SOME OF US, it seems, are managing to cope with austerity better that others. Like the 100-odd people who bought cars such as the Audi A7 or Mercedes CLS in the first four months of the year. These are not, after all, cars designed for motoring in the practical sense. The emphasis here is on sportiness, coupe appeal and prestige. And they are not cheap.
So, when one wonders about how a car like the new BMW 6-Series Gran Coupe has any realistic chance of making an impression on the current Irish market, it seems reasonable to expect that the handful that do make it onto the road will not reflect a lack of desirability, merely an issue with a price tag of just under €98,000 for the “entry” level model – substantially above the price of an A7 or a CLS.
BMW has taken a long time to deliver on its four-door coupe – Mercedes brought the concept into production several years ago – and one suspects that costs were a big factor in the delay. But now that it has launched the Gran Coupe, it has done so with huge appeal.
It is the first car BMW has ever built entirely through computer design, without producing any prototype. This does not mean, however, that the car lacks an instant rooting in BMW’s design DNA.
The middle and rear pillars and the neat window design are all strongly redolent of BMW’s of the past, while the stretching of the car and its flanks are all design features that have gone from strength to strength in recent years.
The result is very impressive, indeed, and the car has a very different appeal than a 5-Series, for example. The Mercedes CLS may have been the must have in its day, but it has suddenly lost a lot of its gloss.
The term gran coupe is grand in itself, but the new 6 version is the kind of car that could make a 5-Series driver suddenly realise that there is more to life than the standard executive saloon. It is really elegantly proportioned, and the coupe requirement for a sloping roofline has been sensitively and practically executed.
However, it looks roomer in the rear than it is. Certainly you can have two passengers in the back, but an Aston Martin Vantage will be a more comfortable experience for them. However it compares well with both the Audi and the Mercedes, with an edge on legroom.
Your engine choice is either a fairly massive 4-litre diesel or petrol option. Both are six cylinder units. If either is going to make any degree of sense in an Irish context, then it is obviously the diesel, producing 313 bhp (the petrol has 330 bhp and the M Sport version 450bhp).
For a car of its size and weight, the proportionality of power delivery is superb. Even the diesel will get you up to 100km/h in a time that would almost match the most sophisticated performance cars (5.4 seconds) but that is not where it ends.
The suspension is so well set up that the car has a precision you simply don’t find in other cars of this size and weight. There is a near total absence of wallowing when the car is pushed, and there is certainly no feeling that the normal benefits of a coupe design have been compromised by the extra length.
The eight-speed gearbox is really well matched and gives a smooth and precise reaction instantly. There is some merit in the criticism, however, that by tuning its systems so well that some of the driving pleasure is reduced. Active steering, for example, reduces both feedback and feel.
The interior has been cleverly designed to resemble a cockpit in a way that the 5-Series, for example, is not.
Everything is practical, ergonomic, well-lit and well, interesting, rather than just functional. Even with the seats fully extended back, your rear seat passengers still heve reasonable comfort.
Your standard features include Xenon headlights, dual-zone climate control, leather upholstery, memory seats. A Bang and Olufsen surround stereo system will cost extra.
Of course, with BMW you can practically build the car to your own design, but I did draw the line at the white and tan contrasted leather on the launch version. It was matched with a new paint compound that looked like rhino hide from a distance but was actually quite soft. Well, this car is destined for the American market after all.
So, does one need the proverbial fuel tanker behind one in the gran coupe? Well, BMW argues that you can get consumption as low as 5.5 litres per 100 kilometres, but this obviously depends on more or less perfect conditions. Still, actual figures were not an outrageous or unreasonable 8.5 or so.
While the car may never be seen in big numbers in Ireland, it is a model that will be an important image builder for BMW. It turns heads because it is a truly elegant car. And it is a treat to drive, especially in the age of austerity. Escapism comes at a big price, though.
Factfile
PRICES: €97,110 for the diesel version and up to €131,520 for the M-Sport petrol version.
EMISSIONS ( MOTOR TAX): 148 g/km (€330) for 640d
POWER: 313 bhp for 640d, 330bhp for 640i petrol and up to 450 bhp for the M-Sport.
FUEL CONSUMPTION:A claimed mixed cycle figure of 5.6 l/100km (50.4mpg) for the 640d on 17 wheels; 7.8l/100km (36.2mpg) for the 640i petrol.
COMPETITORS: Aston Martin Vantage. The Mercedes CLS and the Audi A7 may have been the originals of the luxury coupe concept, but the 6-Series Gran Coupe is in a different league.