2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe - Gran Couture

A swoopier take on the BMW M5

Latest M5 not stylish enough for you? Try the M6 Gran Coupe.

That’s the message BMW’s M division is sending out with its latest model, the third in what is now an extended range of dedicated M6 models. It follows the second-generation coupe and first-gen convertible, both launched last year.

The mechanical recipe is familiar: The M6 Gran Coupe receives the same twin-turbo-charged 4.4-liter V8 and seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox first unveiled in the fifth-generation M5 back in 2011 and subsequently fitted to other M6 models. Output is up 115 hp and 22 lb-ft over the 650i’s twin-turbo 4.4-liter (to 560 hp and 502 lb-ft), the fastest of the standard 6-series Gran Coupe models on sale in North American.

There’s little separating the M6 Gran Coupe and the fifth-generation M5

There’s little separating the M6 Gran Coupe and the fifth-generation M5. Both the M6 Gran Coupe and the M5 feature a four-door aluminum, composite and steel body, although the former is marginally longer and wider – and significantly lower.

While the M6 Gran Coupe boasts just four seats, the M5 gets a five-seat layout as standard. Trunk space is 16.2 cubic feet and 19.8 cubic feet, respectively, making the M5 the more utilitarian choice. In terms of style, we give the nod to the quasi-coupe, but one thing’s for sure, BMW can’t be accused of starving potential customers for choice.

BMW M design boss Ulf Weidhase developed some traditional exterior styling cues to distinguish the M6 Gran Coupe from standard 6-series Gran Coupes.

The M6 Gran Coupe is based around a high-strength-steel platform boasting the same 116.7-inch wheelbase as the M5

Included are a much deeper front bumper with sizeable cooling ducts for the engine bay and front brakes, altered kidney grille with twinned vertical slats and M6 identification, adaptive headlamps, widened front wheel arches, a chrome indicator lamp surround within the front wings, deeper sills underneath the four doors, aerodynamically optimized mirror housings and a carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic roof panel.

At the rear, there is further M6 identification on the trunk lid, a uniquely profiled bumper housing a carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic diffuser element shaped to draw hot air away from the rear differential and a quarter of tailpipes. Wheels are 20 inches in diameter, 9.5 inches wide up front and 10.5 inches rear. They come shod with standard 265/35 and 295/30 profile tires.

The M6 Gran Coupe is based around a high-strength-steel platform boasting the same 116.7-inch wheelbase as the M5.

As is customary for all cars wearing the M badge, the track has also been widened significantly over the standard 6-series Gran Coupe – 64.2 and 63.5 inches, respectively.

At the rear, there is further M6 identification on the trunk lid

Despite weighing 11 pounds more (at 4,133 pounds) and running the same 3.15:1 final drive, BMW claims the M6 Gran Coupe is actually faster to 60 mph than the M5, but only by 0.1 second (at 4.2 seconds). Top speed is nominally limited to 155 mph; however, ambitious buyers can have it extended to 190 mph as part of an optional driver’s package. And who wouldn’t!

A full-throttle autobahn run on the outskirts of Munich revealed this latest M-car has no trouble reaching such dizzying performance heights when conditions permit. The engine’s spectacular on-boost qualities combine with tremendously effective straight-line stability to make for a formidable high-speed cruiser. There’s also sufficient compliance within the suspension, even in its most aggressive sport-plus mode, to ensure comfort levels remain acceptable.

For a car measuring more than 197 inches, this latest M-car is also impressively agile on more challenging roads. It steers accurately, though without much feedback. In sport and sport-plus modes, the damping is sufficiently firm to ensure taut body control when you’re carrying big speed through corners. The chassis, largely shared with the M5, is quite fluent in its actions, providing some handling delicacy – rare in this segment. It also possesses great throttle response and, thanks to an electronically operated M-differential, immense traction for a rear-wheel-drive car with such potent reserves.

It steers accurately, though without much feedback

To appease U.S. buyers – M boss Friedrich Nitschke predicts it will be the new car’s biggest market – the M6 Gran Coupe receives slightly more comfort-oriented chassis settings than the M5.

When the conditions call for more moderate speeds, you can choose to alter the car’s intrinsic character – just switch it to comfort mode – wherein the aggressive engine, gearbox, steering and damping mapping are all dialed down.

So configured, the M6 Gran Coupe proves effortless, refined and, for a car flaunting the legendary M badge, supremely compliant. The only thing disturbing the calm is the uncomfortable exhaust drone on constant throttle loads that occurs routinely at mid-range revs.

The M6 Gran Coupe’s abilities are extraordinary and will no doubt appeal to many seeking everyday usability. But for traditionalists, the more practical M5will remain the BMW performance car of choice, even if it ultimately proves less cosseting.