellow motoring writers from countries Australia, Indonesia, and Singapore among other nationalities.
There were a total of five different activity groups arranged for the day enabling guests to in turn sample various products of the M division, namely the M3, M5, M6, and X6 M. For the purpose of today’s story, our attention will be focused on the BMW M6 Gran Coupe, which was officially launched in Malaysia just a day earlier.
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| Dead on front view is almost identical to the M6 Coupe. |
Price & Equipment
BMW gives you back change of RM200 from a million ringgit for the privilege of owning the M6 Gran Coupe in Peninsula Malaysia for private registration, but depending on your available NCD, you will need to set aside an additional RM26,000 to have it insured. Due to significantly lower road taxes, East Malaysians actually pay less to have the M6 Gran Coupe on the road, at RM997,409.80 before insurance. (Road tax (4,395cc): Peninsula Malaysia – RM8,407.50, Sabah – RM2,907.25, Sarawak – RM2,957.25)
Befitting its price tag, the M6 Gran Coupe comes with an appropriately lengthy kit count that includes items such as Adaptive LED headlamps, carbon fibre roof, and a comprehensive array of BMW ConnectedDrive features that include the latest Professional Navigation system and surround audio from Bang & Olufsen. The standard double-spoke M Light-alloy wheels measure 20 inches across, but they are in fact the smallest rims that will fit should you spec your M6 up with the optional carbon ceramic disc brakes for an extra RM75,000.
For the discerning buyers who find the ‘standard’ M6 Gran Coupe insufficiently exclusive or personalized for their liking, BMW will happily entertain requests to have the vehicles fitted with BMW Individual enhancements such as a unique paintwork with multi-coloured pigments, fine-grain Merino leather, or leather-Alcantara headliner available in a wide range of colours.
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Specifications
Because BMW builds the 5 and 6 Series on the same platform, the M6 Gran Coupe shares quite a bit of hardware with the M5. Their wheelbases are in fact the same, and so are the engine, transmission, brakes, and suspension. Only subtle settings differentiate the two cars; BMW’s aim was to position the Gran Coupe in the middle ground between the more ‘comfortable’ M5 sedan and the harder-edged M6 Coupe.
As we know from previous experience, the M5 is a highly-sophisticated machine, and the M6 Gran Coupe is thus no different. It won’t be an exaggeration to think of these cars as very fast (in the physical sense) supercomputers, simply because they are. The S63 dual twin-scroll turbo V8 engine, for example, requires two interconnecting ECUs to operate. The cylinder banks are aligned at right angles to each other, with both exhaust sides facing the inside of the ‘V’, where the two blowers are conveniently mounted.
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| 7-speed M-DCT transmission is sourced from Getrag. Gearbox is rated for 680Nm of torque. |
The engine’s outputs of 560hp and 680Nm are then sent astern by the Getrag-sourced 7-speed M Dual Clutch Transmission. At the rear, the Active M Differential, which is an electronically-operated multi-disc LSD, is able to instantaneously redistribute torque between the left and right driven wheels to facilitate optimum cornering traction. If needed, the differential can go as far as concentrating all power at one wheel if it senses zero grip at the other.
Like with the M5, the M6 carries many M-specific enhancements to its chassis that cannot be found in the garden variety 6 Series. Steering assist is hydraulic rather than electric, and we’ve been told that in addition to being able to give more feel, a hydraulic rack at this point remains more robust than the electric alternative, allowing it to handle greater cornering forces. BMW engineers nevertheless admit that the time will eventually come where we see M cars finally forced to adopt electric steering, but we have been assured this not happen before BMW M’s demanding steering parameters can be met.
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| Electronic Active M Differential regulates power distribution between left and right driven wheels. |
Design
While we might credit Mercedes-Benz for pioneering the idea of a four-door coupe, the 6 Series Gran Coupe in general has a very legitimate claim as the better-looking alternative. The overall proportions are spot on and the understated styling cues mean that, looks-wise, this is car that is likely to age very well. The design team’s restraint from overindulging themselves with flamboyant lines have produced a car that appears convincingly elegant and luxurious.
Aesthetically, a BMW M car should sport only very subtle enhancements their standard counterparts, although that notion is less true today than it was during the days of the E28 or E34 M5s. Still, the differences are obvious only to the enthusiasts, and there are people out there who can’t tell an M5 from a 520d. The usual M design traits, such as the front fascia with gaping air intakes and no fog lights, flared wheel arches, front fender side sills, and the intricate rear diffuser elements with quad tail pipes visually differentiate the M6 from a 640i.
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| BMW took a while to come up with their own 4-door coupe, but they certainly nailed it spot on. |
Driving Experience
Out of five driving exercises lined-up at the SIC yesterday, two were focused on the M6 Gran Coupe. My driving group was slotted into the skid pad exercise first, and what followed was a rather illustrative demonstration of electronic driver aids. In our first run with traction control fully switched on, the M6 obediently held its cornering line on the heavily watered surface despite having its throttle pinned to the floor. Unlike typical traction control systems that cut power and leave you stranded at the apex, the M6 keeps a healthy amount of thrust flowing through the axles, allowing you to maintain acceleration coming out of the bend. Clinical doesn’t begin to describe its effectiveness, it’s unnatural.
Repeating the exercise with the electronics dialed to the sportier M Dynamic mode and later switched fully off produced significantly more dramatic results as the M6 allowed more leeway to its 560 horses and let its tail significantly looser. Not exactly a drifting expert, I ended up spinning the M6 on more than one occasion, and it wasn’t till the end of the exercise that I was finally able to catch the slide correctly, and that too in M Dynamic mode only with partial electronic assistance.
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| In repeated laps around the north loop of Sepang, the M6 Gran Coupe behaved immaculately. |
The apparently unruly behaviour exhibited by the M6 when the electronics were toned down was in fact largely due to the slippery surface on which the exercise was conducted. When we subsequently went on track circling the SIC’s northern loop, I found myself behind the helm of a very clinical and composed machine that behaved immaculately around corners. The majority of my runs were performed with the electronics set in M Dynamic mode, and the M6 was simply gobbling up lap after lap with devastating effectiveness.
Like the M5, BMW has evidently tuned the M6 to very high dynamic limits, and it takes very deliberate effort and intent to provoke unruly behaviours out of it. Be warned, however, high limits usually come at the cost of progressiveness; when machines as heavy and as powerful as an M6 Gran Coupe are finally pushed past their limits, there is very little warning. Nevertheless, drivers who delight in making smooth throttle inputs will find the M6 to be a very civilized yet devastatingly quick machine.
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