BMW 640i Gran Coupe Review

By: Peter Mckay

Date: 05.11.2012

BMW 640i Gran Coupe

Driven: BMW 640i Gran Coupe. Peter McKay takes a niche German for a spin.

BMW 640i Gran Coupe

How many more niche cars can BMW produce? Plenty, apparently. Here's the latest.

The new 6 Series Gran Coupe is the third model in the 6 Series range (after the two-door Coupe and Convertible launched last year) and the first four-door coupe in BMW's history. Despite the order in which the three 6 Series models have hit the market, BMW says the Gran Coupe was the basis of the other two. Whatever.

The Gran Coupe is certainly a sleek and elegant looker - it is a mere 23mm taller than the coupe. It's also 113mm longer, all of which was inserted into the wheelbase.

The outcome is a car with the sporty aesthetic of a coupe but offering the added practicality and functionality of a four-door sedan. Okay, the rear compartment is not spacious but it will take three adults with a little knee squeezing.

A V8 650i model will arrive here in September but for now the sole engine is BMW's energetic 3.0-litre turbocharged straight six belting out 235kW of power at 5800-6000rpm with peak torque of 450Nm on tap between 1300-4500rpm.

The 640i, as it is badged, can accelerate from rest to 100km/h in 5.4sec, yet a more leisurely approach will return a splendid average fuel consumption of 7.9L/100km.

This thriftiness is due to the efficiency of the engine in tandem with driver aids like ECO PRO Mode (which cuts fuel use by up to 20 percent by adjusting electrically operated functions to their most efficient behaviour), start-stop, brake energy regeneration, excellent electromechanical steering and a disengageable air-con compressor.

On the road, the Gran Coupe can cruise smoothly and quietly or hustle along with commendable poise with the ride managing to be both sporty yet compliant. Run-flat tyres (19-inch in this case), are in their third generation and much improved. The eight-speed auto reacts swiftly to the throttle for overtaking or punching out of tight corners, or gears can be selected manually by paddles behind the wheel.

Drivers can change the nature of the car at the touch of a button, choosing between Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and the previously mentioned Eco Pro modes. These change throttle response, stability control settings, gearshift characteristics and steering weight.

The Gran Coupe comes equipped with every feature you'd expect in a luxury GT car - reversing camera, cruise, four-zone climate, head-up display, Dakota leather trim, adaptive LED headlights, premium sound system, Bluetooth, and a whole lot more including internet functionality.

Also available are M Sports Packages and the BMW Individual range of products allowing serious personalising of the car (a matt frozen bronze paint colour, anyone?) The 640i is priced from $184,800.

SPECIFICATIONS